Improving Classroom Discussions: Ten Principles

Abstract

1) IT IS USUALLY EASIER TO SPEAK IN A SMALL group than in a large one. If students are reticent about participating in discussions, divide them into small groups, not larger than four persons per group. Ask several stimulating questions or pose several prob lems. Let students discuss these in their groups for a few minutes. Then have them return to the normal classroom group. Ask them what conclusions they reached and why. Once they have spoken in the small group situations, they will be less reluctant to do so in a larger group. 2) Students usually need time to think be fore speaking. Some of your students may need as much as three or four minutes to ponder what has been said before responding. Do not be afraid of classroom silence. Instead of rephrasing your question or ask ing a new one, just wait. Someone will break that silence. 3) Students feel less inhibited when talking with their peers than with authorities. Try ask ing or appointing a student to be responsible for the next discussion. Put him in charge. You will find that the other students will participate more readily. 4) Most students are accustomed to being in discussion situations in which there is only one right answer or conclusion. You can free your stu dents to express opinions and criticize more openly by posing a problem, summarizing opposing points of view concerning the problem, and then asking students what point of view they agree with and why. Once they real ize that there is no one right answer, they will be less timid about responding creatively. 5) Students need to feel that their opinions are valued. You can establish rapport by letting stu dents know you really are interested in what they think. Simply saying so is not enough. Try summarizing what a student has said in class or in a paper, commenting positively about his opinion, and then asking him to ex plain further one of the points he made. If a student makes an astute point that is ignored by the class, point this out. Value and really listen to what students say. 6) Students become more involved in discus sions WHICH SEEM RELEVANT TO THEIR OWN LIVES AND concerns. You can avoid dry, overly academic discus sions by posing questions or problems directly related to your students' experiences. Psychology sections should encourage students to explore and analyze their own encounters with neuroses. Economics sections should stress the practical application of economic principles to everyday living?e.g., the way the law of supply and demand affects the price of record albums and the avail ability of jobs for young people. History sections should emphasize the similarities or differences between former times and the present. Sociology sections should en courage students to explore the structure and values of their own families, peer groups, and academic commu nity. Literature sections should probe the universal as pects of the art presented. Everything can not and need not be made to seem immediately relevant, but whenever possible the application of the field of inquiry being studied to everyday living should be stressed. 7) Students cannot always be prepared for discussions. Sometimes an important paper or exam ination is due the same day as your discussion. Your students may have chosen not to prepare for class. If that is the case, postpone the discussion. Do not tire yourself or embarrass them by trying to get a discussion going when no one but you is ready to think or talk. 8) Shy students usually need to be called on for opinions. Do not be afraid of embarrassing stu dents by calling on them. Quiet, introverted students need to be drawn into discussions at first. Once you get them talking, they will begin volunteering on their own. 9) Aggressive students tend to monopolize dis cussions. If this happens, encourage quieter students by calling on them and asking them if they agree or dis agree with the student who has been doing all the talk ing. If that does not work, simply exp'ain that the discus sion is becoming too one-sided. Ask the student who has been monopolizing to help by remaining silent. 10) Physical surroundings can influence the dynamics of discussion. Ordinary classrooms with their rows of desks and centered lecterns are set up for lectures, not for discussions. Have students arrange the desks in a circle before discussion. If this is not possible, consider adjourning to a nearby lounge or patio. If dis cussions are held around a table in a seminar room, do not sit at the head of the table. Move to a less author itarian position. Sometimes darkening the room or just asking students to sit in different places than usual will help stimulate discussion. 27