Means of Participation (MoP)

  • MoP is a powerful system where students know HOW they are expected to participate so that we can manage participation successfully
  • It allows us to ensure ‘voice equity’ and depth of thinking with your students
  • We make it absolutely clear how students participate and then we hold the students accountable to this

Back Pocket Phrases

  • Developing personal ‘back pocket’ phrases that you can incorporate into your MoP instructions will ensure your students will clearly understand how they are to participate and communicate in your lesson at any given point

  • It is important to make these back pocket phrases as punchy and short as possible (economy of language) so we save time in the lesson that can be used for students to work

Phrases like these can be helpful:

  • “…by putting your hand up…”

  • “…just think about the answer for me please”

  • “…without calling out…”

  • “in a minute, you are going to turn to your partner and tell them…”

  • “without talking to your neighbour…”

  • “Answer the question in your book in silence…” (note there are two MoPs here, in silence and in the book)

Front-Loading Your 'MoP' Instructions/Phrases

However, we can improve these phrases by using a technique called ‘FRONT-LOADING’.

  • Where you put your Means of Participation or whatever at the front of your instruction
  • Where you anticipate the point at which a student might stop listening to you and thinking about something else (like the answer to the question) and get all the important information in before that point.

Front Loading Example

Script 1: “What is the word equation for photosynthesis? Please write your answer on your mini-whiteboard and hold it face down until I ask you to show me”

  • On the face of it, this is a good instruction. The question is clean and clear and the MoP is established in terms of how the students will write and present their answer.
  • But, it will struggle to work, and you still end up with students raising their boards before you have asked them.
  • I think the reason for this is pretty simple: the second you ask them the question, they start writing down their answer (or at least thinking about it) and they are no longer listening to you.
  • It’s not that they are being defiant or messing around, they just didn’t take in the instruction.

And again, it’s not because the instruction isn’t clear, it’s not a property of the instruction itself – it’s a property of its placement; where it sits in the sentence. Try this:

Script 2: “Ok in a second I’m going to ask a question, please write your answer on your mini-whiteboard and hold it face down until I ask you to show me. What is the word equation for photosynthesis?”

I’d wager ten quid that Script 2  works better than Script 1 every time. It’s not perfect, but it will almost definitely work better than the previous instruction set. It’s even better paired with other techniques into an even better Script 3:

Script 3: “Ok, I’m going to ask a question and you are going to one [hold up a finger] write your answer on a mini whiteboard 

[Hold up two fingers] two keep it face down and 

[Hold up three fingers] three show me only when I say. 

Write down [one finger], face down [two fingers], show me [three fingers.] 

Ok who can say the instruction back to me….David?…Excellent. Write down, face down, show me [use the fingers again.] What is the word equation for photosynthesis?“

It’s a bit longer and you only need to do it like this until your class is in a good routine, but MOVING THE INSTRUCTION TO THE FRONT makes a big difference. 

Try these for size:

  1. “Without talking, I’d like you to write down three things…”
  2. “By putting your hand up in the air, I’d like you to tell me…”
  3. “Without calling out, can anyone tell me…”
  4. “In silence, you are going to…”
  5. “Without turning to your neighbour, get your purple pen out…”
  6. “I don’t want to hear anyone calling out their answer as we start marking…”

Again, not revolutionary, not going to solve all your problems overnight, but it will make a difference. 

Video Example & Analysis

It is very impressive how clear the expectations are for HOW students should do these things in the video above

Discussion: Turn & Talk

  • At 25:28 Sadie sends everyone off for a Turn and Talk to briefly review the Celsius and Kelvin scales in anticipation of their doing an extensive problem set.
  • When she says “45 seconds. Answer all five [questions] with your partner,” the room crackles to life and everyone jumps in right away.
  • Sadie has taken the time to explain how a Turn and Talk works and to practice it and hold students accountable for doing their part.

Questioning: Cold Call

  • Coming out of the Turn and Talk she starts Cold Calling students to make sure they understood the material.
  • My’asia is first and Sadie engages her with a light and easy tone of voice. My’asia doesn’t seem surprised by the Cold Call at all. Again, Sadie has explained what and how and so students expect it to happen.

Questioning: Stretch It

  • Notice Sadie’s really effective use of follow-up questions. Myasia does great but there’s a second question, Stretch It: The Celsius scale is based on “the freezing point of water AND…”

Cold Call and Call & Response Combination

  • My favourite part of the clip is the next part. After Cold Calling Caden she moves effortlessly back and forth between Call and Response and Cold Call– the first of these involving everyone in each question; the second giving individual students the stage.
  • But crucially it’s always perfectly clear to students which of those two she’s using. They never call out when she means to Cold Call or fail to call out on a Call and Response.
  • That’s because she has outstanding Means of Participation: she has simple and consistent ways of telling students how to participate.
  • When she says, “So what is zero Kelvin? Tell me…” the phrase ‘tell me’ is a consistent cue that students KNOW means they should call out. If they don’t hear that or the phrase “everyone” they know not to and so Sadie can route her questions to individual students.
  • She’s equally clear and deliberate about participating via writing at 27:48 when she tells students, “So let’s add that to our notes.”

Board = Paper (‘My pen is your pen’)

  • She then proceeds to not only tell them to add the key point to their notes but to model it by projecting her own version. 
  • “Beside T2 we’ll write: ‘Always convert temperature to Kelvin…” This is the technique Board=Paper. 
  • What’s on the board goes in your notes. She’s showing them what good note taking looks like.

BLOGS on Means of Participation

https://achemicalorthodoxy.wordpress.com/2020/10/14/front-loading/

https://leedonaghy.wordpress.com/2019/03/05/my-second-favourite-action-step-means-of-participation/