DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING post

Class discussions can be difficult to start, especially when students are unwilling to share. After reading DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING by Stephen Brookfield, I found there are more ways than one to initiate classroom discussions. My favorite discussion exercise was the circular discussion where students share there thinking and positions on a chosen theme. I think it is important for the students to know going in to a discussion what their expectations are. I can recall many times during high school and college discussions where there was no direction whatsoever, and I would leave the class without any greater understanding of the topic we were discussing. I like how with the circular discussion there are ground rules that each student must follow; there is a timed aspect on how long each student has to speak on the discussion topic and how there is a specific order on who speaks after the first student begins speaking. The round-robin style of discussion makes sure that each student participates in the discussion and has the chance to share his or her thoughts, and there is no second guessing as far as to who goes next. Once everyone has had the opportunity to speak, the discussion opens up to allow for students to freely express their thoughts on the topic. I think it is important for all students to participate freely in a class discussion because there are so many times when shy or introverted students do not share their ideas and the discussion lacks insightful input. I know from experience that when students refuse to participate ideas will continue to be repeated and discussions come to a standstill. I liked how the participation in discussions grading was emphasized in the reading, and I think that all students should be held accountable to similar standards. Discussions are important to enhancing student learning, and I think that all teachers should incorporate more discussions into the classroom.