Class Participation

Class participation is a thorn in my side.

I try to be insightful. I try to add a different perspective on the topics we are discussing. I never need to be prodded into contributing to class. No one has ever accused me of being annoying or vapid in my responses (believe me, I've asked). Participation is the one area that I believe I should be getting an A (perhaps, dare I say, an A+).

Yet, I am resigned to being only marginally better than those who speak MAYBE once per term - if at all.

Class participation is the one area where I feel that we do not receive adequate feedback (or feedback of any kind). Being able to contribute to a conversation is a skill that I would like to hone.

It is clear to me that an above average effort is not enough to get that A+ result.

Why is there no tutorial on participation and/or constructing an argument on the fly?