Diana McCown
Communication
CLASSROOM DISCUSSION TECHNIQUES
KNOW NAMES – Students need self-identity and recognition. Always call students by first
name, especially those who often don’t volunteer to speak.
USE NAME CARDS for the whole semester, for your benefit, and to establish
an identity for them.
BE HUMAN – Students feel more comfortable if the professor emerges as a human being right
in front of their eyes. To begin, I ask that students call me by my first name.
TAKE RISKS – Help students realize that mistakes are inevitable – No one is perfect, including
the instructor.
SEEK KNOWLEDGE – Be a role model in that you, the professor, are constantly learning too,
and tell them so.
LAUGH, SMILE, LAUGH – Set up an environment of relaxation and humor. Create an aura of
acceptance, stress-free learning, and exploration/curiosity. Share your own foibles and
experiences.
SET CLEAR EXPECTIONS – Discuss classroom policies and expectations; don’t just rely on the
“stiff” words of the syllabus. You may even ask them (in groups) to make their own list of
expectations.
DISCUSS DISCUSSION – In order to show the value you place on discussion, make classroom
participation 1/5th of the final grade, and then talk about it. Half-way through the semester,
hand out a “Heads Up” statement, and talk about that too.
QUESTION, ALWAYS QUESTION – Learn Socratic questioning. Teach it to your students. This is
a great way to teach critical thinking.
COMMUNICATE – Talk to your students, eye to eye. When you make eye contact, you are
acknowledging them as “persons”, whom you respect.
Chinese Proverb
“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember;
involve me and I’ll understand.