An Online Discussion Café Typology: Progress, Pitfalls, and Potential

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Models for Promoting Inquiry and Collaborative Learning for Veteran, Novice, and Preservice Teachers

Abstract

This session will explore the theoretical framework of a Discussion Café through the perspectives of the participants who used the typology to structure their responses in an online discussion forum called a Discussion Cafe. Research was conducted with participants of a graduate level, teacher-education course in diversity regarding their use of the typology to guide them as they navigated the Discussion Café to negotiate difficult and complex issues. This typology was created by the authors (Authors, in press) with the intention of creating and sustaining purposeful online discussion forums that engage students in deliberative discussion to develop democratic learning spaces and civil discourse.

Authors

• Jody Piro, Western Connecticut State University

• Gina B. Anderson, Texas Woman's University