2. What is It? Discussion is a strategy in which students and teachers exchange thoughts or suggestions on a topic. This strategy can be used within small groups or whole class. Discussions should include questions that challenge students to apply what they already know to a certain topic. Questions like these usually begin with “how” or “why”.
3. Advantages Discussions are more engaging than just having students sit and listen to a speaker. Students can be challenged to think about topics by listening to what their peers have to say. Discussion requires participation as opposed to a teacher standing up and talking. Students can offer new ideas and thoughts to a topic.
4. Limitations Not all students will participate. Therefore, the teacher needs to make sure everyone has their chance to talk. Sometimes students do not feel they need to learn beyond what they already know and are not challenged. Some questions may be too difficult for lower-leveled students to understand. Discussion may not be an effective tool for all grade levels.
5. Classroom Integration Introduction- Discussions are commonly used as a way to a introduce topics. Sometimes teacher will show videos or presentations and then follow up with a discussion to assess exactly how much the students may already know. Closing- Teachers use discussion as a tool to evaluate if their students grasped the concept they were teaching.
