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Suggestions for Classroom Discussion

Sandra Metts, Department of Communication
Illinois State University

Fundamental Premise:

Although lecture can certainly be an efficient means of instruction, it often functions as an information delivery system rather than a learning experience. Engaging students in a carefully planned classroom discussion stimulates a more active role in the learning process. Learning is rooted in the experiencing of information, not in the information. Manipulating, extending, and expressing one's understanding of information is what classroom questioning and answering is all about.

Preparing for Classroom Discussion

1. The typical college student (and many college faculty members) are far more familiar with questions that assess recall of information. Evaluating and applying information can be an unfamiliar opportunity for students (and possibly instructors). Ways of evaluating the quality of an answer—other than right or wrong—require consideration of criteria. For courses such as FOI, criteria are likely to include the validity of the premise, the quality of the evidence, the relevance of the evidence to the point at hand, and the logic of the conclusion.
2. Have questions prepared beforehand. Even if a discussion leader is familiar with the material, good questions may not come to mind spontaneously during the press of classroom interaction. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and let the discussion move into less relevant areas. Prepared questions can be kept on the overhead or on the board to keep everyone on task.
3. If questions are especially challenging and/or some members of the class are reticent to speak, pass out questions prior to the discussion period. Although instructors do, occasionally, want to see how well students can think about issues "on the spur of the moment," many students are reluctant to engage in spontaneous debate. Truly controversial and complicated issues are probably best discussed after students have had time to apply the readings to specific questions.
4. If questions are especially challenging, the instructor might want to think through the options for "good" answers and the criteria by which these answers are evaluated. Thinking through possible answers should not prevent an instructor from being open to unanticipated alternatives.
5. Questions can take many forms. Four common question types include:
   • Memory Questions: Recall of information.
   • Convergent Questions: Connection known details to infer relationships among pieces of information.
   • Evaluative Questions: Making judgments as to the logic, reasonableness, or worth of an idea or argument. Judgments might be ethical, pragmatic, logical, etc.
   • Divergent Questions: Imagining new possibilities; original thinking that cannot be tested directly against known information. "What if" types of questions.

Suggestions for Facilitating Classroom Discussion

1. Use words with the vocabulary range of the students. This requires a tricky balance between teaching students new words but not intimidating students into not being able to provide an answer because they don't understand the question.

2. Pause after asking a question ("wait time"). Five seconds of silence can seem like an eternity, but students need time to process the question and construct an answer, especially when the question is convergent, evaluative, or divergent.

3. Don't answer your own question. Once students realize that the instructor will answer his or her own questions, they begin to disengage.

4. Give a question to the entire class first. If you decide to call on a specific student, say the student's name, repeat the question, and then wait for the response. For some students, hearing their name causes a brief moment of startle. They might well forget the question when the class turns their full attention in their direction.

5. Develop strategies to cope with the over-zealous student (the dominant talker) and the reticent student.
   • If a few students seem to dominate discussion, try asking for a raised hand to determine speaking order.
   • Some students seem never to speak, try putting students into small groups to discuss the questions first. Then ask each group to present their answers for a particular question, using a different speaker each time. (e.g., four questions–four group members-everyone speaks).
   • If a student continues to dominate or continues to remain silent, individual meetings with these students might be useful. Some dominant students may not realize how their behavior affects the classroom environment. Some reticent students may be high on Communication Apprehension and the thought of speaking up in a classroom discussion is actually painful to imagine. Talking such students through this fear can be helpful (as can providing them with the questions ahead of time).

6. Encourage lengthy responses and fully developed answers. Try follow-up questions such as "Under what circumstances?" or "How might that be accomplished?" or "Why do you believe that would be the consequence?"

   Also use the discussion process to encourage more developed answers. For example, allow an abbreviated answer to stand temporarily while another student comments. Then return to the first answer and ask that student if subsequent discussion has altered, contradicted, or elaborated the original answer. This is a great way to facilitate dialogue between students. In addition, students often learn to provide more fully developed answers when they realize that their brevity has led to misinterpretation.

7. Try not to interrupt a student who is attempting to answer a question and don't allow other students to interrupt. Ethical communication involves the respectful acknowledgment (though not necessarily acceptance) of a different point of view.

8. Make the class responsible for their discussion. Instructors should facilitate, not carry or dictate, the discussion.
   • Encourage students to comment on the responses of classmates before summarizing or moving to another question.
   • Avoid repeating an answer. Let students assume the responsibility for the accuracy and audibility of their comments.
   • When a student asks a good question, turn it back to the class to answer. If the class answers the question, then let the answer stand and move on. Don't undercut their efforts by re-answering the question as though only you had the right answer anyway.

9. Attend to nonverbal signals indicating that a student would like to ask a question, would like to answer a question, or would like to make a comment.

10. Be aware of you own nonverbal behavior when students are asking or answering questions. The body sends very subtle messages of approval/disapproval, interest/disinterest. For example, let a student finish speaking before looking down at your notes or at the clock.

11. Be aware of the problems inherent in five typical types of classroom questions.
    • The Dead-end Question: Requires only a yes/no response. For example, "Can animals communicate with each other?"
    • The Programmed-answer Question: Doesn't necessarily require only yes or no, but does indicate in its form what the intended answer is. For example, "Many scholars say that animals can communicate with each other, but are they using signals or language?
    • The Chameleon Question: The question begins in what seems to be one direction and then switches to a different direction. For example, "If language requires both symbols and rules for combining those symbols, can animals have language? That is, if a chimpanzee can be taught to make the sign for banana, does it have language?"
    • The Fuzzy Question: A variation of the Chameleon Question that does not even contain the clarity of a directed question. For example, "what do you think about animals communicating?" Such questions might well elicit responses ranging from "Well, I like it when my dog wags his tail" to "I don't believe that animals do communicate in the sense of constructing messages in order to express their needs, act on their physical environment, and build social bonds."
    • The Put-down Question: A largely rhetorical question that minimizes the legitimacy of a comment or closes down addition discussion. For example, "Can we all see why Mary's solution is not feasible?" (Not only does Mary get put down, but only the boldest of students would speak up if they actually had thought that Mary's solution was pretty good). Or, "Well, Paul answered that question fully. We certainly can't add to that, can we?" In this case, Paul was not put down, but any student who might have wanted to add to the answer will have to re-open the issue at some risk.