Learning to participate as an effective listener and contributor during

discussions isn't easy. At times, we all may have difficulty listening well
to others and contributing our own ideas. Finding meaningful things to say
about what theyve read, as well as participating as an active member of
the discussion, requires skills that many students have not yet developed.
Therefore, the time and effort you invest in teaching and practicing, the
process of discussion will pay crucial dividends.

Be prepared. As the discussion leader, you should come into the meeting
with several "big" questions. Be prepared to ask the next one when
discussion dies down, when people need more food for thought. The more
prepared you feel when you walk into a classroom, the more confident
youll look. If you look confident in your ideas and your approach, students
will be more likely to respect you and to cooperate.

It can be helpful to give participants 1-2 questions in advance to give

them more time to provide thoughtful contributions when the discussion
comes.
Also, it can be helpful to give participants the questions you'll discuss in
class, on paper, or on the board. Some students learn better and think
more effectively if they have the questions out in front of them. This can
also be an excellent reminder of the main question for the day.
In a 2 hour discussion, 2-5 good questions should suffice. It is also good
to have 2 or 3 smaller sub-questions for each main question. However,
you should prepare for at least 1.5 times as much material as you think
youll cover, just in case students are particularly reticent that day or in
case one line of inquiry wasnt as fruitful as you thought it was.

Provide clear guidelines for participation. Everyone knows how to have a

conversation; but a thoughtful discussion is more intentional and more

focused than just a chat. If you want to start the conversation off on the
right foot, then let the students know exactly what your expectations are.
Should students raise their hand before speaking? Or should they speak
freely without raising their hands? Should they use "Mr." and "Ms." when
addressing their fellow students? These details clarify expectations and
hence increase student confidence. You might also coach students on how
to avoid personal biases in their responses, or any terms to use or avoid,
and what to do if the discussion gets heated.[3]

If you have a handout with Dos and Donts listed on it, this can help
students stay on track, too.

Maintain enthusiasm for the topic. One way to make sure that the
discussion goes well is to show your enthusiasm for the subject right from
the beginning. If you have engaged body language, are alert and
energetic, and show how the topic is important to your life and the lives of
the students, theyll be much more likely to be engaged. If they think that
youre tired, apathetic, or just trying to get the discussion over with, then
theyll be less likely to care.[5]

Even if a topic isnt inherently fascinating, dont try to cushion the blow
by saying, I know this isnt that exciting, guys Instead, show that the
topic is worth caring about; your students will follow.
Sometimes, showing that something has real-world applications can help
your students care about it. If youre studying a historical event, for
example, then starting off the class with a news article about an event
with similar themes or values behind it such as current protests against
discrimination in relation to race riots of the 1960s can help students
stay engaged

Define key terms. One helpful way to begin the discussion is to define
any key terms that may be useful to your students throughout the
discussion. For example, if youre giving a lesson on poetry, you can
discuss simile, metaphor, allusion, or any other literary devices that are
central to the poem. If all of your students feel like theyre on the same
page and have a strong foundation before they begin the discussion, then
theyll be much more confident about participating.

Even if it feels like youre oversimplifying things a bit, its better to

have everyone on the same page before the discussion really kicks off
than to lose a few students. Some students may be too shy to admit
theyre confused about some of the more simple terms, and its important
to explain them before you can move forward.

Maintain an atmosphere of safety and respect. One of your most

important jobs is creating an atmosphere of respect, even respectful
disagreement. If you want to encourage your students to participate, then
you have to give them a safe environment for doing so. You have to make
it clear that all of the students deserve respect and that no one will be
made to feel unworthy because of their ideas or opinions. You should treat
students positively and reward them for contributing.[7]

And never make them feel stupid, and don't let other students do so.
If a student is being rude to another student, address the problem head-on
instead of letting the conversation go on; if you say nothing, youll make it
look like its acceptable for students to be rude to each other.
Encourage students for speaking instead of tearing them down. Make
them feel excited to join the discussion, instead of self-conscious.

Model the behavior and attitudes you want group members to employ.
That includes respecting all group members equally; advancing the open

process; demonstrating what it means to be a learner (admitting when

youre wrong, or dont know a fact or an answer, and suggesting ways to
find out); asking questions based on others statements; focusing on
positions rather than on the speaker; listening carefully; restating others
points; supporting your arguments with fact or logic; acceding when
someone else has a good point; accepting criticism; thinking critically;
giving up the floor when appropriate; being inclusive and culturally
sensitive, etc.
Use encouraging body language and tone of voice, as well as words.
Lean forward when people are talking, for example, keep your body
position open and approachable, smile when appropriate, and attend
carefully to everyone, not just to those who are most articulate.
Give positive feedback for joining the discussion. Smile, repeat group
members points, and otherwise show that you value participation.
Be aware of peoples reactions and feelings, and try to respond
appropriately. If a group member is hurt by others comments, seems
puzzled or confused, is becoming angry or defensive, its up to you as
discussion leader to use the ground rules or your own sensitivity to deal
with the situation. If someones hurt, for instance, it may be important to
point that out and discuss how to make arguments without getting
personal. If group members are confused, revisiting the comments or
points that caused the confusion, or restating them more clearly, may be
helpful. Being aware of the reactions of individuals and of the group as a
whole can make it possible to expose and use conflict, or to head off
unnecessary emotional situations and misunderstandings.
Ask open-ended questions. In advancing the discussion, use questions
that cant be answered with a simple yes or no. Instead, questions should
require some thought from group members, and should ask for answers
that include reasons or analysis. The difference between Do you think
the Presidents decision was right? and Why do you think the Presidents
decision was or wasnt right? is huge. Where the first question can be
answered with a yes or no, the second requires an analysis supporting the
speakers opinion, as well as discussion of the context and reasons for the
decision.
Control your own biases. While you should point out factual errors or
ideas that are inaccurate and disrespectful of others, an open process
demands that you not impose your views on the group, and that you keep
others from doing the same. Group members should be asked to make
rational decisions about the positions or views they want to agree with,
and ultimately the ideas that the group agrees on should be those that
make the most sense to them whether they coincide with yours or not.
Pointing out bias including your own and discussing it helps both you
and group members try to be objective.

A constant question that leaders and members of any group have is

what to do about racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks, especially in a
homogeneous group where most or all of the members except the leader
may agree with them. There is no clear-cut answer, although if they pass
unchallenged, it may appear you condone the attitude expressed.

How you challenge prejudice is the real question. The ideal here is that
other members of the group do the challenging, and it may be worth
waiting long enough before you jump in to see if thats going to happen. If
it doesnt, you can essentially say, Thats wrong, and I wont allow that
kind of talk here, which may well put an end to the remarks, but isnt
likely to change anyones mind. You can express your strong
disagreement or discomfort with such remarks and leave it at that, or
follow up with Lets talk about it after the group, which could generate
some real discussion about prejudice and stereotypes, and actually
change some thinking over time.

Your ground rules the issue of respecting everyone should address

this issue, and it probably wont come upbut there are no guarantees. It
wont hurt to think beforehand about how you want to handle it.

Encourage disagreement, and help the group use it creatively.

Disagreement is not to be smoothed over, but rather to be analyzed and
used. When there are conflicting opinions especially when both can be
backed up by reasonable arguments the real discussion starts. If
everyone agrees on every point, theres really no discussion at all.
Disagreement makes people think. It may not be resolved in one session,
or at all, but its the key to discussion that means something.

All too often, conflict whether conflicting opinions, conflicting world

views, or conflicting personalities is so frightening to people that they do
their best to ignore it or gloss it over. That reaction not only leaves the
conflict unresolved and therefore growing, so that it will be much
stronger when it surfaces later but fails to examine the issues that it
raises. If those are brought out in the open and discussed reasonably, the
two sides often find that they have as much agreement as disagreement,
and can resolve their differences by putting their ideas together. Even
where thats not the case, facing the conflict reasonably, and looking at
the roots of the ideas on each side, can help to focus on the issue at hand

and provide solutions far better than if one side or the other simply
operated alone.

Keep your mouth shut as much as possible. By and large, discussion

groups are for the group members. You may be a member of the group
and have been asked by the others to act as leader, in which case you
certainly have a right to be part of the discussion (although not to
dominate). If youre an outside facilitator, or leader by position, its best
to confine your contributions to observations on process, statements of
fact, questions to help propel the discussion, and clarification and
summarization. The simple fact that youre identified as leader or
facilitator gives your comments more force than those of other group
members. If youre in a position of authority or seen as an expert, that
force becomes even greater. The more active you are in the discussion,
the more the group will take your positions and ideas as right, and the
less it will come to its own conclusions.

Dont:

Dont let one or a small group of individuals dominate the discussion.

People who are particularly articulate or assertive, who have strong
feelings that they urgently want to express, or who simply feel the need
and have the ability to dominate can take up far more than their fair
share of a discussion. This often means that quieter people have little or
no chance to speak, and that those who disagree with the dominant
individual(s) are shouted down and cease trying to make points. Its up to
the leader to cut off individuals who take far more than their share of time,
or who try to limit discussion. This can be done in a relatively nonthreatening way (This is an interesting point, and its certainly worth the
time weve spent on it, but there are other points of view that need to be
heard as well. I think Alice has been waiting to speak), but its crucial
to the open process and to the comfort and effectiveness of the group.
Dont let one point of view override others, unless its based on facts
and logic, and is actually convincing group members to change their
minds. If a point of view dominates because of its merits, its appeal to
participants intellectual and ethical sensibilities, thats fine. Its in fact
what you hope will happen in a good group discussion. If a point of view
dominates because of the aggressiveness of its supporters, or because its
presented as something its wrong to oppose (People who disagree with
the President are unpatriotic and hate their country), thats intellectual
bullying or blackmail, and is the opposite of an open discussion. As

leader, you should point it out when thats happening, and make sure
other points of view are aired and examined.

Be Prepared

Carefully consider your objectives for a discussion. Do you want

students to apply newly learned skills, mull over new subject matter, learn
to analyze arguments critically, practice synthesizing conflicting views, or
relate material to their own lives? These goals are not mutually exclusive,
but they require different types of direction.
Use discussion to help students link concepts to their own lives; to
encourage students to evaluate material critically; and to address topics
that are open-ended, have no clear resolution, and/or can be effectively
addressed through multiple approaches.
Provide students opportunities to warm up through brief (one- to fiveminute) in-class writing exercises on the topic, three- to five-person minidiscussions, or a homework exercise prior to the session that focuses
students on the topic(s) to be covered.
Consider using a variety of question types such as exploratory,
relational, cause and effect, diagnostic, action, and hypothetical.

Setting the Agenda

Provide clear guidelines for participation. Discuss them beforehand,

stick to them, and enforce them during the discussion.
Share your planning decisions with your students. Let them know what
your focus is, and why it is important; also invite students to contribute
suggestions for discussion topics and formats.
Make sure the assigned material is discussed in class; if the students
dont come prepared with questions and responses, do not let the
discussion wander. Bringing in specific quotes, problems, or other samples
of the assigned material can ensure that even underprepared students will
have something to talk about.
Distributing study questions in advance demonstrates your own interest
and helps focus their preparation. Consider asking students to email you
their thoughts to one question. This will also give you insight into the
students thoughts while you plan the discussion.

Facilitate, Dont Dominate

Use open-ended questions and ask students for clarification, examples,

and definitions.
Summarize student responses without taking a stand one way or
another.
Invite students to address one another and not always go through
you.
Pause to give students time to reflect on your summaries or others
comments.
Consider taking notes of main points on a chalkboard or overhead, but,
if you do, write everyones ideas down.
Toward the end of the discussion, review the main ideas, the thread of
the discussion, and conclusions.

Creating a Good Climate for Discussion

You can also significantly increase the quantity and quality of participation
simply by creating an encouraging environment for discussion.

Know and use the students names. In addition, make sure that the
students know one anothers names.
Arrange the room to maximize student- to-student eye contact; e.g.,
chairs around a table or in a circle. You might vary where you sit from time
to time, to break students habit of staring at the front of the room.
When students ask questions, try to help them find the answers for
themselves.
If arguments develop, try to resolve the disputes by appeal to objective
evidence rather than authority of position. If the dispute is over values,
help students clarify their values and respect each others, even if
resolution is not possible. Disputes can often form the basis for interesting
writing assignments.

Evaluate

Notice how many students participated in the discussion.

Notice who did and who did not participate (look for gender and racial
biases).
Check the tone of the discussionwas it stimulating and respectful?
Ask students about their reactions to the discussion session