Discussion in the classroom allows for students to take a problem from a reading, lesson, or issue and dig deeper into the problem to form questions and ideas for solutions. A single solution will not come out of the discussion and nor should it. The purpose is to get different perspectives and critically think about a person’s own personal stance on the subject. Different opinions are necessary for a discussion to be successful, therefore, remaining calm and understanding of others opinions is vital. The facilitator plays a huge role in the discussion because the questions they pose to start a discussion can lead the participants to feel a certain way which in turn causes the discussion to be one-sided and not necessarily what the learner wanted to dig in to. The facilitator should be open and not give their opinions while also stirring ideas for the learners to express how they feel. The main issue with discussion is participation and students not speaking out. If the classroom is a safe place for students and they feel their opinion isn’t “wrong”, they will be more likely to participate.
Application:A way to include this in an intro course would be similar to what we have done in class with our learning styles. The previous intro courses I have been in dug into leadership styles, strengths, professionalism, and learning styles. If I had students complete the VARK and maybe even the StrengthsFinder inventories, we could have class discussions about their results and what that means for their future learning. The discussion would be to expose students to that method of learning and to cause them to critically think about how these inventories can aid them in their future courses. I would pose questions regarding the different possible results from the inventories and probably have to set who will speak, since they may be shyer and not as familiar with class discussions.
Assessment:The formative assessment for this activity is really just the instructional method itself. The learners will be reflecting, critically thinking, and applying what their assignment had been and I will then be able to gauge by their participation and ideas how well they learned the material. I would also be able to clarify anything that was brought up to avoid confusion for the learners.