Discussion as a Way of Teaching

The chapters from Discussion as a Way of Teaching reinforced the idea that discussion is a valuable tool in the classroom. From the first chapter, it’s clear that having a discussion-based classroom is an important way to open students minds, challenge them and develop their understanding of topics. I personally gain a lot from classroom discussions. I enjoy sharing opinions and hearing what other people have to say. But in order to maintain a discussion-based classroom, we, as educators, need to create an environment where our students feel comfortable and safe to participate. While this sounds like an easy enough idea, the article points out that getting to that place takes time and effort. I’ve been a student in classes where a teacher attempts to incorporate discussion into a lesson, but the same few people are the only ones who participate or steamroll over other students’ opinions.

I found the sections on hospitality and mindfulness especially helpful in creating the appropriate environment to facilitate discussion. Hospitality is making people feel comfortable to participate. I think that’s a really crucial first step in incorporating discussion. During our first class, Sean said something along the lines of relationships are 90 percent of the job and the content is 10 percent because it doesn’t matter what you’re teaching if your students aren’t invested. This really speaks to hospitality and creating a space where students care and want to take risks by revealing strongly held opinions. Mindfulness is being aware of the whole conversation, who has spoken, who hasn’t and making sure all voices are heard. I think this is important not only for students to really listen and gain something from the discussion, but also for teachers to be aware of when we’re speaking too much.

I like that the article reinforces the idea that discussion doesn’t have to be neatly wrapped up with a bow. It’s okay for participants to still disagree at the end, and that outcome might be the desired one. The DNR order at the beginning of the article shows that sometimes there isn’t a right answer, but discussing the issue is worthwhile.

I appreciated this article because I agree that discussion is an important tool to use while teaching, but had never really thought about how to implement it or create a successful environment for it. In Chapter 2, they talk about why teachers lose interest in discussion. One of the reasons is discussions become a game for students to guess what answers the teacher wants to hear. I’ve experienced this. Once a teacher reacts positively to a comment, other students try to make similar ones to get their participation points. I wish the article spoke more about how to get a discussion back on track.