DISCUSSIONPresented by: Maria Jiwani B. LañaBSED – Social Studies 3

Lecture vs. Discussion

• A lecture is controlled by one individual

presentation.

• A discussion is not controlled by one

individual presentation rather the teacher

must walk a fine line between controlling the

group and letting its member speak.

Why use discussion?

• It lets class members work actively with

the ideas and the concepts being pursued

• Discussion sessions can be an extremely

effective in changing behavior or attitudes.

Goals

• Develop problem-solving or critical

thinking skills.

• Enable students to articulate a position or

an informed opinion.

Common Issues• Getting student to talk and keeping the

discussion moving can be problematic.

• Long digressions or pointless arguments

by dominant students or the whole group

which can throw the discussion off track.

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

1. Encourage students to contribute

You can direct the discussion by asking

questions.

At the beginning of a discussion session,

ask students open-ended or multiple-

answer questions.

Advantages• They decrease the odds that students will

completely unable to answer the question.

• They encourage multiple viewpoints.

• It is likely that the most vocal student in the

class will answer and dispose of the question

straight away.

Advantages• If you record these multiple responses on the

board, you can use them to begin further topics

for discussion; students often participate more

freely in discussions when they feel their own

concerns and ideas have contributed to the

agenda.

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

2. Direct the Discussion

Knowing the student’s skills and

perspectives helps them whom to call on

to start the discussion moving in the

appropriate direction and to maintain its

momentum.

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

2. Direct the Discussion

Send clear signals about the kind of

contributions you want.

“wait time”

Ask follow-up questions

Ask them to elaborate or analyse farther

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

2. Direct the Discussion Emphasise that students should listen to

each other and not just you.

Building on student’s point Withholding judgement until several

responses are put forward Listing the multiple responses on the board

and asking the students to regroup them.

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

3. Control the Discussion Listen for a while until you see the

students agenda clearly. Try to summarise the key points they have

made. Ask the group to connect their points to

those you originally made.

How to Achieve Effective Discussion

3. Aligning discussion with the curriculum

Each discussion session must work within the course as a whole.

One way to ensure the alignment of discussion with the learning objectives is to assign specific tasks before each class.