Alternative Avenues for Engagement and Participation

For students who may have trouble speaking up in discussion, whatever the reasons may be (and you don’t have to tell me what they are!), I offer alternative avenues for real-time participation, which earn equal participation credit toward course marks. My approach to participation accommodation is empowerment-centered: it’s about building a framework through which you can ensure that your voice is heard in university discourse — that means including it into live class discussion, as it happens, in real time — rather than taking as a given that because you have taken an alternative avenue, your contributions must always be on the margins.

IMPORTANT: For courses with TA-led tutorials, the only place you’re required to participate is during those tutorials. I introduce my TAs to my “alternative avenues” system at the beginning of term, but from there I allow each TA to provide alternative avenues for participation in whatever way best suits their teaching style. I do require that every TA offer some kind of alternative avenues for participation, but your TA’s avenues may differ from those I describe here — get in touch with your TA to learn more about how that TA will do things.

If you’d like to take advantage of these alternative avenues, you must contact me (and your TA, if your class has TA-led tutorials) by email. Request the alternative avenues as soon as possible. It’s never too late to request them, but if you request them later than Week IV, you may not be able to earn full participation credit.

THE FIRST AVENUE

We always start here — and may remain here for the full semester: before your next class meeting, it’s your job to compose, and write on a sheet of looseleaf paper, two contributions to class discussion (these can be questions, comments, or requests for clarification) that you think are likely to provoke productive responses from classmates. ONE of those contributions must engage substantially with something specific that a classmate of yours said in class recently (that is, within one week of when you’re submitting your contributions) — you should find some way of deepening, disagreeing with, destabilizing, or productively reapplying your classmate’s ideas, in relation to any of the present week’s readings. Make sure your contributions are succinct: no more than 50 words each. Hand me (or your TA) the contributions privately, within the first five minutes of our scheduled class meeting, before discussion begins — that is, during the ten minutes of casual time before class starts in earnest, usually at ten minutes past the hour (if you are attending remotely, use a private chat message; if we are in person, again, hand them in on a sheet of paper).

When I can (and I often can!), I (or your TA) will work one of your contributions into our class discussion. I’ll usually use the segue “I was just talking to/emailing with one of you about this after our last class” — so that the contribution will be indistinguishable from the comments other students make to me informally between classes (which happen often). I will not use your name when I quote you.

You can just stay on this First Avenue for the full term, if you wish. As long as you keep it up consistently before every class meeting — always promptly handing me (or your TA) your two succinct contributions — you can earn as much Engagement and Participation credit as anyone else. And you’ll get the crucial experience of hearing your ideas woven into, and often forming the basis of, further impromptu discussion. Expect me (or your TA) to give you periodic feedback about how to make your contributions more effective, provocative, or productive.

THE NEXT FEW AVENUES (OPTIONAL!)

You can also expect me (or your TA) to encourage you periodically — and lightly and gently and in private — to move forward to a new challenge in the way you make your contributions. We will always respect your choice — again, you can remain on the First Avenue as long as you wish and still earn full credit — but a surprising majority of students in my classes who try moving forward to new stages, despite their prior assumptions about their own capabilities, end up surprising themselves. Depending on who you are and what you’re comfortable with, two new Avenues we might suggest are:

THE SECOND AVENUE: Removing anonymity. Same as the First Avenue above, except instead of saying “I was just talking to/emailing with one of you about this after our last class” we’ll use your actual name rather than “one of you.” You’ll perceive a shift in how it feels for students to know who a provocative idea has come from.

THE THIRD AVENUE: Holding onto your own contributions. You still share your written contributions with me at the beginning of class, but you don’t hand them over — you take them with you back to your seat. I will remember what you’ve prewritten; when a time comes that your contribution would fit well into our conversation, we’ll call on you directly — and all you need to do is read from your notes. (This can be tricky for the instructor to pull off — I don’t expect TAs to do it, but I invite them to try!)

THE FOURTH AVENUE: Planning a raised hand. Same as the Third Avenue, but you and I agree ahead of time on when in the planned conversation your contribution will fit best; at that time, I’ll say something that very clearly cues your contribution (“That brings us to the subject of [x]. Has anyone here been thinking about [x] in this text?”) and you can opt to pick up that cue if you feel ready. (This can be tricky for the instructor to pull off — I don’t expect TAs to do it, but I invite them to try!)

THE FINAL AVENUES (OPTIONAL!)

Again, you do not have to progress through the avenues! You can remain at the First one the whole time if you wish, or at any other. But like I said, I (or your TA) will offer periodic and very light encouragement to try something new — and these final Avenues are possible destinations. Again, this is only if you wish, with NO pressure, but many students have found useful surprises here.

THE FIFTH AVENUE: Practice public speaking in Office Hours. I’ve got a bit of experience in the performing arts and can use it to give you some tips and new ways of thinking — it’s different for everyone, so come to a one-on-one Office Hours meeting and we’ll figure out something that works for you.

THE SIXTH AVENUE: Write, but do not share, contributions. All you have to do is have your contributions written out at your own desk — and look for your own opportunity to raise your hand and jump in.

THE SEVENTH AVENUE: Interrupt me. Same as the Sixth Avenue, but don’t raise your hand. This can be very challenging, but again, you might surprise yourself. Anyone who has progressed through the Avenues in discussions led by me can rest assured that I welcome interruptions from them (your TA may feel differently on this one, though!).

But remember: you can stay entirely at the First Avenue if you wish! If, by the end of term, we all have a pretty good idea of how you approach class material (even if you remain anonymous to everyone but me!) you’ll do well for Engagement and Participation. Just leave room to surprise yourself.