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Sharing ideas and knowledge by talking, asking questions, and responding help develop higher order cognitive thinking skills (HOCS). Formatted discussions are an effective way of developing these skills without sacrificing content.
With a formatted
discussion students pair and discuss possible answers to an
instructor's question for a few minutes, Then the small groups
share their ideas with the whole class. The class explores the
various ideas and often synthesizes new ideas from these resources.
The instructor helps the class "see" how different ideas
address a question and how the discussion topic relates to what
they are or will learn in class. Using this method, a question
can be thoroughly addressed in about ten minutes.
Formatted Discussions with Different Student Learning Types
The formatted discussion method is very compatible with auditory learners. The give-and-take of the discussions can help hold the attention of students who are not primarily auditory learners. Capturing key phrases, by writing them on the board, can increase comprehension by visual and verbal learners..
Appreciating Student Diversity
The one-on-one environment of the small group discussions,
helps promote inclusiveness. When the discussion proceeds to the
whole classroom, it is important for the instructor to generate
an environment that is friendly and conducive to a free exchange
of ideas. Some focus on the pronunciation of and writing new terminology
on the board assists students with poorer language skills.
Developing
Workplace skills
Creative
thinking:
Discussing is one of the elements of creative thinking, making
formatted discussions an excellent tool to foster this skill.
Problem Solving:
Formatted discussions are great avenues to model the problem-solving
skills of the instructor as well as the other students. Discussions
that have multiple or no easy solutions demonstrate the types
of scenarios they will encounter in the work place.
Decision Making:
Model decision-making skills during a discussion and guide
students as they develop decision-making criteria. Point-out to
students how inputs from their classmates facilitate the decision-making
process and demonstrates the importance of a sounding board.
Textile Related Example
Formatted
discussions are a useful technique to foster higher-order
thinking skills in introductory courses. A typical discussion
question in an introductory textile class is, "Choose a fiber
to be used to make tent fabric, and justify your answer".
Students break into 2-3 person groups and discuss the questions
for approximately 5 minutes. To answer this question; students
determine which properties (such as UV light resistance, flexibility,
water resistance, strength, etc) are desirable for this application.
Students can review their notes to determine which fibers contain
the desirable properties. Usually they will record their choices
with the reasons for each. Once they have compiled a list they
then must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each choice
and make a final decision. Students tend to place emphasis on
different properties, and therefore, their choices can vary considerably.
In the second stage of the formatted discussion, the whole class
discusses the choices of the small groups. The different answers
are listed on the board, with the advantages and disadvantages
of the various options also discussed. Many times additional options
are proposed and considered as part of this process. In addition,
students learn that while a material may be better than another;
there may not be one "right" answer.
Resources:
-http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/academics/course.offerings/doylet/why_teachers_lose_heart_with_dis.htm
Guidelines for developing discussions, surveying students regarding the effectiveness of discussions, and pitfalls to avoids with discussions.
-http://www.cat.ilstu.edu/teaching_tips/handouts/classdis.shtml
Suggestions for facilitating classroom discussions.
-http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/english/smallgroup.htm
Small group discussion and its relationship to other cooperative learning tools.
Stephen D. Brookfield and Stephen Preskill, Strategies for Reporting Small-Group Discussions to the Class, College Teaching 47 no4 140-2 Fall 1999
Mark Windschitl, Using Small-Group Discussions in Science Lectures, College Teaching 47 no1 23-7 Winter 1999
Fassinger, P.A., Understanding Classroom Interaction: Students' and Professors' Contributions to Students' Silence, Journal of Higher Education, Vol 66, No.1, pg 82-96, 1995.
Nunn, C.E, Discussion in the college classroom: Triangulating observational and survey results, Journal of Higher Education, 67, 243-266, 1996.
Reynolds, K.C., & Nunn, C.E. Engaging freshmen in classroom discussion: Interaction and the instructor techniques that encourage it, Journal of the First-Year Experience, 10, 7-24, 1998.