# @edutopia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CQEYsVrFUmr
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20303778-edutopia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/0c40262e9d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-06-13T17:20:34.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Edutopia (@edutopia) — https://gondola.cc/edutopia

## Caption

You can broaden your notion of class participation—it doesn’t always need to be vocal, and it doesn’t necessarily have to occur during class time.

Starting classroom discussions on a shared Google Doc allows teachers to “see a student’s level of understanding—through both their questions and answers—without waiting for them to speak in class,” writes Katy Farber, a professional development coordinator and former sixth-grade teacher. It can also provide an equitable entry point into discussions for all students, including introverted ones. “Students can use the digital discussions as a basis for approaching, exploring, processing, or reflecting on content,” says Sam Nelson, a teacher who shared the practice with Farber. “While we can review the discussion trackers [in the Google doc] out loud, we can also use small groups or independent review protocols to get students following the digital discussions.”

During brainstorming sessions, consider supplementing classroom conversations with a Padlet where students can post ideas and everyone’s contributions are visible to the group. For reflection exercises, try giving students some choice in how they share their thoughts—they might doodle their reflection in Google Draw, or record their voices on VoiceThread or Flipgrid, Farber suggests. “Yes, we need to encourage them to use their voices, but students need to take small steps and be encouraged along the way.”

#ClassParticipation #TeacherTip #TeacherTips #TeacherStrategy

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## Tags

teachertip, teacherstrategy, teachertips, classparticipation

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