The Cambridge Dictionary defines the term participatory as “allowing people to take part in or become involved in an activity.”[1] Participatory learning, then, is an instructional model in which students are actively involved in the learning process. In the traditional form of education, learning was teacher-centric. Students were passive, empty receptacles in which teachers poured information, and then later tested them on how well they remembered that knowledge. In participatory, or active learning, the learning is student-centric. Students actively engage and participate in the learning process rather than passively receive information from the teacher or textbook.[2] The bonus: participatory learning goes beyond the learning subject matter at hand. Students also learn important life skills and behaviors such as collaboration and cooperation. To illustrate, here are three examples of participatory learning strategies that I have used during my years of high school teaching.[3]

Think - Pair – Share

In this strategy, the teacher gives a task or asks an open-ended question. Each student individually thinks about the task or question for one to two minutes. Then, each student pairs up with another student to discuss the topic for another two to five minutes and collaborate on a response to share with the class. Lastly, the student pairs share their responses by engaging in a large group discussion with the entire class.

Jigsaw discussion
The Jigsaw method is a learning strategy in which each student of a “home” group concentrates on one aspect (one puzzle piece) of a topic — for example, Pacific Ocean mammals and their habitats. Each member of a home group is given one mammal (e.g. whales, manta rays, sharks. Students who were assigned the same mammal gather in their respective mammal group (i.e. the whale group, the shark group, etc.). Here, students collaborate to master the material, to become “subject matter experts” (SMEs) on their respective topic. Then, SMEs are accountable to return to their “home” group to teach the material to their group members. Each student in the “home” group serves as a puzzle piece and when group members cooperate, they complete the jigsaw puzzle.[4]

Pre-assessments or Self-Assessment

In this activity, each student is individually responsible for completing an ungraded quiz based on an upcoming unit to determine their present understanding the unit’s focus. The pre-assessment form can vary. For example, it could be a checklist, a true or false quiz, or a 3-2-1 pre-assessment in which students respond to three statements, something like this:

3 things I already know about [topic x] ....
2 things I would like to know about [topic x] ...
1 question I have about [topic x] ... [5]

Although a pre-assessment is completed individually, it is still participatory. By engaging in a pre-assessment, students can see (and feel good about) what they already know, and what they can look forward to learning. Based on student responses, teachers gain insight on what students already know and can then plan their lessons and pace of the class accordingly.

Participatory learning provides students an opportunity to acquire knowledge in a more personal and exciting way. In so doing, they also learn important skills such as cooperation, collaboration, accountability, and individual responsibility. The three participatory learning examples I’ve highlighted are just a few of many methods that can attest to that.

[1] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/participatory

[2] http://www.lupinworks.com/roche/workshops/1-understanding.php

[3] http://www.crlt.umich.edu/sites/default/files/resource_files/Active%20Learning%20Continuum.pdf

[4] https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/jigsaw

[5] https://libguides.usask.ca/c.php?g=696596&p=4941311