Forcing participation

A few years ago I was observed, using the old PDAS system, and my observer told me that I should have randomly picked on people. I tried to argue that I don't agree with that. At the time I had GT students and some very timid girls in the class. However, I still stand behind my view for the following reason.

 When I was a child I hated school, it caused me anxiety. The anxiety stemmed from not wanting attention on me. I knew the answers, they were right, but I didn't want to speak up. In fact, this feeling stuck with me until just the last several years as a teacher. I was afraid and terrified when called on. People don't understand this, but its true. Having grown up this way I understood the students in my class who didn't want to speak and I respected that. They showed me via their assignments and when I would talk to them in small groups, that they understood the objectives well. They just didn't want to speak aloud. 

 Flash forward and I'm preparing some of my final projects for this semester of college. I ran across George Couros blog, who I am agreeing with on many points. He states the following:
"Instead of accepting that some people are more open than others, we have often tried to force students talk to a point which would be our ideal.  Many educators, including myself, used to give marks for “participation” in class discussions to push our students to talk.  What this would often do would force some kids to speak when they are totally uncomfortable, and not facilitate anything that would be beneficial outside of the classroom.  With others that continued to not talk, tying marks to their “lack” of participation, only makes them feel worse and punishes them for sometimes being shy.  Is this really helping the problem?
We have to see that for some students, technology actually can provide them the voice that they have never had before.  I spoke to one student that said the use of social media actually inspired them to start speaking publicly because they developed confidence through a medium that worked for them.  I think of how many students would benefit and feel more comfortable talking in public when they would be allowed to use a medium that works for them first."
EXACTLY!!!! This is just another reason that technology is a fantastic tool for the classroom. 
Couros G. (2014, November 13). Retrieved December 05, 2017, from https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/tag/educational-technology/page/2

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