How to get a good participation grade
If you want a good participation grade, you need to prepare for classes, and need to be wholly present during the class time. You will not get a 0.5 just for showing up: you need to have done the reading carefully and thought it over, to listen carefully to me and to your classmates, and to actively engage in what is happening in class. If you just lurk at the back of the room updating your social media or thinking about what you’ll do after class, you will be wasting a great opportunity to learn, and to improve your grade.
Also, please refrain from dominating the discussion. If you have long contributions to make and many questions, I’ll be happy to listen to you during my office hours. Be considerate to your classmates and give them a chance to participate, too.
Evaluation of your participation will be based on your attendance, attention, and activity in lectures, discussions and other in-class activities. It will be evaluated on two parameters: relevance and quality. There is a maximum of 0.5 of a point per class, and a total of 10 points you can earn for participation.
To get the maximum points (10) for participation you need to:
- Show up, and stay, for all classes.
- Be prepared for lectures and discussions by carefully reading all assigned readings and having a good grasp of authors’ proposals and meanings of key terms.
- Stay on task, and help to keep discussions on track. Your contributions need to be relevant.
- Be willing to offer your opinion, ask questions, offer responses to the questions of other students, and allow other students a chance to do so as well.
- Focus on discussion, rather than just waiting to speak. That is, listen well to other students and attempt to build on their contributions as well as offering your own ideas. Think about how your contributions can be helpful to others, and consider how others’ contributions can inform your own ideas.
If, on the other hand, you want to try to get a really low participation grade, here are some tips: Miss classes. Do not participate in discussions and group activities. Dominate discussion. Interrupt your classmates and dismiss what they say. Don‘t do the readings. Arrive late and pack up early.
There are two participation formats: speaking in class, and writing your questions/comments and handing them to me at the end of class. Written participation contributions that were not handed to me at the end of each class will not be considered. If you feel uncomfortable speaking in class, come talk to me about it. I might help you with that.
Also, please refrain from dominating the discussion. If you have long contributions to make and many questions, I’ll be happy to listen to you during my office hours. Be considerate to your classmates and give them a chance to participate, too.
Evaluation of your participation will be based on your attendance, attention, and activity in lectures, discussions and other in-class activities. It will be evaluated on two parameters: relevance and quality. There is a maximum of 0.5 of a point per class, and a total of 10 points you can earn for participation.
To get the maximum points (10) for participation you need to:
- Show up, and stay, for all classes.
- Be prepared for lectures and discussions by carefully reading all assigned readings and having a good grasp of authors’ proposals and meanings of key terms.
- Stay on task, and help to keep discussions on track. Your contributions need to be relevant.
- Be willing to offer your opinion, ask questions, offer responses to the questions of other students, and allow other students a chance to do so as well.
- Focus on discussion, rather than just waiting to speak. That is, listen well to other students and attempt to build on their contributions as well as offering your own ideas. Think about how your contributions can be helpful to others, and consider how others’ contributions can inform your own ideas.
If, on the other hand, you want to try to get a really low participation grade, here are some tips: Miss classes. Do not participate in discussions and group activities. Dominate discussion. Interrupt your classmates and dismiss what they say. Don‘t do the readings. Arrive late and pack up early.
There are two participation formats: speaking in class, and writing your questions/comments and handing them to me at the end of class. Written participation contributions that were not handed to me at the end of each class will not be considered. If you feel uncomfortable speaking in class, come talk to me about it. I might help you with that.