Just what is equitable participation, anyway?
The purpose of equitable participation is to find ways for every learner in the class to become involved in the learning process. The idea of equitable participation is that the teacher has taken steps to intentionally plan response structures that will help every student participate. Below are some of the many ways this can, and does happen at FMS!
Use of Technology
When students use sites such as "Kahoot!", "Quizizz" or "Socrative", every student uses an individual device to record an answer. Wait time is built in before the responses are discussed as a whole. In this photo, Ms. Harris's class uses the Quizizz app to review for a test. This app gave her a formative assessment of students skills before the test, and gave them an opportunity to "compete" and all were expected to respond.
Learning Stations
When students work in stations, there is the benefit of collaborative learning. In some instances, equitable participation is encouraged further when each student is assigned a specific job or role. In this example, Ms. Jones' class rotated through various learning stations. Her pre-planned activities include expectations for every student.
Small Group
Providing specific activities that students work on in a small group helps students hold one another accountable for the assigned tasks. Coach Campbell identifies specific activities for her PE students to complete in small groups. She identifies a "team leader" in each group to help with accountability. Below, she talks about the benefits of using small groups.
Use of Popsicle sticks, index cards, or a "random app"
When hand-raising alone is used, sometimes it is easy to call on the same few students without even realizing it. Allowing students to "shout out" answers sometimes means also hearing from only a few voices. The use of Popsicle sticks, index cards, or an app that helps teachers randomly call student names are ways to ensure everyone has an opportunity to respond. For more info visit: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/practices-promote-equity-in-classroom-shane-safir
Partner Talk
Other methods to encourage all students to talk include strategies such as "Think-Pair-Share", "Stand up, Pair Up, Share", and "Turn and Talk", or "Numbered heads". When strategies such as these are incorporated in the lesson, every student is provided with time to share with others. These methods also help students who are hesitant to speak in a whole class setting.
Think Time and Quick Writes
Giving students wait time, or think time, helps everyone formulate a response before someone answers aloud. In addition, a "Quick Write" form of response asks everyone to formulate an answer on an index card or post it note. This also helps students reluctant to share aloud. Occasionally, collecting these responses can be used as a formative assessment to guide future learning.
Multiple Voices
Sometimes, allowing students to participate in a group can provide a way for students who are generally quiet to feel more comfortable. In this example, Ms. Hollis actually used three of the strategies discussed. In this lesson, students were asked to take a familiar song, and rewrite the words to make the song about another topic. First, she gave students time to write. She then allowed them to work in small groups. Then, when sharing aloud, she heard from multiple voices at once.