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Jay Howard workshop (biggest challenge you face in using discussion in…
Jay Howard workshop
biggest challenge you face in using discussion in your classes
students feel uncomfortable talking
worried about asking questions that look stupid
a few students dominate discussion
Cultural barrier
language barrier
difference in levels of knowledge and background
how to have students interact with each other and build on each other's knowledge
Classroom culture - welcoming?
Why bother with class discussion?
increases learning
increases critical thinking
Makes students co-creators of knowledge and understanding
Classroom norms
norms: taken-for-granted rules for behavior in social situations
example: elevator norm
sit on the same table as where you sat on the first day
classroom norms
norm of civil attention
students are not required to pay attention
avoid gaze (fleeting eye contact)
how to overcome norm of civil attention
don't do all the talking
introductions - students talk to each other
syllabus quiz
Group students into groups of eight (in 170 student class)
Pick one group and ask them to lead class discussion (group members are already close to each other and feel comfortable)
classroom structure (table arrangement) designed to facilitate grouping
SLC classroom is designed for group discussion
Guided notes
Talk with students outside of class
Show up early to classroom
Get closer to your students
move around the room
Directly call upon students
Ticket to ride: give question in advance and ask them to write up a short paragraph
Giving time in advance to make introverts more comfortable
Grade student participation
Use randomly generated name to call upon and ask them to help with class discussion
Need to learn the names of students
Ask students to bring name tags to first several classes
ask them the meaning of their names
Self-graded discussion (may not work well for a large classroom)
1 = present but did not contribute to discussion
2 = made at least one contribution, but had not read the assigned material prior to class
3 = made one contribution to discussion and read the material prior to class
4 = made more than one contribution to the discussion and read the material prior to class
5 = made more than one contribution to the discussion, read the material prior to class and made an effort to secure the participation of all group members.
can count up to 10% of total grade
Norm of consolidation of responsibility (about talkers vs non-talkers)
intro sociology courses, 9 instructors teaching 15 sections, average class size = 39
(Ref: Howard, Zoeller, and Pratt 2006)
Research result
averaged 49 student comments in 75 minutes
only 30% of students participated (N=12)
70% didn't participate at all (N=27)
Regardless of class size, 5 to 7 students will make 75-95% of comments (verbal interactions)
Student age (4:1) - older to younger
Instructor Gender (3:1) - female to male
seating third (2:1) - front to back
Few differences by student gender or race
mixed gender in a group will perform best
Group - ask to develop a policy -> a member can be kicked out of the group when policy is violated
Survey: Students' responsibility
Talkers and Non-talkers perceive class environment and their role differently in one key respect - responsibility of participating in group discussion
Survey: Reasons for participation
difference between talkers and non-talkers
Talkers: something to share, need clarification, help grade, learn more, more interesting, disagree with another, famiiiar and comfortable with classmates
.......
non-talkers: they don't think they have something to share
Survey: reasons for non-participation
non-talkers: shy, someone else will do it, fear of appearing unintelligent to others, class too large, course not interesting
Three challenges to discuss
identify 3 strategies for overcoming the dominant talker problem
give time to summarize discussion points
just-in-time quizzes (2 hours before class, one MCQ and one short answer) -- related to reading materials
--> point out good answer and bad answer (anonymously)
Structure with discussion questions
Use board to highlight key points
Overtly emphasize key points
how can you focus discussions productively to ensure students can see the learning taking place
what will you do differently this semester?
Give question and ask them to answer individually then have group discussion that gives chance to change their answers (can be used for in-class quiz or for exams