Reflection: Active Participation In The Classroom

Module 4 - Reflective Journal and Artefacts

When I was a student, I remember I always was an active participant in class. I always remember myself as a student who takes active participation in class discussions. I remember that most of my class teachers during parents’ day used to tell my parents that it was very hard to contain me during class discussion and that I always asked questions to help me understand more. This was a tool for me to retain learning for a longer period of time.

Nowadays, as a teacher with more than fifteen years of experience, I know that actively participating in lessons is a crucial component for students to get a much better and in depth classroom experience. Participating in class does not only mean being

I needed to create an atmosphere in class in which all students have the opportunity to learn. An atmosphere where they believe that they can achieve and that their ideas are valued. This is called ‘a growth mindset’ and every teacher should embrace it. When the children feel that their make a difference they put extra effort and time to achieve higher. Keeping in mind that not all the children participate in the same way or at the same rate. Children have different personalities and therefore have different learning preferences. Some students are more reflective learners than others, others are shy while others are more comfortable to speak out in front the other members of the group. The aim of a good educator is to put the student at the centre of their own learning and so create an atmosphere where students with different learning patterns can contribute. The first thing I did is arrange my class in a way that encourages active participation. For me the best way was arranging the desks in groups. This allowed me to use various tools to help me reach my aim. I started by including ‘pair work’. A strategy that I really found useful is the ‘Think Pair Share’ because it allows students to ‘work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned task’(Adlit.org, 2018). It helps the children to think on their worn about a concept or topic and then share their ideas with their colleague. This strategy is very useful because it enhances participation in class from all the children. The children have time to think about prior knowledge and then share their ideas. A great ‘think pair share’ activity I used recently was with the topic ‘shapes’ I gave the children some question prompts (see pic below) and the children had time to work individually and then share their ideas with their