Week 5, "Classroom Discussion"
"I love class discussion. I think it's important to give students the opportunity to share their ideas not only with you, but with their peers. I don't think learning is a one-way street; the professor is not the only source of knowledge. More times than not, I leave discussions with new perspectives and interpretations of material that I had literally never thought about before. With all of this being said though, I think all professors and TAs are all too familiar with blank stares, hostile silence, and the classic "look down at my feet or desk so I don't have to speak." Facilitating discussion is. not. easy. It can be a real pain in the behind to get students to speak, let alone keep a conversation going. Personally, I'm gifted with a particularly talkative class this semester, and I know I can design class discussions that are more advanced than normal. What I've found that works almost every time: start discussions with a free-write, brainstorm, or other form of independent preparation. When students are given a minute to actually write down what they want to say and rehearse the wording, they're more likely to speak up and say it out loud. Also, I would try starting discussion in small groups with pre-written questions that provoke thoughts. Save the open-ended, full class "say what you think, anything at all" discussions for after you've done smaller discussions with specific questions and elements. Scaffolding is our friend! Hang in there."