I enjoyed reading the article by Rick VanDe Weghe on
holding discussions in the classroom. After I read the article, I reflected
back on my own education, and I tried to remember some of my favorite classroom
discussions. Thinking back, I could not remember many meaningful discussions
from high school, so I will focus this blog on some wonderful thought provoking
discussions I have had in college classes. Before I get into that, I want to mention
that I may have had some decent high school discussions, but none of them have
stuck out to me over the years. Part of that is due to the fact that I do not
have the best memory, and part of it is due to the fact that most of my
teachers’ lectures and discussions (from what I do remember) were teacher
centered.
At Utah State University, I have had many
exceptional professors who are great at leading effective dialogic discussions.
One teacher in particular teaches most of his class through discussions, and he
requires students to have read all of the material before class, so everyone
can be active participants in the discussions. I have had this professor for
two separate English classes (English 3520 and English 3375), and I have been
involved in multiple beneficial discussions, throughout both classes. In VanDe
Weghe’s article, he mentions five elements of effective discussions: Authentic
Questions, Uptake, Level of Evaluation, Cognitive Level, and Question Source
(4-5). In our English discussions, Professor Straight guides our discussions
using many of the five elements.
Our discussions are extremely effective because they
are open-ended and they do not have one right or wrong answer. One aspect of
Professor Straight’s discussions that I particularly like is the fact that he
practices “Uptake.” He often brings the discussion back to a point that was
made by a student. He is also great at remembering student’s comments from one
class to another, and he comes back to their questions and comments, when
applicable.
Professor Straight also facilitates the discussions effectively
by having the students come up with some of the discussion questions.
Throughout the semester, all students are required to lead a discussion and
come up with the discussion questions of the day. This practice follows VanDe
Weghe’s point: “Of all five indicators, student questions seemed to be the most
significant contributor to dialogic episodes” (5).
As a teacher, I am going to follow the advice from
the article and the example set by some of my professors, and I am going to
facilitate authentic dialogic discussions. I want my students to learn to think
beyond the normal remember and recite process. I want them constantly asking
questions and digging deeper. By taking into consideration the “five elements
of effective discussions,” I will be able to create the learning environment
that I want.
James, your teacher sounds amazing. I especially would enjoy a discussion with a teacher who remembers students comments and questions (from class days before...impressive) and refers to them when applicable. I also liked that you said he is able to bring the discussion back to the point made by the student. He seems great! He seems like a teacher who truly valued his students comments. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that the discussion that you enjoyed the most never had any right or wrong answers. I agree that those kind of discussions are the most effective because student's aren't afraid to share. There is no fear of being wrong- rather it is just a time to share thoughts, and opinions. I also hope that I can facilitate authentic dialogic discussions.
ReplyDeleteJames I also love your insights on everything. One thing I thought was good is when you mentioned your professor using "intake," and remembering what students have added to the conversation and questions they have asked. I like how he came back to the different questions and comments when the time was right. I took two things from that: one, using someone else's words to teach lessons at different points of the class, and two: was remembering what students said showing that he cared and listened. Both tie into the student and building their knowledge. Very insightful.
ReplyDeleteHi James, thanks for your comments. I agree that uptake is so validating, and I think that it makes more students want to participate in classroom discussions. I'm so glad that you had Professor Straight who modeled how it might be applied in your content areas. I was talking to a researcher, Abbie Reisman, who found that high school history teachers had an average of 6 minutes of discussion per year. So it's great that you are thinking of ways to move toward more student-driven discussion. Thanks again for another thoughtful posting!
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