Issue Home Volume 12: Issue 2

Teaching Tips: Using Discussion

Daniel Chornet Roses, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor
Department of English and Communication
Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus

Sometimes, during class discussion, there is a gravity-like force that turns the instructor into the target of all questions and answers. In my class, I change the default traditional seating arrangement and allow students to see each others’ faces. I sit next to them in the circle and I let them pose questions that they have prepared beforehand about an assigned reading. Our discussion is grounded in listening. I strive to create an atmosphere in which students are encouraged to address each other directly and take their time to genuinely understand each other’s points of view.

John P. Keithley, Ph.D., C.P.A.
Professor
Department of Accounting
John Cook School of Business
Saint Louis University

Classroom discussions are often the most interesting part of a course. However, in order for the discussions to be a meaningful experience, thoughtful preparation is required.

Discussions should not be scripted, but the instructor needs to consider how the conversation may evolve. The nature of the course will impact the nature and direction of the discussion, but my experience is that you can often anticipate the outcomes and questions which may be raised. This will enable the instructor to think about examples which may enliven the discussion, or ways to keep it “on point.”

Experience is a great asset, and young faculty may have difficulty projecting the results of a discussion. However, even a new teacher should spend some time considering how a discussion may go before saying to a class, “Well, let’s talk about this subject for a little while.”

Mark Ruff, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of History
College of Arts and Sciences
Saint Louis University

For three semesters, I have been teaching a required survey course - "The Origins of the Modern World" - for between 150 and 200 undergraduates, mostly freshmen and sophomores. This format - a large lecture - would not seem to be exceptionally favorable for discussions. I have been determined, however, to use discussion regularly as part of my teaching. I began my first classes by having the students view via power point short texts that purported to explain major historical events. These texts were, by definition, incomplete and inaccurate: they left out important information like names, dates and locations. They provided one-sided or misleading explanations. I then asked the students to "pick holes" in these texts and provide better explanations for the events we were analyzing. I typically receive more than one dozen volunteers for these exercises.

Last updated 11.24.09