This document provides 8 strategies for continuing online discussions by inviting further responses from peers. The strategies include proposing a new idea for feedback, asking for clarification, inviting different conclusions, posing follow-up questions, and presenting controversial statements to encourage disagreement. Examples of discussion prompts are given such as asking if others reached different conclusions or made interesting connections to the topic. The overall goal is to foster engagement and expand the conversation.

1. 8 Intriguing Strategies to Continue the Discussion
Now that you know how to respond thoughtfully and substantively to a
discussion question it’s important to focus on ending your postings in a
way that furthers conversation.
Effectively encourage your peers to respond to your postings by using one
of these strategies to invite further discussion:
• Propose a new idea for feedback.
• Ask for clarification or further explanation about an aspect of the
question you had trouble answering.
• Ask your peers to make a connection between the topic and
another piece of literature, movie, or something they have
personally experienced.
• Invite your peers to draw a different conclusion or share another
perspective.
• If you presented an opinion or idea about the given topic that was
not addressed in the question, ask your peers to respond to it.
• Pose a follow-up question to the group to expand the conversation
or shift it in a new direction.
• Present a controversial idea or statement, and ask students if they
agree or disagree with the statement.
• Encourage students to ask questions about the points you made if
anything was confusing or unclear.
Visit www.CollaborizeClassroom.com for more information

2. 8 Intriguing Strategies to Continue the Discussion
Examples of intriguing strategies:
“Did anyone else reach a different conclusion based on the reading?”
“I was able to relate this to ______________, did anyone else make an
interesting connection to the this topic?”
“I am confused about ______________. Does anyone have any ideas or insights
that might help me understand?”
“Answering this question made me wonder _______________?”
“I had a hard time articulating my ideas. Does anyone have a question about my
posting or the ideas I communicated in my posting?”
“This topic was not presented in the question, but does anyone have an opinion
about __________________?”
“On the other hand, has anyone considered ______________?”
“It seems like a majority of the class agreed that ______________. Does anyone
disagree or want to play devil’s advocate?”
“I chose option _______________, but I am interested to hear what other
students think about option _______________.”
“How can we connect this conversation to our previous discussion of
______________?”
“Despite feeling passionately about my own view point, I am interested to hear
what other students thought about this topic.”
“I would love to hear another perspective on this issue since I had a hard time
forming my own opinion.”
Catlin Tucker is a Google Certified Teacher teaching English at Sonoma County’s Windsor High School. She is a curriculum
designer, speaker, and author of Blended Learning in Grades 4-12: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Create Student-
Centered Classrooms available at www.corwin.com/books/Book238106.