As a student, I have witnessed and been a part of many discussions. While some of these discussions have been rewarding, others have been downright horrible. To ensure that discussions are successful, there have to be rules in place and everyone partaking in the discussion must be aware of these rules beforehand. In his article "Discussion as a Way of Teaching," Stephen Brookfield offers a variety of techniques that are often helpful in generating satisfying discussions.
The two techniques that stood out to me are Circle of Voices on page six and Hatful of Quotes on page ten. First of all, what I liked most about Circle of Voices is that everyone gets the opportunity to speak. The fact that groups are fairly small in size makes it easier for introverted students to want to share their ideas. Although there are two options when it comes to sharing, I prefer having students share in a circle rather than having them volunteer. My rationale for this is that everyone will have to eventually share and perhaps knowing when may help reduce their anxiety about public speaking. Moreover, I like how during the discussion students are only allowed to react to their peers' ideas. Not only does this force students to listen carefully to what their peers are saying, but it also prevents students from getting off topic.
The two techniques that stood out to me are Circle of Voices on page six and Hatful of Quotes on page ten. First of all, what I liked most about Circle of Voices is that everyone gets the opportunity to speak. The fact that groups are fairly small in size makes it easier for introverted students to want to share their ideas. Although there are two options when it comes to sharing, I prefer having students share in a circle rather than having them volunteer. My rationale for this is that everyone will have to eventually share and perhaps knowing when may help reduce their anxiety about public speaking. Moreover, I like how during the discussion students are only allowed to react to their peers' ideas. Not only does this force students to listen carefully to what their peers are saying, but it also prevents students from getting off topic.
Secondly, Hatful of
Quotes is a discussion technique that I am already familiar with from high
school. My Honors 11 English teacher, Mrs. Colbert, once asked my classmates
and I to draw quotes from a cup. After
everyone had shared their interpretations, Mrs. Colbert hung up the best
ones. When my teacher did this activity in class
all of the quotes were completely different. Although I see the potential aspect in having multiple students discuss the same quote, I also see the negative value in allowing students to not think for themselves and merely repeat what a classmate said earlier. Instead of having a group of students
explain the meaning of a single quote, I believe that each student should
select his or her own quote and if they need help interpreting it other students can offer their opinions.
By implementing these discussion techniques into my future classroom, my hope would be that discussions would be more authentic and students would feel comfortable contributing their ideas.
By implementing these discussion techniques into my future classroom, my hope would be that discussions would be more authentic and students would feel comfortable contributing their ideas.
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