I got this question:
How do you get participation grades when you allow students to speak only when they feel like it?
A. I am not looking for speech and I don’t give participation grades. I evaluate them on their interaction with me in terms of ACTFL’s Interpersonal Mode of Communication, which is very different from evaluating them with a participation grade. Some kids “participate” but learn little because they don’t listen with care. Other really quiet ones never say a word and participate beautifully. I am looking for observable non-verbal behaviors. I can assess my students for more efficiently by looking at those non-verbal behaviors in class than by listening to what comes out of their mouths.