Download - 4. class participation
• When students talk during the class.
• When they raise their hands for volunteering
• When the teacher asks a question and everybody says
something nobody can understand.
• When students get involved in every aspect of the class,
not only by talking, but showing interest and provoking
peer participation.
Teachers play an
important role
We have to facilitate students’ participation.
Teacher: Class, do you understand? Class: (chorally) Yes we do!
Teacher: Hello Bryan, What did you do this weekend? Bryan: Errr… (pause and silence) Teacher: Did you go to the movies? Bryan: Yes Teacher: Did you like the movie? Bryan: Yes
Teacher: I need a volunteer, please raise your hands. Class: (silence, everybody seems unattentive) Teacher: I will give you extra points. Class: (everybody reising hands) Me! Me! Me!
• They are the simplest form of interaction and can occur at any moment.
• Do not give the answer, but elicit the answer.
• Use Open ended questions (Wh- questions) to spark discussion and
Close Ended Questions to elicit and encourage longer answers.
• Try the PPP technique:
Pose a question
Pause for answer.
Pounce for somebody else for help.
• Good for vocabulary lists.
• Activates previous knowledge.
• Consolidates what has been
taught.
• Only some participate.
• Can be outside of context.
• Why don’t we give
specific instructions?
Tell names of animals
with each letter of the
alphabet.
• Ant, alligator…. Bee, bear…. Cat, crocodile…. Q??? X???
• Everybody has to write.
• Enhances listening skills.
• May result boring if used
often.
• But….
Not only saying: Manuel, you are the teacher. Christina, you are the student. Jose, you are the principal.
Role 1
Your company has designed a
range of revolutionary new
products completely different
from your usual ones.
You are having a meeting
with one of your best
costumers. Describe the new
product to him/her.
Role 2
You are having a meeting to
hear about some amazing
new products from an
important suplier.
Ask a lot of questions and
find as much as you can
about the products.
Hollander (2002) discusses the need to present participation
as a collective responsibility of the class rather than just an
individual responsibility. In order to facilitate a conversation
where connections are made, students need to view their
participation as a contribution to a shared experience.
Asking students to respond to a peer’s response helps to
facilitate a conversation. As well, positively reinforcing such
contributions builds this sense of collectivism.
Create a vibrant Training Environment
Question your question style
Be different. Create a shared experience