Getting Them Talking: Interactive Discussion Strategies to Engage Students from Intro through Senior Seminar

• In Event: 2222 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable Session
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 08. Active Learning in the Sociology Classroom

Abstract

Regardless of the type or size of the classes we teach, discussions play an important role in student learning, providing pathways for inquiry, investigation and discovery. Discussions allow students to articulate their point of view and consider alternate points of view, and can help students practice using evidence to defend their positions. But while discussions can be motivating for students and provide productive, academically challenging dialogue, this only occurs when discussions are planned carefully and have a clear focus in mind. In addition, changing the classroom discussion dynamic from one that is teacher-to-student focused to one that is peer-to-peer focused can be a challenge for beginning and seasoned teachers alike. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to a variety of interactive discussion strategies that they can use in classes of varying sizes and types. Some examples of the kinds of discussion strategies that may be discussed and modeled are silent discussions, “Save the Last Word for Me,” “Speed Dating,” and technology-driven strategies using PollEverywhere and Socrative, to name a few. After each discussion strategy is introduced, we will briefly try out the strategy as a group so that participants leave the session feeling comfortable and confident about implementing them in their classrooms. Presenters will also discuss ways they have used these discussion strategies and how they could adapt them for other courses, classroom types, and learning environments. Lastly, there will be time for participants to discuss their reactions to the discussion strategies, ask questions, and brainstorm ways that they can utilize them in the various courses they teach.

Authors

• Carolyn Corrado, State University of New York-New Paltz

• Tamara L. Smith, Westfield State University

• Wendy Christensen, William Paterson University