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50-person class. Prof asks a Q and silence - no one knows/responds.
You know the answer. What're the chances you raise your hand?

Just curious about everyone's classroom-participation style. In any normal academic setting I'd go 0% for sure, but our professors all adjust for participation, so...about 25% for me.

I really suck at participation.

I generally don't have all that much to say in class.

Edit: I will, however, take softball questions if I think it will help me not get called on later.

I won't be the first one to jump in. But if the prof asks a question and is greeted with silence, then I'll raise my hand if I know the answer. There's no point in dragging it out. Once the prof gets the answer, the discussion moves on.

That's what a gunner is? I thought a gunner was someone who raised their hand every 15 seconds to say some remotely related point, and I've seen many of those in UG. I'm a 0L, but if the professor asked a question that I knew the answer to, I'd answer it if no one else would.

In most cases I would raise my hand and provide the answer I think is correct. The exception being if I have been abnormally active in the class very recently, then I would consider letting it go by.

I've found upper level classes seriously goose grades for participation. So previously the answer is 0, now it's quite a bit higher.

wiseowl wrote:I've found upper level classes seriously goose grades for participation. So previously the answer is 0, now it's quite a bit higher.

I believe you've discovered the primary reason behind my believed-to-be-class-low ethics seminar grade.

I only participate to bail people out when they are dying on call. Otherwise I keep my mouth shut.

I only participate to bail people out when they are dying on call. Otherwise I keep my mouth shut.

haus wrote:In most cases I would raise my hand and provide the answer I think is correct. The exception being if I have been abnormally active in the class very recently, then I would consider letting it go by.

I should amend my response to add this. Although I've found that if I have been particularly active, the teacher might actually call on me to supply an answer. Which means no mental breaks for fear of being caught not listening.

mintjulep wrote:50-person class. Prof asks a Q and silence - no one knows/responds.
You know the answer. What're the chances you raise your hand?

Just curious about everyone's classroom-participation style. In any normal academic setting I'd go 0% for sure, but our professors all adjust for participation, so...about 25% for me.

830 AM class 20%
930AM 25%
1030-2 75%
3PM and on- 35%-25%

In any class except ConLaw its almost 100% of the time. I really don't see a problem. If no one is answering its just holding up the class and I basically just want to move the lecture along. In Con Law its close to 0% cause every time I want to raise my hand I just assume its wrong and most of the time it is.

Bad poll to measure what a gunner is. Gunners prolong pointless discussions. If I know the answer, and I know it is not something that is going to open me up to a bunch of follow up questions, I will more often than not raise my hand. Almost always it is in an effort to just move the discussion along.

A better question may be if your class is involved in an extended, pointless policy debate, how likely are you to raise your hand just to get your opinion in. My answer to that would probably be 10% of the time, and it is almost always when I feel like I actually do have a decent point, as opposed to just spewing out whatever pops into my head.

traehekat wrote:Bad poll to measure what a gunner is. Gunners prolong pointless discussions. If I know the answer, and I know it is not something that is going to open me up to a bunch of follow up questions, I will more often than not raise my hand. Almost always it is in an effort to just move the discussion along.

A better question may be if your class is involved in an extended, pointless policy debate, how likely are you to raise your hand just to get your opinion in. My answer to that would probably be 10% of the time, and it is almost always when I feel like I actually do have a decent point, as opposed to just spewing out whatever pops into my head.

Gunners come in many varieties because there are a lot of things people can do to take that label (but I wouldn't say all gunners are annoying or bad)

trying too hard (studying every Friday night)
talking multiple times in every class (regardless of quality of points)
bringing up anecdotal BS more than 1x a month
vehemently disagreeing with another student or prof (in douchey way) on more than one occasion
Asking for tangentially relevant hypos > 1/month

I count myself a gunner because I did some combo of #1 and #2 last semester (well not on Friday nights) and still talk in class every week. I don't think I say stupid things though, or piss anyone off so I don't think of it as a bad thing... though I do think it is arrogant of me to have a greater voice than the people that don't talk... but I think that's mostly a matter of personal choice.

I talked more last semester. This semester ConLaw is too scary for me, Crim pro he just hates everyone and doesn't tolerate people raising their hands, Property has enough people bitching about whats "fair" back and forth for me to even bother, and I talk in Civ Pro about once a week.

Although I study every friday till at least 7 so I guess I qualify under your #1.

I've found myself talking much more in classes this semester than I have in the previous three semesters. Part of it is the smaller classes, but part of it is I feel more compelled to answer when I know what to say and no one else is raising their hands. When profs ask questions I generally keep my hand down until they've scanned the room at least twice, or I start feeling sorry for them (for getting no response), whichever comes first.

I have taught classes where people are dead silent all the damn time. So I raise my hand the vast majority of the time this happens so the professor can progress through the lesson without awkward (and sometimes confusing, for the prof) minute-long silences.

Less than 0%. The only professor I have who opens it up to people like that will absolutely call on you all the time if you volunteer.

0%.

Haven't raised my hand or spoke once in class so far this semester.

solotee wrote:0%.

Haven't raised my hand or spoke once in class so far this semester.

+1

If I like the professor/class, I'd put the odds around 30-35%. If I don't like the class, I'd put the odds at 5%. If the class is winding down and the professor will let us out, I'd put the odds at 100% even if I don't know the answer.

Borhas wrote:

traehekat wrote:Bad poll to measure what a gunner is. Gunners prolong pointless discussions. If I know the answer, and I know it is not something that is going to open me up to a bunch of follow up questions, I will more often than not raise my hand. Almost always it is in an effort to just move the discussion along.

A better question may be if your class is involved in an extended, pointless policy debate, how likely are you to raise your hand just to get your opinion in. My answer to that would probably be 10% of the time, and it is almost always when I feel like I actually do have a decent point, as opposed to just spewing out whatever pops into my head.

Gunners come in many varieties because there are a lot of things people can do to take that label (but I wouldn't say all gunners are annoying or bad)

trying too hard (studying every Friday night)
talking multiple times in every class (regardless of quality of points)
bringing up anecdotal BS more than 1x a month
vehemently disagreeing with another student or prof (in douchey way) on more than one occasion
Asking for tangentially relevant hypos > 1/month

I count myself a gunner because I did some combo of #1 and #2 last semester (well not on Friday nights) and still talk in class every week. I don't think I say stupid things though, or piss anyone off so I don't think of it as a bad thing... though I do think it is arrogant of me to have a greater voice than the people that don't talk... but I think that's mostly a matter of personal choice.

#1 is called being a good student. The rest are massively gunnerish. There is something to be said for talking in class. One of my profs told me s/he bumped me up a half grade because of my class participation.

I speak in class in only one of three situations:

1. The professor cold-calls me.

2. The professor factors participation into the course grade. In one of my classes this semester, participation accounts for 20% of our grade. I volunteer about once per week, but only when what I have to say is relevant.

3. The professor asks a question and is met with silence. The silence lasts for more than 10 seconds and becomes awkward. The professor reaches for his class roll to cold-call some poor unsuspecting shoe-shopper, and I know the answer to the question.

mintjulep wrote:50-person class. Prof asks a Q and silence - no one knows/responds.
You know the answer. What're the chances you raise your hand?

Just curious about everyone's classroom-participation style. In any normal academic setting I'd go 0% for sure, but our professors all adjust for participation, so...about 25% for me.

I'm less likely to answer if I've already been active in class that day; but if it gets painful I will eventually cave and speak-up. In general I don't like to hog the spotlight.

I feel that it's my duty to inform the class.

Just saying.