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Facilitating Effective Discussions - Coggle Diagram
Facilitating Effective Discussions
Preparing for a discussion
Plan on how to conduct the discussion.
- It's much better if you can spontaneously and be unpredictable when you talk but it's okay to take a precaution by making a plan so you won't forget the main purpose or idea that you want to deliver.
Be "present" and to "participate."
- Make sure the students are assessing what you want to assess and encouraging things that you want them to encourage.
Help students prepare for the discussion
- You can help by asking them to ask questions, giving them same key concept, key words and the themes. Question that have been gathered can be assigned to each students.
Establish ground rules for participation in a discussion.
- They need to understand the importance of actively listening to their peers, tolerating opposing viewpoints, and being open-minded. At the same time staying focused and expressing themselves clearly.
Clearly communicate how much time you have for questions or discussion, and what you are looking for from this time
- Don't assume that every students will know the main purpose or pedagogical of the discussion.
Ask the student's name and keep background noise to the minimum
Willing to work with sign interpreters or CART interpreters
- be patient when you work with this type of students and Slow down when you are using big words or complicated phrases and spell out key names
Starting a discussion
Refer to questions you distributed.
- Asking one of the study questions you assigned or by asking group members which of the questions they found most challenging.
Make a list of key points.
- Identify and list the important points from the reading and use these as a starting point for discussion.
Use a partner activity
- Let them have an answering and questioning activity in a pair.
Use a brainstorming activity
- Ask students to contribute ideas related to the discussion topic (no matter how bizarre or far fetched) and write all ideas on the board. Critically evaluate all the ideas.
Pose an opening question and give students a few minutes to record an answer.
- This will help the students to understand better the answer and generate new questions. It also helps them to prepare answers they can share with the group.
Divide students into small groups to discuss a specific question or issue.
- Give them clear questions, guidelines, and time limits.
Pose a controversial issue and organize an informal debate
- Put the students in cons and pros group. As an example you can ask them to formulate 2-3 arguments or examples to support their position. .
Encouraging student participation
Create an inclusive discussion environment
- They will be more likely to contribute in the discussion if they feel comfortable and not being pressured. You can use icebreaker activity, learn all your students name and make sure they seat in a circle facing each other.
Allow students to ask questions or share ideas in class anonymously, or without "speaking out"
- You can ask the students to write their own questions in a card or piece of paper or you can use management learning using online or other platforms.
Give students low-stakes opportunities to think and discuss content
- this is a "tolerance for error" approach. Sometimes mistake need to be made so we can learn from it.
Facilitate smaller discussions among students before you ask students to share with the entire class.
- students need some time and space to try ideas out with one another first.
Facilitate smaller activities before discussion and questions start, so that students have time and space to compose their thoughts
- help them prepare for discussion, give them the opportunity to write or solve problems quietly for a few minutes.
Use online resources and content management systems to extend class discussions.
- Students should be given many different opportunities and spaces in which to participate
Have students take turns writing down questions and answers on whiteboards or on large flip chart paper
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Positively reinforce student contributions.
- emphasize the value of student responses by restating their comments, writing their ideas on the board, and/or making connections between their comments and the discussion at large.
Use a "token system" to encourage discussion.
- This system can be useful for limiting students who dominate the discussion and encouraging quiet students to contribute.
Silence in the classroom is okay
Limit your own involvement.
- Try to not to response to every students contribution. Be willing to wait for the answer if your ask them a question.
Balance students' voices during the discussion.
- discourage the who like to monopolize the discussion by saying every single in the group need to involve. Secondly, draw quiet students into the discussion by posing non-threatening questions. Lat but not least, Clarify confusing student contributions by asking the student to rephrase/explain the comment
Guiding the discussion
Keep the discussion focused.
- Make sure you have a clear agenda and remind the members where this discussion will be heading.
Repeat the key point of all comments and take notes
Be alert for signs that the discussion is deteriorating
- There will be a moment where the group starts to discuss privately, members don't focus on hearing.
If students are having trouble communicating, avoid making remarks such as: “Slow down,” “Take a breath,” or “Relax.”
It can give more pressure and by finishing their sentence will make them feel self-consciousness.
Prevent the discussion from deteriorating into a heated argument.
- Remind students of the ground rules for discussion: they need to practice active listening, remain open-minded, and focus on ideas and content
Bring closure to the discussion
- Announce that the discussion is ending and ask the group if there are any final comments or questions before you pull the ideas together
Remember that not all students are comfortable with extended direct eye contact.
Evaluating the discussion
Ask students to write a one-minute paper.
- ask students to write about how their thinking changed as a result of the discussion or how the discussion fits into the context of issues previously discussed.
Ask students to respond to specific questions about the discussion.
- Ask their opinion on the discussion and whether the topic defined effectively?
Conduct your own informal evaluation of the discussion.
- Did everyone contribute to the discussion? How satisfied did the group seem about the productiveness of the discussion? What would I do differently next time?
Examples of phrases to take part in academic discussions
To give an opinion
- I think that..., It seems to me that..., As far as I'm concerned..., If you ask me .... and In my opinion/view ....
To give others the chance to speak
- Thanks Alice for your contribution, but we need to hear from other people as well.
To invite others to contribute
- What do you think about what I've just said George?
To agree
- Yes, I agree with you, That's a good point, I entirely/completely agree with you on that, That’s exactly how I see it, How very true, Yes, indeed and I couldn’t agree more.
To disagree
- I see what you mean, but..., I take your point, but..., I disagree (with you), I’m afraid, I’m of a different opinion and I don’t think so.
To set aims
- Our goal for this conversation is..., Our aim today is to...,
To set the timetable
- We'll spend the first fifteen minutes discussing, and the last five coming to a decision.
To sum up
- So, to sum up..., We're running out of time, so..., We couldn't reach an agreement on this issue... and We have agreed on the following order