Several weeks ago I reported that Carolyn and I were taking a Spanish class (Saturday, September 1 to be more accurate). I thought it was about time that I reported on how that is going.
The class is settling into a fairly comfortable routine after the "great drop-out". We went from 25 students to 14 or 15 but I don't really see any more dropping out at this stage when we are more than halfway through. And although I didn't think much of it at first, I have come to appreciate the role of the "fichas" or poker chips in our class.
I'm not usually big in class participation but when La Profesora begins handing them out to people who have raised their hand and stumbled through a phrase, I'm often the first person with a hand in the air. 
I don't care if I don't get the most "fichas" but I certainly don't want to be last. If my 8th grade science teacher had used "fichas" I would have gotten an A in his class instead of a B+. I was marked down because of class participation. There's something about making the participation more like a game than an oral test when people's attention is diverted to the "fichas" and away from the answer.We know what is expected from the homework and pretty much how she chooses the material for the weekly test so it really becomes a matter of studying enough on each chapter.
The one class project that looms ahead is our 5 minute oral presentation. We won't know what she really expects until we give them although she has shown us a couple of prior years' presentations as examples. Carolyn will be talking about the homemade art of Guatemala using mementos that her parents brought back from their mission there. I'm going to try to talk about the tourist trade in Ecuador, especially as regards the Galapagos Islands and the scientists who go there almost as a pilgrimage. Any ideas will be welcomed.
Do you get anything of real value for the fichas or is it just the pride of getting them? I'm always looking for ways to improve participation.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the class syllabus:
ReplyDelete"Each time a student participates in class he/she will be given a token/ficha. You will turn these in to me at the end of each class. I will write down the total number of fichas you have earned for that day. At the end of the semester I will take the students with the highest and lowest number of fichas and average the rest of the class. In addition, your participation grade will also be based on the amount of Spanish you try to use in class. Engaging in private conversation, working on other homework, or use of a cellular phone for conversations or messaging will cost you participation points. (Participation counts for 20% of your grade.)"
So I guess the answer is Yes there is a real value but it is so little, so vague, and so distant in time that the "pride" value may indeed be the real motivating factor. The Pride value is non-material but it is immediate and direct.