Recently ran across a great article on student engagement in Faculty Focus a free publication any faculty or staff member can sign up for here. A very easy way to encourage participation in class or manage the class. The technique is easy and addresses two areas of concern classroom management and student participation.
First let's look at the specifics of implementing this technique. The instructor brings a deck of cards to class. More than one deck may be needed depending on the number of students in the class. The teacher writing the article brought 100 cards to class and had a class of 25 students. She could award 4 cards per student per class. Students would leave the cards at their seat when they left for the day.
For classroom management and participation purposes students could earn or lose cards. If students answered a question, brought notes to class, completed a workshop, led a group, they earned a card. If students could not answer a question, did not take notes, used electronic devices inappropriately, or did not follow Covid-19 protocols, they would lose a card. Each card was worth a certain number of points.
When awarding the cards, the instructor puts them on the desk and says something positive to the student. The instructor seeks out those students needing points for participation for the day. In this way hopefully each student is recognized and because there are multiple ways to earn points no student is ever left behind. Simply being prepared with notes on readings and bringing those notes to class can earn one points.
Students report they were able to focus better on the content and were motivated to participate more fully in the class. The entire article may be read on here on Faculty Focus.