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Freddy

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Class Discussion Strategies

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When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase “We will discuss.”

We will discuss the video.

We will discuss the story.

We will discuss our results.

Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: “What format will you use? What questions will you ask? How will you ensure that all students participate?” I was pretty sure that We will discuss actually meant the teacher would do most of the talking; He would throw out a couple of questions like “So what did you think about the video?” or “What was the theme of the story?” and a few students would respond, resulting in something that looked like a discussion, but was ultimately just a conversation between the teacher and a handful of extroverted students; a classic case of Fisheye Teaching.

The problem wasn’t them; in most of the classrooms where they’d sat as students, that’s exactly what a class discussion looked like. They didn’t know any other “formats.” I have only ever been familiar with a few myself. But when teachers began contacting me recently asking for a more comprehensive list, I knew it was time to do some serious research.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you’ve struggled to find effective ways to develop students’ speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

I’ve separated the strategies into three groups. The first batch contains the higher-prep strategies, formats that require teachers to do some planning or gathering of materials ahead of time. Next come the low-prep strategies, which can be used on the fly when you have a few extra minutes or just want your students to get more active. Note that these are not strict categories; it’s certainly possible to simplify or add more meat to any of these structures and still make them work. The last group is the ongoing strategies. These are smaller techniques that can be integrated with other instructional strategies and don’t really stand alone. For each strategy, you’ll find a list of other names it sometimes goes by, a description of its basic structure, and an explanation of variations that exist, if any. To watch each strategy in action, click on its name and a new window will open with a video that demonstrates it.

Enjoy!

HIGHER-PREP DISCUSSION STRATEGIES
GALLERY WALK >
a.k.a. Chat Stations

Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Small groups of students travel from station to station together, performing some kind of task or responding to a prompt, either of which will result in a conversation.

Variations: Some Gallery Walks stay true to the term gallery, where groups of students create informative posters, then act as tour guides or docents, giving other students a short presentation about their poster and conducting a Q&A about it. In Starr Sackstein’s high school classroom, her stations consisted of video tutorials created by the students themselves. Before I knew the term Gallery Walk, I shared a strategy similar to it called Chat Stations, where the teacher prepares discussion prompts or content-related tasks and sets them up around the room for students to visit in small groups.

PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS >
a.k.a. Values Continuum, Forced Debate, Physical Barometer, This or That

Basic Structure: A statement that has two possible responses—agree or disagree—is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. From that spot, students take turns defending their positions.

Variations: Often a Philosophical Chairs debate will be based around a text or group of texts students have read ahead of time; students are required to cite textual evidence to support their claims and usually hold the texts in their hands during the discussion. Some teachers set up one hot seat to represent each side, and students must take turns in the seat. In less formal variations (which require less prep), a teacher may simply read provocative statements students are likely to disagree on, and a debate can occur spontaneously without a text to refer to (I call this variation This or That in my classroom icebreakers post). Teachers may also opt to offer a continuum of choices, ranging from “Strongly Agree” on one side of the room, all the way to “Strongly Disagree” on the other, and have students place themselves along that continuum based on the strength of their convictions.

PINWHEEL DISCUSSION >
Basic Structure: Students are divided into 4 groups. Three of these groups are assigned to represent specific points of view. Members of the fourth group are designated as “provocateurs,” tasked with making sure the discussion keeps going and stays challenging. One person from each group (the “speaker”) sits in a desk facing speakers from the other groups, so they form a square in the center of the room. Behind each speaker, the remaining group members are seated: two right behind the speaker, then three behind them, and so on, forming a kind of triangle. From above, this would look like a pinwheel. The four speakers introduce and discuss questions they prepared ahead of time (this preparation is done with their groups). After some time passes, new students rotate from the seats behind the speaker into the center seats and continue the conversation.

Variations: When high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling introduced this strategy in the featured video (click Pinwheel Discussion above), she used it as a device for talking about literature, where each group represented a different author, plus one provocateur group. But in the comments that follow the video, Wessling adds that she also uses the strategy with non-fiction, where students represent authors of different non-fiction texts or are assigned to take on different perspectives about an issue.

SOCRATIC SEMINAR >
a.k.a. Socratic Circles

Basic Structure: Students prepare by reading a text or group of texts and writing some higher-order discussion questions about the text. On seminar day, students sit in a circle and an introductory, open-ended question is posed by the teacher or student discussion leader. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with textual evidence. There is no particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with others. Discussion is meant to happen naturally and students do not need to raise their hands to speak. This overview of Socratic Seminar from the website Facing History and Ourselves provides a list of appropriate questions, plus more information about how to prepare for a seminar.

Variations: If students are beginners, the teacher may write the discussion questions, or the question creation can be a joint effort. For larger classes, teachers may need to set up seminars in more of a fishbowl-like arrangement, dividing students into one inner circle that will participate in the discussion, and one outer circle that silently observes, takes notes, and may eventually trade places with those in the inner circle, sometimes all at once, and sometimes by “tapping in” as the urge strikes them.

LOW-PREP DISCUSSION STRATEGIES
AFFINITY MAPPING >
a.k.a. Affinity Diagramming

Basic Structure: Give students a broad question or problem that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as “What were the impacts of the Great Depresssion?” or “What literary works should every person read?” Have students generate responses by writing ideas on post-it notes (one idea per note) and placing them in no particular arrangement on a wall, whiteboard, or chart paper. Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping them into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another, and so on.

Variations: Some teachers have students do much of this exercise—recording their ideas and arranging them into categories—without talking at first. In other variations, participants are asked to re-combine the ideas into new, different categories after the first round of organization occurs. Often, this activity serves as a good pre-writing exercise, after which students will write some kind of analysis or position paper.

CONCENTRIC CIRCLES >
a.k.a. Speed Dating

Basic Structure: Students form two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one another. Instead of “rotating” to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols could be used for peer teaching as well.

CONVER-STATIONS >
Basic Structure: Another great idea from Sarah Brown Wessling, this is a small-group discussion strategy that gives students exposure to more of their peers’ ideas and prevents the stagnation that can happen when a group doesn’t happen to have the right chemistry. Students are placed into a few groups of 4-6 students each and are given a discussion question to talk about. After sufficient time has passed for the discussion to develop, one or two students from each group rotate to a different group, while the other group members remain where they are. Once in their new group, they will discuss a different, but related question, and they may also share some of the key points from their last group’s conversation. For the next rotation, students who have not rotated before may be chosen to move, resulting in groups that are continually evolving.

FISHBOWL >
Basic Structure: Two students sit facing each other in the center of the room; the remaining students sit in a circle around them. The two central students have a conversation based on a pre-determined topic and often using specific skills the class is practicing (such as asking follow-up questions, paraphrasing, or elaborating on another person’s point). Students on the outside observe, take notes, or perform some other discussion-related task assigned by the teacher.

Variations: One variation of this strategy allows students in the outer circle to trade places with those in the fishbowl, doing kind of a relay-style discussion, or they may periodically “coach” the fishbowl talkers from the sidelines. Teachers may also opt to have students in the outside circle grade the participants’ conversation with a rubric, then give feedback on what they saw in a debriefing afterward, as mentioned in the featured video.

HOT SEAT >
Basic Structure: One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept (such as a tornado, an animal, or the Titanic). Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates’ questions while staying in character in that role.

Variations: Give more students the opportunity to be in the hot seat while increasing everyone’s participation by having students do hot seat discussions in small groups, where one person per group acts as the “character” and three or four others ask them questions. In another variation, several students could form a panel of different characters, taking questions from the class all together and interacting with one another like guests on a TV talk show.

SNOWBALL DISCUSSION >
a.k.a. Pyramid Discussion

Basic Structure: Students begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner. After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four. Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion.

Variations: This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.

ONGOING DISCUSSION STRATEGIES
Whereas the other formats in this list have a distinct shape—specific activities you do with students—the strategies in this section are more like plug-ins, working discussion into other instructional activities and improving the quality and reach of existing conversations.

ASYNCHRONOUS VOICE >
One of the limitations of discussion is that rich, face-to-face conversations can only happen when all parties are available, so we’re limited to the time we have in class. With a tool like Voxer, those limitations disappear. Like a private voice mailbox that you set up with just one person or a group (but SOOOO much easier), Voxer allows users to have conversations at whatever time is most convenient for each participant. So a group of four students can “discuss” a topic from 3pm until bedtime—asynchronously—each member contributing whenever they have a moment, and if the teacher makes herself part of the group, she can listen in, offer feedback, or contribute her own discussion points. Voxer is also invaluable for collaborating on projects and for having one-on-one discussions with students, parents, and your own colleagues. Like many other educators, Peter DeWitt took a while to really understand the potential of Voxer, but in this EdWeek piece, he explains what turned him around.

BACKCHANNEL DISCUSSIONS >
A backchannel is a conversation that happens right alongside another activity. The first time I saw a backchannel in action was at my first unconference: While those of us in the audience listened to presenters and watched a few short video clips, a separate screen was up beside the main screen, projecting something called TodaysMeet (update: TodaysMeet has shut down. Use YoTeach! instead.) It looked a lot like those chat rooms from back in the day, basically a blank screen where people would contribute a few lines of text, the lines stacking up one after the other, no other bells or whistles. Anyone in the room could participate in this conversation on their phone, laptop, or tablet, asking questions, offering commentary, and sharing links to related resources without ever interrupting the flow of the presentations. This kind of tool allows for a completely silent discussion, one that doesn’t have to move at a super-fast pace, and it gives students who may be reluctant to speak up or who process their thoughts more slowly a chance to fully contribute. For a deeper discussion of how this kind of tool can be used, read this thoughtful overview of using backchannel discussions in the classroom by Edutopia’s Beth Holland.

TALK MOVES >
a.k.a. Accountable Talk

Talk moves are sentence frames we supply to our students that help them express ideas and interact with one another in respectful, academically appropriate ways. From kindergarten all the way through college, students can benefit from explicit instruction in the skills of summarizing another person’s argument before presenting an alternate view, asking clarifying questions, and expressing agreement or partial agreement with the stance of another participant. Talk moves can be incorporated into any of the other discussion formats listed here.

TEACH-OK >
Whole Brain Teaching is a set of teaching and classroom management methods that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. One of WBT’s foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. Next, the teacher says Teach!, the class responds with Okay!, and pairs of students take turns re-teaching the concept to each other. It’s a bit like think-pair-share, but it’s faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.

THINK-PAIR-SHARE >
An oldie but a goodie, think-pair-share can be used any time you want to plug interactivity into a lesson: Simply have students think about their response to a question, form a pair with another person, discuss their response, then share it with the larger group. Because I feel this strategy has so many uses and can be way more powerful than we give it credit for, I devoted a whole post to think-pair-share; everything you need to know about it is right there.

TWO MORE YOU’LL LOVE
Since writing this post, I have learned about two more discussion strategies that teachers are finding to be incredibly effective and powerful for getting students to talk, especially about books and other texts:

THE TQE METHOD >
This protocol has students come up with their own Thoughts, lingering Questions, and Epiphanies from an assigned reading. Teachers who have used this method say it has generated some of the richest conversations they have ever heard from students!

ONGOING CONVERSATIONS >
This strategy places students into one-on-one conversations, getting them to learn each others’ names better and create a track record of what they talked about. Excellent for classes where you want to assess for discussion and help students get more comfortable with each other.

So what else do you have? I would like to think this is a pretty complete list, but I’m sure more strategies are out there. If you use a discussion strategy that’s not mentioned here, please share it below.

Originally published in Cult Of Pedagogy

Getting the most from classes

Getting the most from classes

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Getting the Most from Lectures
Much of the information you need to know in college classes is given in lectures. One of the main differences between learning from texts and learning from lectures is that in lectures, the professor controls the pace. You usually do not have the ability to pause the professor, go back, or slow down, like you do when reading or learning independently. Recorded lectures, on the other hand, give you these abilities, but may not grip your attention in the same way as a lecture that is unfolding in real time. Because lectures are such a unique way to learn and such a crucial key to success, it is important to use effective strategies to maximize your attention during lectures and your retention after lectures. Whether your professor stands behind a podium and reads off of a PowerPoint or leads a class discussion through Zoom, try some of these effective strategies to ensure you get the most out of lecture-based learning.

Before class
Read assignments and do problems before class, not after. Don’t be fooled by the common myth that it’s not necessary to read before class if your professor goes over the material in class. Reading the material first primes your short-term memory such that the information you learn in lecture is easier to remember because a) it’s connecting to something you already know and b) repetition is often important for effective learning. By reading before class, you can make better connections between the text and the lecture, better identify the main ideas in the lecture, and already have background on the information presented in class.
Briefly look at the syllabus to anticipate focus of lecture and learning objectives.
Review your notes from the previous class. Taking just five to ten minutes to do this will refresh your memory and provide a foundation for new material.
List questions you have prior to the lecture. These could be questions from the previous class or from the reading. Listen for answers during the lecture, and ask questions if necessary.
For live (synchronous) video lectures, technical issues can affect your viewing ability. Check your Wi-Fi signal before the lecture begins, and consider asking roommates or family members to pause any streaming or downloads that might weaken your Wi-Fi signal. If problems persist, try closing out of other browser tabs for the duration of your class. If you’re having trouble with internet while off campus, ITS provides Guidance for off-campus internet service.

During class
Situate yourself for success. For in-person classes, if it helps, try sitting near the front of the class to stay engaged. For Zoom lectures, it is important to find a quiet area free from distractions, though this can prove difficult for many students. Try using headphones to help alleviate noisy spaces. In both in-person and Zoom lectures, you can improve your ability to focus by limiting use of your phone and social media during the lecture. Research shows that multitasking simply doesn’t work, and it will keep you from getting the most from your lecture.

Take good notes. It’s important to take good notes during class to have a solid resource to use to study for exams and to help yourself stay engaged during lecture. Check out our entire resource on taking notes in class for specific strategies and examples. For now, here are a few quick tips:

Organize your notes so that you can easily and quickly go back and find information in the future.
Focus on the main concepts and facts instead of trying to record everything.
Abbreviate, paraphrase, and use bullet points to stay concise and save time.
Record questions or areas of confusion to investigate after class.
Pick a style that works for you and be consistent.
Choose a method: handwritten, digital, or digital pen? There are benefits and drawbacks to each of these, so carefully consider which one works best for you.
Stay focused. If your professor follows the syllabus when teaching, match your notes to objectives and questions from the syllabus. If you lose focus or feel lost during part of the lecture, indicate in your notes where this occurs with a symbol (such as a star or question mark). This will help you know where you need to follow-up and get help later. For online lectures, try wearing headphones. You can also take advantage of functions specific to videos, if your professor makes recordings available to you. Use the ‘pause’ function, for example, to take notes and watch videos at your own pace.

Actively listen. Your professor may give verbal and nonverbal clues that information is important. Be on the lookout for definitions, examples, lists, superlatives (“most important,” “best,” “significant”), repetition, and voice or volume change. Make note of important information such as exam dates, homework assignments, or study suggestions.

After class
Test yourself. Ask yourself or a partner questions about the lecture and then try to answer them in your own words. Research shows that students who engage their brains in asking and answering questions outperform those who simply review their notes. Self-questioning is an active strategy that allows you to determine what’s important during a lecture and think about the information deeper and in different ways. Create higher-order thinking questions to push your brain to deeper thinking.

Summarize. Go over the main points of the lecture in your own words. Explain what you learned and the main concepts to a classmate.

Revisit your notes. After class, fill in any gaps you may have missed during class and write down anything you didn’t get to in class. Investigate and answer any lingering questions or areas of confusion from the lecture. Reach out to your professor, TA, or a classmate or attend office hours or peer tutoring if you need more explanation or help. If the lecture was on Zoom, see if you can access a transcript if a transcript would help.

Create a study guide. Write a new set of notes that includes key points from the reading. Start by listing main concepts from both lecture and reading, and then fill in supporting details. Underline important vocabulary and concepts. Look for and note relationships between ideas.

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Study what you are passionate about

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“Follow your dreams”, “do what you love”. We’ve heard this all before. But this begs the question, should you study your passion? Even though it might seem obvious, there are a few things to consider before you settle on a course.

Things to Consider Before Choosing to Study Your Passion
Studying what you love is a great choice. But there is an important thing to keep in mind when choosing a course – your career. Even if you pursue your passion, finding a job could be difficult. Before you decide, there are things to consider before choosing to study your passion.

The Job Market
The working world is tough, and the job market is even tougher. Your skills might not be in-demand, or the job market could be competitive. Studying what you love doesn’t always guarantee a job.

Space to Grow
Regardless of the job, we all want to progress in our careers. If you choose to study your passion, will it offer space to grow or will you be stuck in one position your whole life? You can’t just focus on the ‘now’. You need to think of your future.

Salary Expectations
“Money doesn’t matter when you love what you do”. That might be true. But the cost of living is expensive. In the end, your low income and stress could leave you regretting your choice. Be sure that your course won’t leave you living paycheck to paycheck.

Woman taking a photo, following her passion after studying photography with us. Should you Study Your Passion? Find out more right here.
Benefits of Studying What you are Passionate About
Okay, so the job market, opportunity for growth and income might have been a reality check. But that shouldn’t stop you pursuing your dreams. There are many benefits of studying what you are passionate about. These include:

Learning new Skills
Whether it’s your passion or not, studying further is always a good choice. When you study a subject dear to you, the new skills and knowledge will feel like a bonus.

Motivated to Complete Your Course
When you study your passion, you have the added motivation to complete your course. Your determination will be the fuel that will drive you towards success.

Up Your Performance
Your performance and grades will improve, as you’ll put in extra effort into your studies. This includes creating a study schedule, stocking up study resources and starting early on preparing for your exam.

Feeling Fulfilled
At the end of the day, you will end up doing what you love. This will leave you feeling fulfilled and happier. Your college years should be an enjoyable experience, not added stress.

Disadvantages of Studying Your Passion
If you want to enjoy the good, you need to deal with the bad too. Along with the pros of studying what you love, there are also cons. Some of the disadvantages of studying your passion could include:

You could end up finding a new passion
No support from family and friends
Lack of career opportunities
Low income
Your Career – Your Choice
The bottom line: choosing a course is your decision. If you want to study what you love, do it. Your passion is not a dead end. If you want to make slime for a living, you could start your own business, growing your empire with a Business Management Course. There are many ways you can make your passion work for you.

* This post originally appeared in [‘Skills Academy’, skillsacademy.co.za

Maintaining your health during exams

Maintaining your health during exams

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Vero eo

The end of semester leaves one thing on students’ minds — exams. It’s easy to let bad habits rule during this stressful time, but making the effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle will help you keep your stress levels to a minimum and achieve your best results come exam day.

Cut back on other commitments
If you can, minimise your hours at work or any other major commitments you usually have during the week. This will take a lot of pressure off and allow you more time to study — without the need for late nights. You’ll have plenty more time for these activities once exams come to an end.

Eat a well-balanced diet
It’s tempting to reach for study snacks such as chips and chocolate to see you through exams, but you’ll find it much easier to concentrate if you eat nutritional meals and healthy snacks. While the odd treat here and there is a good study reward, overloading on sugar or salt will only leave you feeling flat. It’s also important to make sure you eat a decent meal before your exam.

Avoid excess caffeine
Many students fall into the trap of turning to coffee or energy drinks to help them study. You may think that it will help you study into the night — or pep you up for an exam — but it’s more likely that you’ll ‘crash’.

Get a good night’s sleep
Sacrificing sleep for late-night cramming isn’t a good habit to keep, even if you want to be more prepared for your exam. It’s unlikely that you’ll do your best study if you’re struggling to stay awake — and it goes without saying that you should try to get a full night’s rest before an exam.

Find a friend to study with
Studying with friends offers an opportunity to take a break and socialise while remaining productive. In fact, you may find that you work more effectively when you have others to motivate you and help you work through difficult concepts and subject matter.

Allow yourself some breaks
Studying can be tiring, so it’s important to stop and refresh every so often — even if you’re feeling overwhelmed and short of time. Taking five minutes to go for a short walk or make a cup of tea can help you clear your head and regain your focus.

Learn to manage stress
Each student has their own way of dealing with stress — you need to determine what works for you. Doing some exercise, having a short nap, catching up with friends or even just taking a few deep breaths are all good ways to relieve stress and refresh. If the stress is really starting to build up, you can speak to someone at your institution — your tutor or lecturer, an academic adviser or a counsellor.

Plan a post-exam reward for yourself
Planning something fun for after your exams — whether it’s a dinner with friends, a movie night or even a trip away — will offer something to look forward to and motivate you to work hard right until the end.

 

* First published on ‘studiesinaustralia.com’