HOW TO WRITE A DISCUSSION POST
WHY IS CLASS DISCUSSION IMPORTANT?
Your discussion group is one place where you will be engaging in a dialogue with each other about
course readings and assignments; the other, of course, is class itself. By posting comments on
readings, we challenge ourselves to reflect on the course readings and articulate our ideas in
writing.
It takes everybody’s active and consistent participation to create a vibrant discussion community,
so please be sure to complete the assigned reading on time and keep up with the ongoing
discussion throughout the week. For more details on the discussion group participation
requirements and deadlines, please see the Syllabus and the Course Schedule.
YOUR PARTICIPATION CONSISTS OF TWO DIFFERENT COMPONENTS:
o An initial post (of at least 6 sentences) that answers the prompt given in the
directions to the discussion forum
o Responses to at least two peers’ initial posts (of at least 6 sentences each) that
respond to, incorporate, extend, or ask questions about those classmates’ ideas.
WRITING THE POST:
Prewriting:
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Read the post instructions early and carefully. Each discussion post question will ask
you to do different things; it’s useful to read the post before you do the assigned reading
so that you can keep the questions in mind as you read.
Read the assigned texts carefully and take notes. The notes that you jot in the margins
of the reading will help you to write a complete, thoughtful post.
Writing
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A practical consideration—I recommend writing your post in a text or Word file first
just in case the Angel fails. This way, you’ll also have all of your posts in one place if you
want to review them or use part of a post to study for an exam or to jump-start your
essay.
Remember to cite any quotations or paraphrases that you use. Even though this is
a discussion post, you still need to use an MLA citation when you reference a text. The
MLA citation tells your reader essential information—the author and the page number
of the quotation. For a brief overview of how to use MLA style, go to
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/, paying particular attention to
the section on in-text citations.
Bring your own background and experiences to the discussion posts. Often, the
prompts will ask you to connect the reading to your own personal knowledge and
experiences. The class will benefit from what you know and what you’ve learned from
living your life; these experiences will make the posts more vibrant and interesting.
As you answer the discussion question, think about using the “PIE” essay structure to
ensure that you have all of the components of a strong, well-supported post. Using this
structure for your posts will be excellent practice for composing your essays because it
allows you to practice the significant steps of paragraph writing. The components of the
PIE structure are explained below:
o Point: The “point” tells your reader what you’re going to write about and why
that thing matters. The point is the post’s reason for being. It may take you
awhile to figure this out sometimes, which means that you may edit the “point”
when you reread your post to check for clarity and grammar. You’ll often find
yourself doing this in essays, too—we often understand what our point (or
thesis) is after we’ve written a piece, and then we have to go back and put it at
the beginning so that our reader knows what we’re trying to say.
o Illustration (Evidence): The illustration provides an example—in this course,
usually an example from the text or from your own experience—that helps to
support the point that you’ve made. (I tend to think of this part of the “PIE” as
“Evidence” rather than “Illustration,” but that poses obvious problems for the
acronym!)
o Explanation/Evaluation: Make sure to fully explain the Illustration or Evidence
that you’ve given above. Evidence doesn’t speak for itself—you have to interpret
it for the reader! Focus on specific words or rhythms from the text or tell us why
this illustration or piece of evidence matters. I think of this as the fun part of the
post because you get to speak with authority and closely examine another
person’s words or your own experiences.
After Writing:
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Proofread! These posts are definitely less formal than your final essays, but you still
want to make sure that they communicate your point in a clear fashion and that they
are carefully checked for spelling and grammar. Checking posts is excellent practice for
your everyday life—well-written, proofread e-mails or memos will make you look more
professional and polished!
RESPONDING:
You will need to respond to at least two posts per Discussion Post assignment, and each response
should be at least six sentences long. This length will compel you to think more deeply and to
articulate yourself more fully.
Some Potential Responses:
Agreeing – and providing a parallel example or specific reason for your agreement
At times, you will read a post that you agree with completely. The ideas will all make
complete sense to you, and the example will be spot on. In these cases, you can write, “I
agree with you completely . . .,” but always add an illustration and explanation of why you
agree (see the PIE structure above). At this point, “I agree with you completely” becomes “I
agree with you because . . .”
Agreeing—But with a Difference
It’s possible that someone’s post really resonated with you, but you have a slightly different
opinion or point of view. Maybe you can think of a way to complicate or deepen the ideas in
the post. Maybe you had a similar experience but came to a different conclusion. Maybe
you’ve had vastly different experiences but find yourself agreeing with the post’s
conclusion. “Agreeing with a Difference” is a fantastic way to engage in meaningful
dialogue, and it’s a wonderful way to practice that analytical writing that you’ll be doing in
your essays.
Respectfully Disagreeing
At times, you will have a different opinion than one of your classmates, and
articulating that disagreement clearly and respectfully will allow both you and your
classmates to think more critically about the situation at hand. When you do
disagree with someone, it’s helpful to provide context (your own situation or point
of view) and evidence—a fact, an anecdote, a carefully constructed argument.
Remember that the purpose of discussion isn’t to “win” or to have the “right”
answer; rather, it’s to help us explore and examine the various different opinions to
expand our thinking about the course readings and concepts.
MY ROLE
These discussion posts will be a way for you to communicate with one another and
work through your ideas about the reading. Therefore, I will be reading (and
grading) all of the discussion posts, but I will act as a “Guide on the Side” during
these posts rather than a judge or facilitator. You will hear from me—but in a
limited fashion. Your responses to one another are the most important component
of these discussions.
GRADING
Scoring Rubric for Discussion Posts
Original Post
Point and Explanation/Evaluation
12 points
4 points
Do you make a point and then explain why you
have come to that think that way?
Use of Evidence/Illustration
4 points
Style and Mechanics
4 points
Do you support your claims with examples from the texts
or from your life?
Is the post written in a clear, readable style?
Is the post edited for spelling errors?
Responses
Is your response thoughtful and detailed? Do you
respond to specific language or information from the
post?
4 points x 2
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Total
20 points
NAVIGATING ONLINE DISCUSSION:
Civility: Always remember to treat each other with respect! Intellectual debate is a
healthy and exciting part of any learning community. It's okay to disagree with each
other, but be mindful of the tone that you use.
Proofread, but don’t agonize over each posting! For some of you, I know it can feel
intimating to post something in writing. While we want thoughtful reflections, it's
important to keep in mind that your discussion postings are “thoughts in progress”-they're not meant to be polished essays! The discussion posts are places to try out
ideas, and these ideas can be experimental. I DO want you to practice structure until
it becomes second nature, but I don’t want you to censure your ideas.
Allow yourself to “think aloud” with your group members as you would in an oncampus discussion. Don't stay silent because you feel like everything you post has
to be absolutely profound. As stated above, participating in intellectual exchange
with others is critical to our learning because it helps us explore, develop, and
clarify our own ideas.