How to conduct an effective student – led discussion in class
Why discussion? To engage students actively To deepen thinking To develop collaborative team work
Why student–led discussions? Teacher – led discussion Teacher prepares and initiates Students prepare and participate
What does it involve? Students : Own the discussion Read the assignment carefully Prepare discussion points in advance Listen and respond to each other Construct meaning through interaction
What skills are developed through it? Reading Listening Writing Speaking Thinking
What are the steps? Evaluation Setting ground rules before discussion Checking preparation Giving preparation guidelines Selection of reading material
Selection of reading material The reading should be complex enough for the discovery of meaning to happen.
Giving preparation guidelines Discussion points can be in the form of questions Ask students to prepare a list of thoughtful questions What are the questions that are not directly answered in the reading?
Ground rules for discussion One person to speak at a time Listen to others before speaking Raise your hand to speak Raise a new point to fill a lull Accomodate other viewpoints
Evaluation The students can be rated evaluated on the following points: Quality of preparation Understanding Articulation Response