- 1. Designing EffectiveClass DiscussionThe AcademyCluster
3Communicating for Learning
2. 3. Workshop Objectives
- Participants will be able to distinguish between discussion,
conversation, and dialogue.
- Participants will be able to cite the elements of critical
discussion.
- Participants will be able to identify the benefits of
discussion in the classroom.
- Participants will be able to identify techniques to begin
discussion and to maintain the momentum of the discussion.
4. Workshop Outline
- Breakout - Individual work
- Breakout - Peer review & discussion
5. What is Discussion?
6. Critical Discourse - Dispositions
7.
8. Why Discussion? Benefits
- Helps students explore diversity of perspectives
- Increases student awareness of and tolerance for ambiguity or
complexity
- Helps students recognize and investigate their assumptions
- Encourages attentive, respectful listening
9.
- Develops a new appreciation for continuing differences
- Increases intellectual agility
- Helps students become connected to a topic
- Shows respect for student voices and experiences
10.
- Helps students learn processes and habits of democratic
process
- Affirms students as cocreators of knowledge
- Develops the capacity for clear communication of ideas
- Develops habits of collaborative learning
11.
- Increases breadth and make students more empathetic
- Helps students develop skills of synthesis and integration
12. Discussion - Limitations
- Instructors unrealistic expectations
- Poorly integrated reward system
- Failure to model participation
13. Preparing for Discussion
- Ensure early, equal access to materials
- Use lectures to model democratic talk
- Use critical incident questionnaires (CIQ)
- Generate ground rules for discussion
- Have students do structured, critical prereading
- Clarify expectations and purposes
14. Lecture as a model
- Begin each lecture with question(s)
- End each lecture with questions raised or unanswered by
lecture
- Deliberately introduce periods of silence
15. Lecture as a model (cont)
- Deliberately introduce alternative perspectives
- Introduce periods of assumption hunting
- Introduce buzz groups into lectures
- Demonstrate own participation in and commitment to
discussion
- Evolve ground rules for conducting discussions
16. Critical Incident Questionnaire CIQ
- At what moment in class this week were you most engaged as a
learner?
- At what moment in class this week were you most distanced as a
learner?
- What action that anyone in the class took this week did you
find most affirming or helpful?
17. CIQ (cont)
- What action that anyone in the class took this week did you
find most puzzling or confusing?
- What surprised most about the class this week?
18. Generating Ground Rules
19. Critical Prereading
- Epistemological questions
20. Critical Prereading
21. Get Discussion Going
- Dont misinterpret silence
22. Get going (cont)
- Declare classroom speech policy early
- Recall a memorable experience
- Tell tales from the trenches
23. Debrief preparatory work
- Frame discussion around student questions
- Ask students to choose a concrete image
- Debrief previous weeks CIQs
- Start a sentence completion exercise
24. Debrief (cont)
- Start and respond to contentious opening statements
- Generate truth statements
- Use quotes to affirm and challenge
25. Discussion in the Round
- Two techniques to ensure good discussion
- Circle of voices - ensures equal opportunity to talk
- Circular response discussions - promotes attentive
listening
26. Keep Discussion Going
27. Types of Questions
- 1. Questions that ask for more evidence
- 2. Questions that ask for clarification
- 4. Linking or extension questions
- 5. Hypothetical questions
- 6. Cause and effect questions
- 7. Summary and synthesis questions
28. Listening
29. Responding
- Responding without questions
30. Creative Grouping
- Relaxed and structured buzz groups
- Self-selection or teacher-selection
31. Assuming different roles
- Types of conversational roles
- Critical conversation protocol
32. Conversational roles
- Problem, dilemma, or theme poser
33. Critical conversation protocol
34. Reporting back
- Rotating small group stations
35. Thank you
- Please complete the evaluation of this workshop. Your feedback
is important.