In case you haven’t heard, discussions aren’t just for literature class anymore!
Discussions about practical applications of study can be useful in all disciplines—even math and statistics. Studies show that when students manipulate and interact with the facts they are learning, those facts become grounded and sink in more deeply.
Classroom discussions can take different forms, but seminar-style discussion (including Socratic questioning, the Harkness philosophy, and Accountable Talk) aims at a substantive and probing analysis of a specific topic and includes issues and perspectives that will challenge students’ thinking. This style can take some time to learn to orchestrate, but it is a valuable tool for encouraging student engagement (with one another and with texts) and higher-order, critical thinking.
Contact the Institute for Teaching and Learning for help integrating discussions in your classroom, or sign up for the lunchtime seminars on January 30th, “Talk Moves to Enhance Discussion and Student Thinking,” or April 10th, “Developing and Facilitating Engaging Online Discussions,” at http://itl.uconn.edu/seminars/.
Links:
For more information, contact: The Institute for Teaching and Learning at itl@uconn.edu