Unit 3 Being an Online Instructor
A. Learning through Discussion
Using Learning through Discussion as a teaching technique requires planning and it requires skillful implementation. And the effort you put into planning and facilitating a discussion activity is worth it in terms of the pay-off for student learning: discussion engages students in active learning.
Effective discussions do not result because of chance. They result because you, as the instructor, prepare and structure your course in such a way to facilitate effective discussion. Discussion can be in pairs, with two students talking to each other. Discussion can be small groups of students interacting. And discussion can be an entire class discussion with the instructor facilitating the conversation among all the students in the class at the same time.
Appropriate outcomes that support achievement via discussion and collaboration, are “learning situations where in-depth exploration of topics, interactions of ideas and people from multiple perspectives are valued, or in settings where developing strengths in analysis or critical thinking within a community are important. Circumstances not well suited for discussion teaching include those where building a specific knowledge base or broadening a base of knowledge through presenting material or sharing information is the primary focus.” (p.103)
A good way to test whether or not your outcome is suitable as a discussion activity is to create a discussion question and decide if it has a right and wrong answer, or if it has multiple potential answers, the latter being a good candidate, and the former not.
Learning through discussion methods work best in learning environments that:
- values active student learning and participation
- values respecting different perspectives
- values collaboration and democratic processes
- values questioning, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills
- values creating a community of learners
- life experiences are inseparable from learning
- values empowering learners
- values inclusivity and participatory
In addition to the basic lesson structure you might use for direct instruction (eg. the BOPPPS model) the following are pedagogical features of discussion approaches to instruction:
- “Shared responsibility: Discussion teaching should shift the instructor-centred approach to one of shared responsibility for learning between instructors and students”
- “Collaboration and multiple perspectives: Discussion teaching should create a climate of collaboration and respect for multiple perspectives and worldviews to be heard”
- “Instructor competencies: The discussion teaching instructor should have competency in the discipline and skills in facilitating groups.”
- “Life experiences: In discussion teaching, life experiences of the students should be acknowledged and utilized in the learning process.”
- “Activities for higher learning: Discussion teaching should include listening, reflecting, responding and linking as essential activities in promoting higher learning.”
- “Democratic learning community: Discussion teaching should promote a more democratic learning community.”
- “Physical environment: Discussion teaching should be used in a physical environment that accommodates the interactions necessary in this type of learning” (p105-108)
(Summarized and quoted from Gibbon, J.T. (2009) Discussion Approaches to Instruction, in Riegeluth & Carr-Chellman, Instructional Design Theories & Models III. Pg.99-116)
Some classroom management issues identified with using Learning through Discussion that apply no matter if its in the classroom, online in a web-conferencing session or online in asynchronous discussion forums are:
- A very small number of students have a tendency to do the vast majority of the speaking. Planning discussions in ways that enable all students to participate in a safe and non-threatening way overcomes this challenge.
- Students might appear to be paying attention but they also might be multitasking at the same time. A challenge is to engage their full attention.
These are basic discussion techniques that apply face-to-face, in web conferences and in discussion forums:
- Think-Pair-Share: A Think-Pair-Share works very simply. For starters, you give students a minute to maybe two minutes to write and reflect in response to a question you ask them. This is the think portion of Think-Pair- Share. It’s important that you ask a question that can be examined from multiple perspectives. Then you pair students up. Every student is talking to another student, sharing their thoughts in response to the question. And finally you ask for a person from each pair to report out to the group; conversely, you could ask for volunteers to share.
- Small group discussion: particularly for large classes, breaking up session to have small group discussions provides opportunities for more shy students to engage without having to speak in front of the entire class. Further, you could organize students into ongoing teams for the duration of the course, which has the added benefit of creating a sense of community and belonging even when the course has large numbers of students enrolled. This sense of community also creates positive peer-pressure to be prepared for the discussion by completing reading assignments and to engage in the conversation.
- Limit the dominant speakers by asking others to share. You could ask, ‘I want to hear from someone who hasn’t spoken up yet’. Doing so signals to the dominant speakers they might be taking too much responsibility for the discussion. And often the dominant talkers are aware that they tend to speak first and appreciate the cue that it is time to allow others to speak. In the same way, introverted students appreciate the invitation and opportunity to speak without having to jump in immediately before a dominant talker speaks.
When you are planning a discussion, remember to define the goals of the discussion. What kind of discussion prompt would best support the stated learning outcomes? And consider the kind of discussion you would like to have. For example, is it a brainstorming session, a debriefing or a reflection after a learning experience, or will you be asking students to apply new skills or knowledge by posing problems?
