Preparation:
Many instructors have had the experience of a “spontaneous”
discussion that seems to go much better than a planned one.
This is likely because we didn’t have any expectations
for the spontaneous one, while planned ones almost never go
precisely as we had envisioned.
We cannot control all of the conditions and factors that go
into a discussion, but we can be aware of those conditions and
factors, and can try to let go of the need to control everything.
Careful preparation can help lead us to the outcomes we desire,
even if the path to them is unpredictable.
A) Instructor Preparation
Goals and Outcomes
-What is your incentive for engaging students in discussion?
What do you hope to cover and accomplish in the end? How clearly
have you expressed this to the students? How will you respond
or adjust if it goes quite differently than you had planned?
Modeling
-What have you done as an instructor to establish habits necessary
for good discussion: questioning, pausing and reflecting; presenting
alternative viewpoints, reporting on conversations and debates,
etc.?
Ground rules
-What is the role/responsibility of teacher or leader?
-What is the role/responsibility of students/participants?
-Students should have input on the ground rules, quite possibly
through group work. You can expect that they will mainly be
concerned with issues of politeness/respect, but you can use
ground rules to try to encourage rigor and connections. (For
example: before you respond to a comment, especially one you
disagree with, you should repeat it and ask the person if you
have understood it correctly).
B) Student Preparation
-Students should be ready to talk about the material to be covered.
-What will be expected of them and why? What should they prepare
and bring to class?
(They don’t have to know it will be used in discussion.
For instance, you can require that they type up three questions
about the material, then use the questions to generate discussion
in class).
What is their incentive for participating in discussion? Preparation
and participation must be included in the grading/reward system
of the course. (HOW? For instance, you can grade not just attendance
but attendance AND participation; require notes on discussions;
do one-minute papers on days where discussion dominates; make
material that comes up in discussions fair game for exams, or
allow/require them to incorporate ideas from discussion into
papers/projects, with proper credit.)
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