Discussion Challenges and Benefits

Even if you see value in class discussions - both on-ground and online - they can be difficult; good intentions don't necessarily lead to good results. It boils down to this: leading effective discussions is really difficult. The skill is different from being a good lecturer or being an expert in your own discipline. And, it is difficult for a variety of reasons, not just one issue.

Challenges

Part of the difficulty is having good questions. Textbooks or inherited syllabi and materials don't necessarily come with prepared questions. Or, the questions included aren't very good. Writing questions that are broad enough to have multiple answers can take time to master. Another part of the problem is the class climate. Not every student is comfortable sharing their ideas with the entire class, leading to "crickets" after your questions. Those voices can be overpowered by the (likely) one or two over-sharers in class - the people who raise their hands after every question you ask to the class.  Uneven participation makes it less likely that your reserved students will intervene - they know that "talkers" will answer, so they don't. Of course, there is also the problem of student preparation. It is not always the case that silent students have not read the assigned chapters or know the correct answer, but it is one of the possibilities. Ultimately, you turn over control of the class when you start a student-lead discussion, and that means it has the potential to go badly.... 

 

Benefits

At the same time, there are many learning benefits that come from good discussions. The list below comes from Jennifer H. Herman and Linda B. Nilson's book Creating Engaging Discussions: Strategies for "Avoiding Crickets" in Any Size Classroom and Online. No doubt, some of these benefits fit better in your classrooms and with your teaching philosophy - not every benefits listed needs to be part of every student's experience or each discussion. However, the fact that so many benefits are clear from the research into learning and teaching really emphasizes how important discussions are.

Review the list and consider why discussions are important in your classroom. 

  • Active listening
  • Analysis and evaluation of arguments and positions
  • Citizenship
  • Clarification of the material
  • Confirmation of one’s understanding
  • Critical examination of one’s attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and values
  • Critical thinking
  • Deep, conceptual understanding
  • Engagement
  • Exposure to new perspectives (e.g., those of diverse learners and introverts)
  • Integration of ideas
  • Long-term retention of the subject matter
  • Motivation to learn more about the subject matter
  • Open-mindedness to new ideas and viewpoints
  • Oral communication
  • Problem-solving (related to cases, problematic situations, ethical dilemmas, creative challenges, etc.)
  • Retention of the material 
  • Transfer of knowledge to new contexts

Additional Resources

Online Articles: 

Lieberman (2019) “Discussion Boards: Valuable? Overused? Discuss (Links to an external site.)”

Simon (2018) “Ten Tips for Effective Online Discussions (Links to an external site.)”

Books: 

Brookfield and Preskill (2016) The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking

Brookfield and Preskill (2005) Discussion as A Way of Teaching: Tool and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms

Darby and Lang (2019) Small Teaching Online 

Howard (2015) Discussion in the College Classroom