Do you agree that every student, regardless of ability, should have equal opportunity to

contribute their ideas in the classroom? This may be an ambitious demand. What factors
would you suggest, may be obstacles to achieving this and what are some of the things
that might be done to make it happen?
About how students contribute in class.
Every student has different abilities, backgrounds and developmental capacities. So, as
an educator for the past 2 years, I believe that every student has the RIGHT to
contribute ideas to build lessons, making the class more student-centric.
I agree that all students, regardless of ability, should be encouraged by their teachers to
speak up, however I believe there should be a set of rules and this code should always
be followed.
Rules that I have always used in my classes, as an English teacher:
1. Always speak the target language. Even if my students say it wrong, I make sure they
use the language we learn. At that time, I still have the opportunity to correct your
pronunciation, grammar and word choice.
2. Always respect your classmates and teachers when speaking. Even if the student's
statement is incorrect, the teacher should still give the student a chance to speak.
However, keep your language formal. To explain this, I believe that encouraging only
correct answers, and rejecting wrong answers will discourage students and lose
motivation to speak for the next time. As long as the teacher can keep the children's
language polite, respectful and standard, the children will try to speak more.
For teachers, I think there should also be a set of rules to ensure students speak:
1. Respect all ideas. Sometimes their ideas are simple and incomplete, but with the
contribution of their classmates and the help of teachers, the students will be
encouraged to give more suggestions. Sometimes the ideas of students that teachers
consider "weak" have an element of creativity and the potential to grow into great
things. Teamwork makes dreams work, that's why we sit in the same class and do a lot
of group work.
2. Allow all students to speak, including weak students and introverted students. These
students are relatively shy when it comes to sharing ideas, at times the teacher will have
to "force" them to speak. Encouraging them will make them more open.
However, there will also be many factors affecting this, for example:
1. Education from family. Family influences the way children behave and use language
in the classroom. I had a case where a student did not study well but spoke
disrespectfully to the teacher and talked a lot in class. I used different expressions and
attitudes and talked to his parents but his parents still feel this is normal.
2. Time limit. Class always has to go on but weaker students often think for a long time
and need a lot of time to start giving their first answer. Sacrifice is necessary. Teachers
need to be flexible in developing lesson plans that are consistent with the curriculum
while ensuring that every student has the opportunity to speak.
3. Student cooperation and teacher energy. Maybe the teacher is too bored (let's admit
our weakness), or the student is too lazy or does poorly. Classroom atmosphere is also a
factor that makes students confident or motivated to share opinions.