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We all learn differently, so why are you marking me on tutorial participation?

I can’t “just talk” its not that easy


This is not a rant, but I feel it needs to be said. Not everyone is super enthusiastic about speaking in tutorials. However, this doesn't mean we don't care about our degree or the people around us. For some, it's just really difficult to speak out.

In theory, tutorials sound pretty straight forward. We sit around a table, and discuss what we have been studying in the past week, for fifty minutes. Pretty straightforward, right? They are a great way of learning, they are informative, and we really do learn from our tutors. It's also great to hear our fellow classmates get enthusiastic about the subject.

But that still doesn't stop us from having uncontrollable nerves when it is our turn to speak.

In the majority of subjects, tutorial participation counts from 10%-20% of our overall grade, and if we don't speak up, we could be looking at less than we deserve, all because we aren't as confident as others.

How it looks

If you are someone who regularly speaks in tutorials, you might find those who don't really frustrating. You'll ask yourself: do they not care? Why am I doing all the work? It gets pretty annoying when someone isn't contributing as much as you. You want to know, why can't they just talk? Don't worry, we wonder that too. It's not the best feeling when you are sat there panicking about not contributing, meanwhile your marks decline and your grade gets lowered.

How it feels

For someone who struggles to speak aloud, tutorials are 50 minutes of the anxious mind. Everyone is speaking around you, and you are aware you haven't contributed yet, it's pretty panic-worthy.

So, you get even more worked up and when someone does ask you to speak you're so embarrassed to speak that you feel your face go red and end up blabbing a mass of unformulated speech. Even though your fellow classmates probably don't notice, you feel you look so pathetic. Not the best feeling or confidence boost…

Laziness is not always the reason people don't show up to tutorials. Sometimes the nerves become too much. It is unfair that students are willing to miss fifty minutes of education and lose marks because that week there is a debate and they simply cannot handle the pressure.

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It's not intentional

The frustrating part is, that you've done the work, you are sitting there with your notes sat in front of you, yet you are still viewed as unprepared, all down to the fact that on face value, you struggle to speak. It is unfair that we are marked in such a niche way, by pitting students against each other, tutorials becomes a battle of personalities rather than a discussion about academic work.

Now, it is understandable if someone doesn't show up, or shows up late, without doing the work, who looks disinterested – that is the time to decrease their mark. But for someone to show up every week having visibly done the work and is clearly attentive – please consider that they may just struggle speaking, and that verbal communication is not their strength.

The solution

It is often the case that tutors are surprised at the quality of your written work. Due to your lack of communication in tutorials, they don't believe we are as passionate as we look. They say they wish you could speak your mind in tutorial because you have really good points. Sorry, it is not that simple.

Just because we don't speak, it doesn't mean we don't care. For those who speak, great, praise them because they deserve it. But please don't frown upon those who don't, let their work shine through. After all, it is about how we apply ourselves on paper in the long run in our exams and dissertations.

We all learn differently, some benefit from lectures, others essays, others tutorials. I'm not asking for special treatment. Just for you to be more considerate. Please don't assume we are all the same.