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The Dialogue

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Some Strategies To Spark Vital Discussion

The give-and-take of class discussion: encouraging students to think.

With a few minutes remaining until the end of class, who among us has not said, "Well, we have a few minutes left, so let's discuss this?"

We may say this with good will, but too often the student response is discomfited and discomfiting silence. A good discussion can be an exhilarating experience. A "bad" discussion takes us right down with it.

If we believe -- and we have evidence for doing so -- that engaging in discussion enhances student critical thinking, then we should seek ways to increase this opportunity. McKeachie (1999), a leader in promoting reflection on teaching and learning since the 1950s, has written: "If instructors expect students to learn how to integrate, apply, and think, it seems reasonable that students should have an opportunity to practice these skills."

We can improve our ability to lead discussions, and we can so within any discipline and within any setting -- large or small class, graduate or undergraduate.

Planning
Some instructors can naturally promote discussion, but most of us benefit from purposefully planning the experience. This means that we first need to articulate goals.

What is a discussion designed to do? Are there specific points that need to be addressed? If so, then a strong instructor leadership role may be necessary. In this case, the language of our questioning should stimulate higher levels of critical thinking -- comprehension, analysis, application, evaluation, and synthesis.

Some examples of language that prompt higher-level thinking:

• Explain in your own words.
• What do you think might happen if?
• If this were the case, then what?
• What do you think are the most important?
• What are the distinguishing features of?
• Keeping this in mind, how do we solve?
• What's the best way to and why?
• Explain why you think this didn't work?
• Plan not to ask questions to which you know the answer.

If, on the other hand, the goal is brainstorming, problem solving, or if you want opinions, then a less structured discussion is appropriate. For this kind of experience, the instructor should play the lesser role of facilitator.

Under any circumstances, faculty need to have sensible rules of conduct. We can hope that students behave with civility and respect for others, and perhaps guidelines do not need to be stated. But, sometimes, this may not be the case, and then rules need to be planned and communicated before the discussion begins.

As we identify goals, we also need to decide time limits for a discussion. Do we teach the whole course with a discussion approach? Should our discussions be frequent or occasional? A whole class period or only part?

A significant, less frequently analyzed, planning factor is the classroom atmosphere. From the beginning, the instructor needs to welcome student comment. Both verbally and nonverbally, we build -- or destroy -- an atmosphere of comfort and trust. An analysis of classroom atmosphere can prove very enlightening.

If you've ever heard students say they're afraid to ask a question in a particular class, it's unlikely the instructor had made specific denigrating or hurtful statements. The negative message is more likely to have come from nonverbal communication. A comment such as "Well, we discussed that two weeks ago," stated in a discouraging or sarcastic tone of voice, can have a chilling effect on many students.

A negative attitude can also be conveyed by a lift of the eyebrows, a gesture, or posture.

On the positive side, we can react to student comments by saying, "I appreciate that comment," or the frequently heard, "That's a good question."

Naturally, such responses must be in moderation and be sincere, or they lose all meaning. A slight smile and nod of the head may be all that is necessary. Inviting gestures also contribute to classroom atmosphere.

We may also need to give attention to physical problems. If students can't hear each other well, we need to repeat or summarize comments before continuing. Moreover, we may need to rearrange furniture to promote active discussion. Students are generally willing to rearrange their desks when asked.

We also need to consider student preparedness. Often, it isn't enough to say, "Be prepared to discuss." We need to consider what kind of accountability promotes preparation for the discussion.

Implementation
Above all, don't start a discussion by asking, "Any questions?" There are far more creative ways to begin (see "Best Practices") -- perhaps a provocative question from you or a brief writing assignment -- in combination with an inviting attitude.

Once the discussion has started, we can, if we wish, begin to move out of center stage. Comments need not always flow student-instructor-student. Rather, we might best achieve our goals by promoting student-to-student comments, with only occasional direction or comment from the instructor.

A good way to achieve this kind of conversational flow is with nonverbal indication. For example, when a student has finished commenting, a simple upturned hand extended across the scope of the room indicates that you are waiting for a student response.

When students are accustomed to this flow of discussion, they respond to each other ever more quickly. It's exciting to realize that students can and do think and can be astonishingly effective at correcting and challenging each other.

Using discussion as a teaching strategy requires us to pay attention to nonverbal feedback from students in all areas of the classroom. It also requires us to think quickly on our feet as we react to comments, redirect the focus of the discussion, tactfully invite correction of comments when necessary, or help our students stumble towards more appropriate realizations or understanding of concepts.

That's what's exciting about teaching with discussion. We never know for sure where it's going to go, and we have to remain flexible and spontaneous.

There's no one answer as to how best to implement good discussion, but, fortunately, as we promote discussion in our classrooms, we become ever more skillful at guidance.

The essential ingredients for success: an acceptance of the importance of discussion opportunities for effective learning, a belief in the potential of all students to learn, and a willingness to give students some responsibility for their own learning.

Problems
Of course, nothing is perfect, and there are problems to address in teaching by discussion. These include calming disruptive behavior, involving the quiet students, implementing discussion in large classes, and surrendering some of our own desire for control.

But, no matter how we approach teaching, at some point we all have to deal with unpleasant student behaviors. We can also recognize that students are different. They have the right to be quiet if they so choose. Silence does not always mean non-learning.

Brief writing assignments can provide a point of departure for spoken participation. And, for the large class, we can use small groups for discussion, or even devote brief time periods to discussion by the entire class.

In addition, we can accept what we know about learning, that is, that we all learn best when we are actively involved. To involve students actively means that we do not and should not control all the words spoken in our classrooms. Discussion allows students to be heard and allows them to think with us.

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