Discussion as a Way of Teaching

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Discussion as a Way of Teaching
Section 2 of “Discussion as a Way of Teaching,” by Stephen Brookfield, prompts teachers to ask students to recall the most and least successful discussions they have been involved in. This also prompts readers to do the same while reading the rest of the article. For me, the most successful conversations I have been involved in, specifically in school, were Socratic seminars in my senior year English class. Factors that made these conversations so effective included a welcoming classroom environment, students that chose to be in the class (as it was for college credit and optional), and my personal motivation to read and actually engage in the conversation.
 Throughout Brookfield’s article, I reflected on these seminars and ways in which his suggested practices could or could not be applied to a large group conversation of the sort. I also imagined the strategies applied to small group discussions and one-on-one discussions with students. One strategy that I particularly enjoyed was given in the section titled “Conversational Moves.” The strategy suggested supplying students with an action that they are to complete during the discussion. For example, “make a comment that underscores the link between two people's contributions” (page 7). I think this strategy could be useful and interesting to use during large group conversations, especially if these moves were given to students who are less inclined to participate in conversations. Rather than just requiring all students to speak, these moves would prompt a specific action from students. Another one of Brookfield’s suggestion that stuck out to me was the “Conversational Roles” section. The strategy suggests that students are given a role such as Devil’s advocate or Umpire, and it is their job to listen and respond to the conversation according to their job description. For example, the Umpire would be listening for insulting or judgmental comments and regulating the ground rules of the conversation for other members. I think that this strategy would be useful in small group conversations where the discussion is more intimate and students would be more willing to share their concerns and ideas.

On page 10, Brookfield says “mandating speech seems like an exercise of teacher power that stands in direct contrast to the spirit of demographic conversation.” I agree entirely with this idea, but believe that it is the responsibility of the teacher to encourage and inspire involvement with class discussions. I believe the strategies that Brookfield described will help me do so in a creative and supportive way.

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