Syllabus day is when every college student finds out just how many points they can miss to get a passing grade in their class. For me, syllabus day is where I find out if participation is a grade. I admit I like to talk, but I don't want to talk in a class that forces me to talk for a grade. We aren't given a rubric for participation, so how should I, or anyone else, know exactly what qualifies as participation?
Most people don't care about discussing art forms or writing techniques. They want to learn what they need to for their exam and never worry about having to take a class that doesn't even pertain to their major ever again. I can find a way to make something up that will get me a decent grade in the participation department, but for some people, participation is maybe speaking once or twice in class, or in some cases, showing up in the first place.
I can't seem to wrap my head around how teachers expect participation in a classroom setting. They may have statistics that participation or group work helps students learn, but in reality, a majority of us despise it. We don't want to discuss things we have no interest in or will never talk about again. If we do group work and our grade depends on someone else's participation, we find a way to still make a weak link do almost nothing.
The point is, participation may show that we actually think outside the box or can understand a concept, but that doesn't mean everyone will understand or think the way someone else does.
Expecting students to think and learn in certain ways takes away the creative aspect in learning. Creativity is something we are losing. We have to learn and devise discussion topics in certain ways that fit a lesson plan versus allow us to find a different way to get to an answer without being penalized.
What's the point of emphasizing a diverse community if we are expected to learn through the same technique? Doesn't that take away problem solving and creative ideas?
Back to the point, participation shouldn't be a grade. We all have different personalities and forcing someone to display a personality just to get an A isn't fair. I dread classes with a participation grade. I would rather enjoy a class I have to take once in my life than regret ever taking it in the first place.
