Active participation means that all
of our students can be engaged in the learning process. Oftentimes
as teachers, we ask a question and call on one or
two students to give us an answer and we move on. This doesn’t mean that
all of our students were engaged, however. When we use active
participation, we use strategies like, “Give me
a thumbs up if you agree,” and I can quickly scan to see if all
my students are with me or not.
I can also do things like,
“Take a moment and share with somebody sitting near
you about what you think about this question.” This, again, gives
me the opportunity for all of my students to be actively
engaged in the learning process.
When I use active participation, I'm increasing the participation of all
of my students and not just one or two that are answering my questions.