How can I take part in a seminar when I think of my response after everyone has moved on?
EducationBy the time I had found the paragraph I wanted, the discussion had moved to the next chapter. At the end, the tutor said, "You need to contribute more; participation is part of the mark."
I do the reading and usually write a page of notes. In a room of sixteen people, three students answer almost immediately. I wait for a gap, then worry that my point will drag us backwards. Last week I finally interrupted and repeated something someone had already said.
I don't want a mark just for being present, and I do want to get better at speaking. Would it be reasonable to ask for a moment to bring in a prepared passage, or to ask whether a short written response could count towards the discussion? I can show the tutor the question in my notebook. Showing it to everyone feels like another task entirely.