Discussion is important to learning in all disciplines because it helps students process information rather than simply receive it. Discussion sections differ from lectures in many ways. Two major differences are that the students can be more active and that there can be more personal contact. But discussion is an instructional activity that has uses in classes of all sizes and disciplines. Students can and should talk to each other and the instructor even in a large class, as well as in small to medium-sized classes. Good discussions give students an opportunity to formulate principles in their own words and to suggest applications of these principles; they help students become aware of and define problems implied in readings or lectures; they can also increase students’ sensitivity to other points of view and alternative explanations (adapted with permission from Unruh, 1986).

Leading a discussion requires skills different from lecturing. The goal of a discussion is to get students to talk purposefully about the course material. Your role becomes that of facilitator. You moderate the discussion rather than convey information. If you want to hold a discussion, don’t do all the talking yourself; don’t lecture to the group or talk to one student at a time. Remember that the discussion isn’t just a matter of your communication with your students; it’s a chance for your students to share ideas and pool resources. Many instructors overlook this potential and end up trying to carry the whole conversation themselves. Remember that as long as you’re speaking, the students cannot (adapted with permission from Ronkowski, 1986).

 

Some instructors have an unfortunate misunderstanding about the amount of preparation that discussions require. Too many instructors assume that you can “just walk in” to the classroom and begin useful discussion. It is as if they think that, with a basic understanding of the subject, they can rely upon their students to fill 40 or 50 minutes with questions and answers. However, a good discussion takes a great deal of prior planning and review of the subject matter.

Do you want this discussion to be a five-minute break in the middle of a lecture? Two minutes at the beginning of class to be sure they read the assignment? Or will you spend the entire class period having the students develop their own ideas? Any of these might be appropriate, depending on what your goal for the discussion is.

Knowing the content to be covered is not enough. Naming the chapter your students will read is not enough. If you’ve only thought as far as, “I want students to know,” you haven't thought through enough about what needs to be taught. You should be able to articulate what the students will be able to do with the information or ideas. For example, in a philosophy class for which students have read a chapter on epistemologies or theories of knowledge, you might want students to be able to construct legitimate arguments for and against any epistemology about which they have read.

Having a clear goal in mind makes it much easier to plan a discussion. You know what you want students to get out of it. But it is not enough: an instructor at IU several years ago told the story of how she wanted her students to deal with the issue of prejudice. She tried to start discussion merely by saying “Discuss prejudice.” No one spoke. She then asked if anyone had seen prejudice. One student raised a hand. When she asked what it was like, the student merely said “awful.” She had a goal, but not a problem or an activity to get the students to engage the ideas to achieve the goal.

The opposite end of the spectrum is also a problem. While “Discuss prejudice” is too open-ended, merely asking for the basic facts won’t work either. You’ve probably heard a professor rattle off a list of questions that require only brief factual replies and little student involvement:

Q. When was the Battle of Hastings?
A. 1066.

The result could hardly be called a discussion. So, give your students an open-ended problem to solve, a task to complete, a judgment to reach, a decision to make, or a list to create—something that begs for closure.

Many discussion activities can be used in the classroom. You want to choose one that will help your students meet your goals for the discussion. The more specific you can be in assigning the task, the more likely your students will be to succeed at it. Some possible tasks are as follows: Think-Pair-Share, brainstorm, buzz groups, case analysis, role-playing, and press conferences. Some of these techniques are described in articles on this site.

Vary groups by size, method of selection, and duration.

Many techniques can get students to share what their smaller groups have done with the entire class: verbally, on newsprint/flipchart, blackboard or overhead, ditto/photocopy, etc. And you don't have to hear from everyone; calling on a few groups at random to report works quite well.

Always debrief students; it is the most important part of a discussionÊthe time to summarize and synthesize. Most of learning in discussions happens during debriefing, so don't squeeze it in—a rule of thumb is to use one-third of the total discussion time for debriefing.

You can use debriefing to correct incorrect notions. You can slip in any points that students neglected but that are important. You can pick which student reports from each group, though you should tell them in advance that you plan to do this. This makes everyone in the group responsible. You don’t have to hear from every group, but can instead choose a few at random. When groups start repeating ideas, it’s time to stop.

Running a section skillfully requires creating a context of “organized spontaneity” in which “the good section leader gives the students opportunities and incentives to express themselves and develop skills within the otherwise somewhat passive context of the lecture course” (Segerstrale, 1982). One key to facilitating a discussion is to guide its course without appearing to do so. Here is a list of some common difficulties instructors encounter in leading discussions which relate to the problem of “control,” and some suggestions for overcoming them (McKeachie, 1994).

AIs: Despite the fact that section participation is a requirement for many introductory courses, students may believe that their attendance is not mandatory since the AI rather than the professor is in charge. Therefore you may want to devise a way to structure required assignments, projects or presentations into your sections so that section participation will be a part of the final course grade. If students know that the AI has some responsibility for determining their grades, that AI will have considerably more authority in the classroom or in any interactions with students. Students will also be more likely to attend sections or lectures led by the associate instructor.