Reconceptualizing Class Participation as Skill Building

Teaching Matters

In this conversation, Dr. Alana Gillis discusses the significance of class participation in education, emphasizing its role in enhancing student learning and engagement. She explores the inequalities present in educational systems and how they affect student participation. Dr. Gillis proposes a redefinition of participation as a skill set rather than a mere attendance metric, advocating for a structured approach to assess and develop these skills. The discussion also covers the mechanics of goal setting in participation, the transfer of skills learned in the classroom to other contexts, and the successful implementation of her model in middle school education. For more information about Dr. Gillis’ research, please visit her blog post discussing these topic.