Unintended Consequences: How Teachers' Strategies for Managing Participation Can Disadvantage Some Students

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Division G Section 1: Local Contexts of Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This paper examines three third-grade teachers' strategies in providing for guided, constrained student participation, and evaluates their consequences for learning, using detailed transcripts of verbal and non-verbal classroom behavior. Comparison with data from the 1970s reveals a detrimental shift making how often a student is called on overwhelmingly dependent on how often he/she volunteers. Other findings show students' attempts to initiate interactions by raising hands are largely ignored, but relevant called-out utterances are regularly acknowledged. This enables teachers to avoid the risk of calling on students outside controlled discussions while still allowing some students (those comfortable calling out and aware it is tolerated) to check their understanding. Ultimately, these strategies favor more outgoing students and disadvantage others.

Author

• Michael A. Shepherd, California State University - Fresno