What does whole-class participation look like?
Whole-class participation means that all learners in your classroom have frequent opportunities to respond and communication to teacher-led or self-directed instruction (Tincani & Twyman, 2016, p.18). Given the diversity in our classrooms today, there is a need to create greater opportunities for student engagement and participation. Traditional methods saw learners raising their hands to respond, which as Tincani & Twyman (2016) explain they produce lower levels of class participation. This is because learners are only able to respond to questions posed one at a time, when they are called on by their teacher.
“fairness sticks: tongue depressors as math engagement tool” by woodleywonderworks is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Classrooms using whole-group response strategies should observe active engagement and equitable learning opportunities for all learners. Students with learning exceptionalities are provided greater opportunities to contribute to discussion and demonstrate their learning, that otherwise may get missed without the use of whole-group response strategies.