When a teacher asks a question and nobody responds, Alexia Perez (‘28) wonders, “Why isn’t anybody participating and actually trying to learn?” So, she raises her hand and participates to demonstrate to others that participating is helpful and key to learning.
In March of 2020, COVID-19 hit, and students and teachers were mandated to attend school online for the 2020-2021 school year. When students returned to school for the 2021-2022 school year, they came back afraid and shy to connect with teachers and classmates. Ever since, not participating or asking questions has been a trend with students at Preuss. Students tend to not even answer or participate even when they need it the most. The pandemic caused a significant amount of stress and isolation, which further made students feel disconnected from participating in class.
Lack of participation from students in classrooms can affect a student’s development skills. According to data by The National Center for Educational Statistics, “Eighty-seven percent of public schools reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development during the 2021–22 school year.” As I have seen from Preuss, students in my classes have a negatively impacted socio-emotional development that can affect a student’s understanding of expressing themselves. This problem has made my classes dull.
I have noticed that in my classes such as Biology and P.E, Preuss students don’t really participate in class as much or even ask for help when most needed. In my classes, teachers have to encourage students to speak. Students not participating also affects collaborative learning between the students. Students aren’t able to learn from each other’s perspective and get to see new ideas.
Even though students may feel judged by asking questions, participation is very important to keep a class running. According to the article “Asking Questions to Improve Learning,” published by Washington University, “Asking questions throughout the class will not only make it more interactive but will also help you measure and improve student learning,” Participating and asking questions can also help students with their academic performance because it can show teachers the student cares about their classroom and wants a good education.
Students should participate or ask questions in class for many reasons. Asking questions can help students learn better and build up students confidence when asked to speak. Anytime students ask a question or even answer a question, it’s expressing their ideas which can help students build their communication skills and learn more from the class. For example, when a difficult topic comes up, I try asking questions in class for my own understanding and for my classmates to feel that they can too. If more students participated in class and asked more questions that would give students a better bond with their teachers and classmates.
Is it the students responsibility to keep the whole class engaged? I believe students should participate and ask questions in class to make our community better and stronger. I also believe it’s not the teachers’ responsibility to keep the class engaged because a class can only function with students.
Send your thoughts!
