Leading discussions requires us to maintain a balance between using our voices and encouraging students to use theirs.  Some ideas for sparking discussions include:

• Frame discussions around students’ questions.

• Have students write their answers to a sentence completion exercise, then share their ideas: What most struck me about the reading was… A question I’d like to ask the author is … The idea I disagree with most strongly is … The part of the lecture/reading that made the most sense to me was …

• Ask students to respond to a contentious opening statement or an illustrative quote.

• Have students recall an experience in their lives that somehow connects with the topics.

A suggestion for increasing the number of student responses you get in discussion comes from John Woodcock from the University of Indiana at Bloomington.  He suggests breaking up your presentation by giving students two or three minutes to discuss a question with the person sitting next to him or her.  Rather than having students report on their own ideas, ask them to report on their discussion partner’s good ideas. Woodcock states that when he tried this, “Three times as many hands went up, and the reports had a consistently better energy.”  This technique can work with any size group, in almost any teaching situation.

One strategy that several KU faculty members have found useful is called the fishbowl, a discussion format in which part of the class forms a discussion circle and remaining students form a listening circle around the discussion group. Check here for a description of how to implement a fishbowl discussion.

In a large group discussion, once it is moving along, questions that can keep it going include questions that ask for more evidence or clarification. Ask How? or Why?  Pose questions that link or extend the discussion, that address the cause and effect, and that ask for synthesis or summary of the material.  Other ways to encourage discussion are by affirming student comments and being silent when appropriate.  In his book Teaching Tips, W.J. McKeackie (2002) notes that many lecturers check student understanding by asking if there are any questions, waiting 3-5 seconds, and after receiving no response conclude that everyone understands. But this is often not the case; the students just have not had enough time to process the material. So McKeachie recommends, “If you really want to know, give students a minute to write down a question, then have them compare notes with students sitting near them before asking for questions. You’ll get some.”

If discussions are not going well because no one is talking, consider the following questions:

• Did students complete preparatory assignments?

• Have you modeled public critique of your ideas?

• Is the discussion focused on an open-ended question of sufficient complexity and ambiguity?

• Have you ensured that you’ve avoided answering the question you’ve posed, either implicitly or explicitly?

• Have you linked the topic to a critical event in students’ previous experiences?

• Is my talking preventing students from contributing, or is discussion faltering because I don’t speak enough?

• What am I doing to build continuity and a sense of collaborative engagement?

When it comes time to conclude a discussion, end with a summary so that students know what important points were covered.  A summative statement also allows the instructor the opportunity to fill in points that weren’t covered and praise the class for the quality of their responses.

For more suggestions regarding leading discussions, see Active Learning.

Resources:
Brookfield, S. & Preskill, S.  (1999). Discussion as a Way of Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
McKeachie, W.J.  (2002).  Teaching tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers.  11th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.