All teachers must find different ways to present information to students and encourage further understanding. As a future teacher of English, discussion based learning will be a primary method of doing so. That being said, there are definite dos and don'ts to leading a class discussion. The first three tips given in the beginning of the article deal with considering what types of discussions do and do not work for students and the reason behind this. This makes me want to start each school year by having my students write down their own experiences so I know where we are all starting.
The author also brings up having a code of conduct before beginning discussions. I believe this is key to creating a good, solid, and focused environment. There will be several controversial topics approached in our classroom and although there will be some ground rules laid by me, it will be beneficial to know specifically what my student's boundaries are.
Lastly, the case study done in a graduate program was largely insightful. It showed, through example, many of the issues that arise in discussions. Many of these problems I am already seeing seeing this with my own students. At times they are reluctant to speak-- which was not an issue for the graduate students-- but the main problems was speaking too much on the wrong topics. So many students strayed away from the central question an became speaking about quite personal issues. This raises for me how much personality I will allow in the classroom. Personal reference is beneficial and allows students to connect with the material they are toying with, but discussions need to be rooted in their chosen topics.
No comments:
Post a Comment