Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Using discussion as a way of teaching can be an invaluable method because it allows students to contribute their unique thoughts and ideas about a subject. The goal of any good teacher should be to encourage growth and a desire for lifelong learning within their students and by using active class discussion as a way to teach students to learn from their peers and develop independent thinking strategies.

There are many reasons why discussion fails teachers as a method of successfully helping their students learn more. Luckily, the factors that cause discussion failure are fairly simple to resolve. The most important aspects of discussion as a teaching method are that the teacher sets an example for what the conversation should look like, the students come prepared for said discussion, and there are very clear ground rules set so that the discussion remains productive rather than argumentative.

Having clear expectations about learning targets is another important aspect when using discussion as a way to teach. If clear expectations are not set, at least in the teachers record, then the discussion has no end goal and there is no direction in which the teacher can clearly steer the conversation. As a teacher, having a clear expectation and reason for what you want to accomplish and why will help you be able to articulate those learning targets to your students in a way that they will understand.

Discussion as a teaching strategy is only as effective as the teacher makes it. Making sure the students are prepared, helping guide the discussion after you have set clear targets and expectations, and setting ground rules are all very important aspects in making sure your discussion is as productive as possible. Having student input offers a wide range of thoughts and opinions on a subject that just the teacher might not be able to provide which is what makes this an invaluable teaching strategy.