updated 10/3/14

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Class Participation and Discussion

Class Participation: documentation

Daily class participation grades:  up to nine points per class, sometimes more if you demonstrate good listening, sometimes less if you don’t. You always get up to seven class participation points for (1) bringing the books assigned for that day; (2) printouts* of that day's section of the website schedule**; and (3) a printout* of your entry from your blog if you made one; and (4), on Tuesdays, a copy* of your grades from Canvas. In other words just for listening and following these instructions you can get 240 points, one-fourth of what you need for an A- in this course.  (*You need to print out your copy of the schedule the day before class so that it includes any late changes.)

You get two additional points for putting next to the total points on the copy of your grades an “=” sign and then the letter grade those points are worth according to the course description as in “= C-“ Then write at the top also the top three scores so far in the class according to the latest email. When you do this, you raise your points for Tuesdays to nine or more. 

Speaking of printouts, the way to save the most paper and printer supplies is apparently to copy the relevant pages into Word, then 'select all" and decrease the size of the font and spacing, and then print, specifying black and white only. If possible, print on both sides of the page.

*Most important of all, use only recycled paper! No points will be awarded until you present the instructor with the label from a five-hundred-sheet package of 100% recycled paper, such as Aspen100, available at Office Depot or Office Max for $10.49.

Class Participation: being on time

Students prepare for class discussion by being on time.  There will be heavier penalties for being late than for being absent. Why? Basically, because being absent does not disrupt the class and coming in late does, especially if we are watching Earthlings. There are in fact three important reasons for penalizing lateness in this way: [1] To prepare you for the real world. Employers will not tolerate this kind of behavior. [2] To be courteous and respectful of your colleagues, not interrupting the class to make your tardy entrance. [3] To avoid "enabling," to encourage repeat offenders to learn the lessons they need to learn.

The ultimate reasons are found in the essay by Dr. Carl Pickhardt on the website:

The key sentences in that document for a teacher are: “Maintain adult demands and expect young people to meet them. Accept no excuses, make no exceptions, and attempt no rescues. Listen respectfully and empathetically and do not criticize the young person for not measuring up to what college expected. Encourage learning more responsibility from facing consequences of how one chose to act. And support the courage to keep growing forward in life.”

There will be no attendance or class participation credit for the first late appearance, -5 points for the second, double the penalty for the third, triple for the fourth, etc.  If anyone chooses to open the door for someone who comes late, they will receive the same penalties: no attendance or class participation credit for the first disruption, -5 points for the second, double the penalty for the third, triple for the fourth, etc.

Class Participation: Class Discussion

MOTIVATION

1. To care for and respect each other

2. To be a good citizen

One of the primary goals of this state university, enshrined in the college seal, is training students to be good citizens of a democracy. A key exercise in that training is learning how to participate in a civilized discussion.

3.. To be a good employee

Employers want to know how well the student gets along with others, especially how the student behaves in a group.

Students also prepare by reviewing "Guidelines for Listening" in our anthology. During the discussion they listen attentively -- staying in the present moment, suspending judgment -- and help the organizer generate a meaningful discussion. They focus their sympathetic imaginations on the speaker and concentrate well enough to repeat what the speaker has just said and/or the course of the discussion to that point. (To that end they may take notes, which they may turn in at the end of class for extra credit).  After a speaker has finished speaking, anyone may be called on to to repeat what the speaker has just said and/or the course of the discussion to that point. If they can not do this, their class participation grade for that day will suffer.

During the discussion students must focus on the speaker without talking to others, without interrupting, without thinking about they want to say next. If they do have interrupting thoughts, they might well find that writing down a reminder of what they want to contribute will help them get back to concentrating on the discussion.

Students who talk to others while the speaker is talking and/or encourage this rude behavior with a willing ear, will have fifteen points deducted from their class participation/attendance grade for each incident during the class. Egregious behavior such as sleeping in class, writing notes to each other, reading materials other than ours, doing homework for another class or cause, having an earphone plug in your ear, USING YOUR CELLPHONE, IPOD, OR COMPUTER DURING CLASS, acting out, disrupting class, etc. will besubject to the same penalty. Students who insult, threaten, or harass others will have thirty points deducted from their grade for each incident, and be referred to the Dean of Students. Their class participation/attendance grade can thus become a negative grade.

These rules apply to other class activities as well such as meditation and guided imagery.

Select this link for Leading Class Discussion in E603A 2010