Should We Grade Class Participation?
By ANNIE WERNERFELT ‘20
Class participation, a requirement that pops up on almost every course syllabus, intimidates students with the threat of lowering their course grade if they do not make meaningful contributions to class discussions. While participation-based grading encourages engagement in class discussions, incentivizes completion of readings, and prefaces future assignments, flaws also exist in the system. Namely, it devalues thoughtful contributions and punishes introverted students.
Firstly, it rewards quantity of contributions over quality in classroom discussions. This mindset weakens the discussion by crowding out thoughtful comments with superficial ones since students often confuse verbosity with thoughtfulness. On the other hand, shy students experience pressure throughout their Milton careers to “change” as a prerequisite to succeed. This omnipresent refusal to accept introversion induces anxiety in quiet students.
Power dynamics in classrooms also dictate the success of individual students’ class participation levels. I’ve experienced many classes where boys constantly speak over girls, frequent interruptions which chip away at girls’ willingness to speak. Though this trend does not apply universally, many classes and departments suffer from power imbalances; such imbalances place female students at a disadvantage. To address this problem, teachers should observe the dynamics of each classroom, keeping in mind the fact that girls may feel discouraged to speak up, especially in majority-male classes.
To both encourage more productive discussions and ensure a more equal environment, teachers should instead find ways to grade based on how engaged their students are. Many teachers have been creative in finding ways for students to show their engagement without forcing conventional class participation. Employing strategies such as having students work in smaller groups or produce written work to show their engagement could be an effective resolution to the issue.
The inherent variation in student personality types and classroom dynamics makes grading on class participation an unfair indication of student effort and intelligence. Yes, there are degrees of utility that the practice has for teachers who wish to have lively, productive discussions, but it ends up putting certain students at a disadvantage while also sending a harmful message about introversion. Instead of thinking critically about the material, students are distracted by the compulsion to fabricate a comment that will impress their teacher. Rather, teachers should work with their different sections to promote classroom environments that encourage everyone to speak only when they feel they have something meaningful to say.