Participation means contributing as a part of the community of the classroom.
My own philosophy of teaching is that I will not be your mom. I will treat you as an adult, and expect you to behave that way. Therefore, I will not give warnings and I will not verbally tell you when you re out of line. Not only are you graded on your writing, but you are also assessed on your level of maturity. Maturity, in this class, means respectful and active involvement in the workings of this class, just as if you were at a job that you wanted to keep.