Teaching by Discussion
In the class discussion, the teachers must be flexible and assume multiple roles such as a teacher, facilitator, coach, and mentor to get students feel comfortable in sharing information and discuss different views.
As the teachers, we have to prepare the materials and questions before the class so we can talk about relevant content without referring to a notes or textbooks. We also need to monitor students behaviors in class and determine when to intervene if certain activities are out of control. And if necessary, use authority and experiences to manage classroom discussions. As a teacher, I often begin the class by giving a short lecture to summarize important concepts. For example: “Today, we will learn about the Internet of Things (IoT) then discuss the assigned articles that you have read before coming to class, etc.”
During the discussion, it is important for the teachers to be honest and establish a collaborative climate in the classroom. There will be questions that even you may not know the answer, but as long as you admit that you do not know, the students will trust that you are honest instead of giving the wrong answer. As long as you remain calm and show students that you care and have patience with them, the discussion will go well. For example, I like to add humor to a situation to make the students feel comfortable. When a student asks a question that I do not have the answer, I may say: “That is a difficult question, I do not know how to answer, maybe I need to ask Mr. Google. Can someone ask Mr. Google for me.”
As a facilitator, I ask questions to help students start the discussion and manage the class participation to make sure that all students are focusing on the course materials, and not going far into something else. For example: “What are the major issues of the Internet of Things (IoT) and why? Who wants to volunteer?” or “Bill, what is your opinion on the impact of the Internet of Things (IoT)?” As a facilitator, I have to monitor the discussion and intervene when necessary to maintain orderly in class. As a facilitator, I have to integrate student’s views into the discussion and use those views to illustrate relevant teaching points. For example: “I like what Bob is saying, he understands it well, and we can explain the concept using Bob’s example.”
When students give irrelevant information or wrong answer, I act like a coach to guide them get to the right points or correct their mistake. For example: “Bob, the Internet of Things (IoT) is an integration of both hardware and software technology, not just hardware. You cannot do IoT without software.” Or “IoT is a combination of things, computation, and communication. How can you connect things without communication? How can these things talk to others?”
As the mentor, I help students to apply what they have learned and also help them with their feelings too. For example: “Bob, you are doing fine, although your answer is not clear, with a little practice, I think you will do better next time.” Or “James, to get your opinion to others, you need to have effective presentation skills. Your view is excellent, but you need to improve your presentation more.” Or “Do not look at your note when present, you know your position well but you need to know what you are going to say and how you are going to say it.”
For many years of teaching, I believe discussions allow students to learn more. As they share their views and ask questions of others, they learn from others’ answers and make the class more exciting than just listen to a long lecture. The use of discussions also allows students to explore a topic more deeply than just reading from textbooks or listening to a lecture. Having class discussion will also help teachers to enjoy teaching more because you can see the exciting and vibrant in the class during the discussions when your students are actively learning.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
