Interesting . . . the word participation . . . and to associate participation with a grade. Is this a reflection of our current society? Should we give rewards for activity that is necessary for survival?
OK, so someone needs to pay me because I dressed nicely today, is that it? Or pay me extra because I got my attendance entered within the first few minutes of class? Or give me a Wednesday off because I showed up on Monday and Tuesday? OK, crazy huh! But is it really?
Isn't that what we are promoting through participation points? We are giving students points for doing what they are supposed to do anyway. What happens to them when they go to college?
All right, I've set you up a little bit.
Participation points are a common practice in classrooms. But what are "participation points" anyway? How much do you get [or give, if you are a teacher] and how much does it count for in the overall scheme of your grades. Is it more than 10% of your total grade? 50%?
Do you [student AND teacher] rely on participation points to make the acceptable grade? If you took away "participation points" would the gradebook look the same?
Maybe another time I will write about "extra credit." You might be surprised . . . .
participation points are points students are given for being involved in the class instead of just sleeping and other things. some peoples grades would look the same.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that participation points help kids actually show interest and even show up to class. I'm sure some students do rely on those points but those are the ones that shouldn't be getting them. Taking away those points could have both positive and negative reactions.
ReplyDeleteIf you give participation points, what do you do about students that are absent? What if they have a major illness?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your ideas about participation points.
I feel that participation points are just another way of pushing students forward in class so they aren't in the same grade for years upon years (I dislike no child left behind ). This is a stupid way of letting students who should stay behind to actually work and learn go forward in school.
ReplyDeleteHEY! :) MR.KIMBLE! any way the book that we are reading in class(the odyssey) is a very interesting book it has many words that i never new existed. In this class you dont just read the book to us you also teach us how to prepare ourselves to read many hard and boring things. I wish our teachers would have done this sooner in my learning career so i could have doon better in grade school so thanks a lot and !KEEP IT UP MR.KIMBLE! HE HE
ReplyDeleteMy mom and I were just talking about participation points earlier. The fact that some grades are totally altered because of these points seems kind of ridiculous. It is probably nearly impossible for teachers to keep track of every one of their over 100 students' "participation" in the class. Giving an accurate grade for these points is not realistic at all. Students are getting easy grades for simply staying awake or seeming interested in a class discussion that could possibly mean nothing to them. More than likely half of those students is day-dreaming or planning their weekend. Unless a teacher finds a way to accurately grade participation they should not put so many points towards this.
ReplyDeleteI think participation points are good, but they shouldn't be a major part of stundent's grades. Like if a student has been paying attention in class and doing the work, but they had a bad day and bombed a quiz or something those participation points could help them get that grade they've been working for. Of corse i don't think they should be just given out for just being in class and awake, but we should have class descussions where we have to answer questions about what we are doing in class and for the students that actually know what's going on, or trying to understand it, they should get their participation points, but for those who aren't even trying they should lose participation points.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully I dont understand the point of "participation points". In a way, im sure it helps students get alittle boost to there grades, but besides that there really isn't any reason for them. I can see participation points being in P.E., but for English, Math, or any other class. What would we do in those classes? Read out loud? Cuz we already get points for our assignments.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah..I think everybody should get off school on Wednesday if they went to school on Monday and Tuesday.
When it comes to points like that I think that they are kinda useless. I mean... Well... Okay just listen or read: Lets say you get sick with something, like mono, you can't come to school for a couple of weeks. For the classes you miss you fail for the weeks you are gone. Even if you do work. Like in chorus. I was gone for like 3 days outta the week. I failed that week. But that effected my grade for mid-term. (It was not a happy time.) Because I did more work that a lot of the people in that class and they were getting a better grade when they didn't do ANYTHING. Huhh... Now my true feeling come out about our school system. But its just how the teachers might give them out. Like a point or two per day? Yeah that seems fair. Unlike 10 points per day (trust me it happens) is just ridicules. But yeah. That my opinion. There might be a bigger reason behind it but from what I see on the surface, that's how it works in my book.
ReplyDeleteKAD6.
When it comes to participation points, I think they can be well used but are often abused. I do not give daily grades and I am not big on extra credit, nor do I believe in daily grades or dropping the lowest quiz in a semester. However, I do add the equivalent of one solid "A" quiz grade per semester. Students who do not bring materials or who fall asleep or have unexcused absences (or more rarely those who refuse to participate when called on) lose points from these grades because they are clearly not participating. The vast majority of students never lose a single point, but I have had students who have lost them all before the first quarter is even over.
ReplyDeleteHow effective are they? I wish I could say that every student really tries harder and participates more to keep these grades, but realistically I do not think that most even think about them until they are trying to figure out their semester grade. I have had a number of students who had attitude changes about bringing materials to class when they found out that I was really going to hold them accountable for doing so, which tells me that these points are a tool that I do not want to stop using outright. I also think, as I believe you will acknowledge, that parents appreciate seeing that the teacher has considered their child's effort (possibly the most nebulous concept to attempt to grade, because only the actual student knows how much effort was truly put forward).
You ask a really good question when you asked if they are used in college. I have been in classes where they were, even on the graduate level, often linked with attendance or with a required number of class blog postings. In one class, we had a discussion of this and the students argued that if all that was being graded was quantity, the grade was worthless, because people would simply post how they agreed with someone else's idea and offer nothing new. The professor eventually ended the discussion by telling us that we should continue it on the class blog. You can guess how many responses there were. I did get an A, but so did pretty much everybody else in the class. In that case, participation points were worthless.
To B-Daddy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I still would like to know, though, how much of the grade is influenced by participation points. A quiz grade? Is that 5% of the overall grade? 2%?
I guess I am hung up on that because if every teacher gives a different percentage value for participation points then how can we truly justify our grades, or even our GPA for that matter?
If I am top of my class and am in a close competition with the second place person and we are both in classes with differing participation points . . . what happens to me if I don't get the class with the "nice" teacher?
I would also be interested to see if those points were taken away, from all of the teachers, if the gradebook would look the same. Would a B student really make a C? Does it make enough of a difference to give that B+ student an A- grade?
I think participation points should be taken more strictly/seriously. One kid sleeps, he gets 10/10 pts, the other kids do work, and still get the same grade. I know you arent one to do this, but alot of teachers do. They should be distributed fairly. The teacher should take notes though the period as to record who is REALLY participating.
ReplyDelete-kaleyyy.. 7
KSH6
ReplyDeleteI think participation points are a good thing. In some cases if a student's grade is poor, they can help earn some points back that they are missing on tests, quizes, or homework. Everyone has probably had one of those situations where they absolutly bomb an assignment or test. With participation points, that can sort of "comfort" the blow and make it easier for the student's grade to bounce back.
I think it's really all about how the teacher gives out the participation points, not them in general. Sometimes a participation point is given when a student has their assignment done, who says they didn't copy? sometime a participation point is given for showing up to class, even if it is slept through. But what about the participation points that are awarded for becoming involved in class discussion, or taking the lesson outside of the classroom setting and applying it to real life? Most participation points don't even come close to applying to those subjects.
ReplyDeleteInstead of taking away the participation point for showing up, how would it effect the gradebooks if the participation points were added for discussing things in the class, or applying it to your real life.
WOuld the grades change?
we love participation points!! we believe that people who dont really try and are not active in the class should not get the same amout of participation points as the active students. extra credit is very nice also. that gives the students a chance to make up an assignment and the students who try will more than likely try to get the extra credit to better their grade.
ReplyDeletemt, jt, as
I Think that it is a good thing for participation points because if a kid really needs help with there grade those points could help them. I agree with kaley about the whole who really should get participation point the people that are actually doing something should really get the points. Not people that dont do anything the whole class or ever half. The Teachers should really look for people that do what there suppose to do. And give them the points.
ReplyDeleteMB!!!! 7th Hour.
well i think that participation points are both good in some classes and not in others like obviously if your in an ag construction class or in a class where it is mainly just participating then they should be considered or if there is a project in a class then they could be offered as particition pints but i don't really think they should be a daily grade for just showing up and paying attention when that is what they should be doing any ways in stead of sleeping or screwing around.
ReplyDeleteapf 6th hour
Participation points are given for being involved in class. When they have to ask a question that you just went over do they desirve them? If they are talking or sleeping in class they really dont care about the the class or the assignments.
ReplyDeleteJCB
Participation points can help your grade at least some what in the long run. instead of sleeping in class or talking the whole class time, you can be rewarded for acually paying attention and listening to what the teacher has to say. TS-7
ReplyDeleteParticipation grades.. in my personal opinion should be there to help the students a little... not a lot at all unless it is a performing class like choir or band. other classes it shouldn't be that big unless it is a language art class like spanish... french... etc.. because you have to speak thats the class but this class shuld be grades!
ReplyDeleteKEM 1
I think that participation points help our grades but should not become our grades...you know? But I still think that we should get a little something like every month or so just to show our parents that we do try in your class.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you were to give out about 10 or 15 participation points a month I think that would help solve part of your communication problem, because some of the communication problem has to do with people talking to their friends. And with the participation points it would help them focus more.
THANKS
SS 1st hour
I like the way some teachers use participation points. They are more like an added "bonus" because if the student has good behavior, they get extra credit. I think some students even try harder to participate in class so they can have a higher grade at the end of the semester.1
ReplyDeleteJL-1st Hour
Personally it depends on how the teacher gives participation points. For some students it is a reward for participating, and a punishment for those who do not. Some classes award them differently. Some award points for doing work in class and what not. I disagree with this. Work should be able to be done by the student when he or she is able to. Take it as you wish.
ReplyDeletetjc1
I agree, in academic classes participation points are a little ridiculous. But I think in classes like band and choir participation points are neccesary. In english we have assignments and that should be enough. However, in classes like band it is hard to give assignments and take grades for 85 kids, therefore participation points are count for a majority of your grade. I think if you were to give participation points it should be an extra credit thing, sort of like focus. If you are really trying hard and its obvious that you are improving your english skills then maybe you deserve a little extra boost. Or you could add them to the kids that deserve them at the end of the semester if they had a borderline grade.
ReplyDeleteaeb1
Mr. Kimble
ReplyDeleteParticipation points have both positive and negative results. On the positive side, they give students a few easy points that can help strengthen their grade. They also can come in handy at the beginning of a quarter if you do bad on an assignment. Students also pay attention and participate more than usual because they are forced to do something they should already be doing. On the negative side, they are too easy to be earned and like I said you are rewarding students for doing what they should already do. Some students live off of these points and don't ever learn much. If participation points would be taken away the grade book would either stay the same or change drastically due to the type of student.
ARB 7th hour