For example, suppose you’re discussing Romeo and Juliet. You may start by asking, “In what ways does the Friar make mistakes in guiding Romeo? In what ways does he succeed?” This question doesn’t feed any answers, but leads students in a productive direction.
It can be helpful to give participants 1-2 questions in advance to give them more time to provide thoughtful contributions when the discussion comes. Also, it can be helpful to give participants the questions you’ll discuss in class, on paper, or on the board. Some students learn better and think more effectively if they have the questions out in front of them. This can also be an excellent reminder of the main question for the day. In a 2 hour discussion, 2-5 good questions should suffice. It is also good to have 2 or 3 smaller sub-questions for each main question. However, you should prepare for at least 1. 5 times as much material as you think you’ll cover, just in case students are particularly reticent that day or in case one line of inquiry wasn’t as fruitful as you thought it was.
If you have a handout with “Dos” and “Don’ts” listed on it, this can help students stay on track, too.
Make the expectations for being prepared clear. If you don’t have incentive for students to do the homework or consequences for students who are unprepared, then they’ll be less likely to come to class with fresh, exciting ideas.
Even if a topic isn’t inherently fascinating, don’t try to cushion the blow by saying, “I know this isn’t that exciting, guys…” Instead, show that the topic is worth caring about; your students will follow. Sometimes, showing that something has real-world applications can help your students care about it. If you’re studying a historical event, for example, then starting off the class with a news article about an event with similar themes or values behind it — such as current protests against discrimination in relation to race riots of the 1960s — can help students stay engaged.
Even if it feels like you’re oversimplifying things a bit, it’s better to have everyone on the same page before the discussion really kicks off than to lose a few students. Some students may be too shy to admit they’re confused about some of the more simple terms, and it’s important to explain them before you can move forward.
Present yourself as a professional in dress and body language: stand tall, make eye contact, and smile. Be genuinely excited about your students’ ideas to help generate enthusiasm for the topic. Point out great comments and ask the student to repeat it. They may not even realize that they made a great comment!
And never make them feel stupid, and don’t let other students do so. If a student is being rude to another student, address the problem head-on instead of letting the conversation go on; if you say nothing, you’ll make it look like it’s acceptable for students to be rude to each other. Encourage students for speaking instead of tearing them down. Make them feel excited to join the discussion, instead of self-conscious.
Help guide students to reach conclusions for themselves. If the objective of the discussion is only to make the students see the “right” answer, then you might as well have lectured at them instead.
Treat each new “unknown” as an exciting mystery that the students will solve together. Even if you’ve already thought it through, act like you’re figuring it out right along with them.
For the more talkative student, here are a few tips: 1. Ask them to speak only 5 times that day and make them keep track of their comments; this allows them to decide which comments are really important. 2. Ask them to help lead the discussion; let them ask questions and not just answer your questions every time. 3. Invite them to write out their thoughts and present a conclusion at the end of class. 4. Tell them that they get a turn to speak every time a quieter person speaks first; this will encourage them to balance each other out. For the quieter student, here are a few tips: 1. Try specifically ask the quieter members what they think of the topic. 2. Invite them to write their thoughts out and offer to read their thoughts to the class at the beginning of the next discussion. 3. Allow room for silence and reflection while “internal processors” think through the discussion. Be aware of the different personality types in your classroom and of how they succeed the most in group discussions. For example, if you have a student who likes to absorb the conversation and then weigh in toward the end, let this student take the time he needs instead of forcing him to speak when he’s not ready. Don’t take it personally if some students refuse to participate. They may have other things going on in their life, such as social anxiety or family stress, that make it difficult for them to engage. Encourage them, if possible, that their presence matters.
You can even consider having one student as a designated “note taker” who stands at the board and writes down the ideas as they come.
Once you stop focusing on there being something wrong with you, you’ll have more freedom to turn to the discussion topic and to make the conversation as dynamic as possible.
Time management is an important part of leading a class discussion. It’s important to keep the students on track and avoid talking about one minor quibble for the entirety of your class time. Find a way to subtly check the clock or your watch from time to time. You don’t want to make the students nervous when you do this. Give students a “two minute warning” to allow them to slow down, reflect, and present any closing thoughts or last words.
Having the students talk to each other more can lead to a more dynamic, exciting discussion. They’ll feel like they can talk more openly if they’re talking to each other instead of just addressing the teacher. Just make sure to stress that they should do this in a respectful manner and that focuses on the person’s ideas, not the person.
There are many kinds of problem students. For example, if one of your students talks out of turn, stress the importance of raising his hand before he speaks. If you have a student who talks too much, tell him to wait until at least four other people have spoken before contributing again. Though this may sound harsh, it can help this student focus on listening to what others have to say. Occasionally, though thankfully not very often, an overbearing participant may need to be removed from the discussion. Mostly, such students respond well to gentle but firm correction. It does happen, though, that a student refuses to play by the rules. It is not fair to the participants who want to learn to allow one person to ruin the discussion. If possible, and after many warnings, you may want to find a way to organize the discussion without them. If you have students who are distracted or doing other things during your class, sit them up front and pay extra attention to them. If you’re having trouble leading a discussion because many students aren’t doing the reading, then you should incentivize them to do their homework by giving reading check quizzes at the beginning of class, making class participation a higher percentage of the course grade, or finding other ways to hold them more accountable for doing their work.
You can ask other students to help you with this task. Say something like, “Okay, what have we learned so far?” and have volunteers help you out.
This is where leaving notes on the board during the discussion can really come in handy. Having something you can point to can make it easier to wrap up your ideas. You can even try having another student or two wrap up the class discussion. This can make students feel more accountable and involved.
Answering the students’ questions can also help you wrap up the discussion more thoroughly. Having people ask questions can also give you insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your discussion. If five students seem to be confused about the same thing, then it may be because you didn’t cover it thoroughly enough in your discussion.
Leaving your students wanting more can also give you a logical place to pick up during the next class. They’ll come to class feeling ready and excited to continue the conversation, and they may have even gained some insight into the topic in the meantime. Consider conducting a brief “check out”. Let students talk about where the discussion leaves them or where they will go next. They can do this at the end of class, or even in a written survey they take during the last few minutes of class.
Remind yourself that no discussion is perfect. As you improve at leading class discussions, you’ll improve at making sure that all students participate in the conversation.
