As a first-year student at Syracuse University, I dreaded three things: snow, frigid temperatures and professors who asked, “What did you think about the reading?” In response, my eyes always turned downward as quickly as possible. Maybe if I don’t look him in the eye, I thought, he will leave me alone. I was scared and anxious about speaking in front of people I didn’t know very well; but more than that, I lacked the confidence to overcome my fears because I was unsure of what the question really meant.
For the remaining four years of college, I became an expert at avoiding class participation. I quickly learned to register for more courses than I intended to take so I could drop the one I thought would require the most participation. I preferred large lecture courses because it was easier to remain anonymous. I sat in the back of classrooms.
My strategy helped me circumvent my fears, but looking back, I have to laugh at how much work I put into avoiding something that I now know is fairly simple. In my work today, as a first-year professor teaching college success skills to new students, one of the most important lessons I teach is how to answer the dreaded question: “What did you think about the reading?”
Before I share my simple recipe for class participation success, here’s why class participation is so important and how mastering it can help you reach your academic, personal and career goals.
• Grades
Most professors include class participation in their grading scheme. In the course I teach, class participation is the largest percentage of the final grade, accounting for 30% of a student’s grade in the class. Instead of running from this requirement, why not capitalize on it?
• Practice
Many people struggle with a fear of public speaking. Participating in class typically requires you to speak in front of others for less than a minute. It’s great practice for future experiences in college or your career, when you will be asked to speak for longer periods of time.
• Learning
Our brains learn best when material is relevant to our lives. What better way to connect classroom learning to personal experiences than to enter into a class discussion? Participating in class will help you retain information, which in turn will help you learn more and increase your achievement in all areas of the course.
Here’s a simple, three-step strategy to help you gain the confidence you need to become an expert in class participation:
Step 1: Summarize
Show your professor that you understand the main point of the reading. Aim to keep your summary to about three or four sentences and focus on concisely articulating the author’s primary thesis.
Step 2: Opinion
When you summarize the readings, you show that you understand what you read. Now take the next step. Do you agree or disagree with those key points? You might want to choose an interesting quote from the reading as a starting point for your argument. Don’t be afraid to disagree with the author or your professor because that often makes for the most interesting discussions.
Step 3: Evidence
You’ve shown that you understand the main point and you’ve shared your opinion. Now provide some evidence that supports your opinion. The best evidence will combine some information from course readings with your own experiences. Don’t discount your personal experiences when contributing to class discussions. Finally, relate readings from other courses to the discussion to show you are making connections between your classes.
Students who struggle with class participation often have a hard time responding to abstract questions. By using this concrete, step-by-step process, you will have a simple tool to use in class discussions. Most importantly, remember that learning is like anything else in life: It requires practice and attention. Start off by setting the small goal of volunteering once in each of your classes. You will soon be an expert in class participation.
By Karen Costa
