FACILITATING STRONG

CLASSROOM DISCUSSION
April Heaney, LeaRN
Opening Questions
 Describe a class you’ve taught or been a part of
that had strong discussion.

 Try to pinpoint the characteristics of discussion—for

both the students and the teacher.

 Do the same for a class you’ve experienced with

weak discussion.
1. Laying Groundwork for Discussion

2. Strategies for Effective Discussion

3. When Discussion Falters

Laying Groundwork for Discussion
Discussion Guidelines
 Ask students to write down the characteristics of
strong discussion—based on these, collaboratively
write discussion guidelines as a class

 Make sure your own top items make the list of

guidelines

 Ask students to reflect on the strengths and pitfalls

of class discussion based on discussion
characteristics after five weeks
Laying Groundwork for Discussion
Setting the Stage
 Model the value of silence to strong discussion

 Avoid the early formation of one or two “talkers”

by using round-table techniques

 Begin discussion with priming activities

Strategies for Effective Discussion
 Pose authentic questions for discussion. Questions
should be characterized by both complexity and
relevance

 Never answer your own question

 Ask a student to track the discussion by writing key

ideas on the board

 Filter discussion notes into assignments, exams, and

future discussions
Strategies for Effective Discussion
Helping students learn democratic discussion
 Confront students with three or more perspectives of

every issue you pose in class discussion—avoid

binaries
 Talk with students about approaching sensitive

topics
 Develop separate guidelines for controversial
discussion topics
Multiple Perspectives on an Issue
 Affirmative action has promoted diverse student bodies and work
forces, and has provided equal opportunity for at least some
minorities. It has promoted diversity especially in higher education.
John Filter, Kansas State professor of political science

 Affirmative action can hurt office work environments because a

person who comes into an administrative position can get an
inferiority complex. They believe the rest of the office will think they
got there with help. This leads to unusual behavior.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

 We should bring in additional economic criteria. There are poor

whites and poor minorities, and both are denied opportunities.
Affirmative action may have to protect economic classes as poverty
grows.
Krishna Tummala
Strategies for Effective Discussion
 When discussion becomes heated, take steps to pause
or radically slow the progression of opinions

 Show all perspectives that have come up, and ask for
others, especially less “mainstream” perspectives

 Spend serious time listing all of the reasons groups

possess the opinions they do (social, economic, cultural,
historical factors)

 Point out that appreciating a perspective doesn’t

necessarily lead to agreement, but it can lead to
common ground
Strategies for Effective Discussion
 Be sure to start large group discussion with less
represented groups’ viewpoints

 Follow up with students after discussion to thank

them for their contributions

 Invite further discussion with you on a one-on-one

basis
When You Lecture
 Begin lectures with a set of questions you are
attempting to answer.

 Lecture on information that would not make for

strong discussion (topics that for you have only one
right way to go)

 Break up lectures by asking students to write briefly

on compelling points, muddiest or unclear points, or
further questions/experiences they can add