DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING, TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Stephen Brookfield
www.StephenBrookfield.com
GENERAL CHAT (EDITED)
Event Host -Cally Latchford: Welcome to today's event! Please introduce yourself and let us know who you are and
what you do. We will get started at the top of the hour.
Event Host -Cally Latchford: If you did not receive the slides in a pre-event email sent earlier, you can download them
from the file share pod above this chat area.
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: It's Shelley Withers. I teach communications to trades students at the Nova Scotia
Community College in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia Canada
Tech Host-Kevin Kelly: Ruth Ann, we'll do a sound check in just a moment. Please let us know if you still hear the
background noise at that time.
Stephen Brookfield: I'm sitting perfectly quietly so it ain't me!!
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: Hi, I'm Carolyn Campbell. I'm an instructional designer at the Nova Scotia Community
College ... *waves to Shelley*
Stephen Brookfield: Nova Scotia is so beautiful
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: have you been, Stephen?
Stephen Brookfield: Yes
TARA [Scranton, PA]: Hi, I'm Tara from the University of Scranton in PA
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: Where'd you visit?
Stephen Brookfield: Halifax then up the coast
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: I heard you speak at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax a long time ago..
TARA [Scranton, PA]: where in AZ?
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: Lexington, KY is also beautiful :)
Tech Host-Kevin Kelly: hi everyone!
Tech Host - Lisa Berry: Lexington is wonderful!
Tech Host - Lisa Berry: Thanks for joining us!
KATIE ROGERS [Salt Lake City, UT]: Hello! My name is Katie Rogers, and I am from Salt Lake City, UT. I am an instructor
in the MBA program at Western Governor's University.
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: Although I'd love to choose #4 as well - but am limited by choosing only one....
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: wow
Event Host -Cally Latchford: www.StephenBrookfield.com
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: :) like the word "plunder"
CAROL SALTSGAVER [Springfield, IL]: Sorry, I am late. My name is Carol and I am at the University of Illinois at
Springfield.
Event Host -Cally Latchford: Thanks for joining us! We are asking questions about what has been covered so far and will
move on in a moment. You'll be able to view the event recording from today to catch up on this begining part!
CAROL SALTSGAVER [Springfield, IL]: Great, thanks!
TARA [Scranton, PA]: what size class are you doing circle of classes in?
TARA [Scranton, PA]: sorry, circle of voices?
TARA [Scranton, PA]: wow, ok.
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: do you do this fairly quickly?
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: or do you leave a lot of time in between?
TARA [Scranton, PA]: if a wrong idea is being perpetuated, when do you intervene?
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: so the pace is speedy!
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: sorry, stephen, it was the same question & you answered it ... thanks
TARA [Scranton, PA]: ok
TARA [Scranton, PA]: sounds good, thank you
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: I love this idea!
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: hehehe
Tech Host-Kevin Kelly: www.StephenBrookfield.com > workshop materials > discussion as a way of teaching (PDF file)
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: oh i love this!
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: ok. I actually wondered if you found that the teacher stepping in at the end
closed conversation. But it sounds like the strategy works if "lightly" done. Thanks!
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: This is a great idea. The individual reporting always goes downhill
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: that's what I was just thinking!!
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: Sorry, I have to run off to class presentations
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: Thank you so much for the excellent ideas, Stephen!
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: thanks so much stephen ... my head is just spinning with possibilities & things I'd like
to try!!
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: this has been so practical
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: Thank you! A wonderful model for how to lead a discussion, impressive even
online!
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: Great ideas thanks Stephen
Event Host -Cally Latchford: http://wli.wiley.com/pg/event_calendar/view/610
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: and thanks for giving us "permission" to give up small group reporting ... funny how
you get into a habit that you know isn't quite working but sometimes you need someone to point that out
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: :)
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: i got the permission slip
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
POLL #1: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING MOST CLOSELY REPRESENTS YOUR REASON FOR USING
DISCUSSION?
POLL #2: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS MOST DESCRIBES WHY YOU THINK
DISCUSSIONS SOMETIMES FAIL IN YOUR CLASSROOM?
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
POLL #3: IF A STUDENT HAS NOT SPOKEN IN DISCUSSION DURING THE FIRST TWO CLASS
MEETINGS, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT HE/SHE WIL L CONTRIBUTE DURING THE REST OF THE
SEMESTER IS….
POLL #4: WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT..... (1) HOW TO DEVELOP GROUND
RULES, (2) HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE GRADING PARTICIPATION RUBRIC, (3) HOW TO USE THE
CRITICAL INCIDENT QUESTIONNAIRE
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: Stephen, do you develop ground rules when you teach online, too? How do you go
about that?
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: can you remind us of how to find the rubric on your website?
TARA [Scranton, PA]: I don't do a lot of discussion - What is your biggest clue that the students are not engaged?
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: What are the characteristics of great discussion topics?
JEAN ECKRICH [New London, NH]: How do you help first year students discuss characteristics of great discussions and
less great discussions when they are coming from a high school experience that may not have discussion as a central
part of their pedagogy?
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: Do you grade periodically during the semester? Do you talk with students
about the grading? Do students comment on each other's participation?
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: got it - thanks
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: very helpful. thank you!
POLL #5: WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT ANY OF THE EARLY EXERCISES IN
DISCUSSION
TARA [Scranton, PA]: what if you have a student who just doesn't speak?
JEAN ECKRICH [New London, NH]: How long were the responses for your chalk talk exercises?
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: Have you tried the chalk talk on-line? Seems like it would work very well. You could
use the white board for this.
POLL #6: WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT THE INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES?
(STRUCTURED SILENCE, CONVERSATIONAL MOVES, CONVERSATIONAL ROLES, NOMINATING
QUESTIONS)
CAROLYN CAMPBELL [Halifax, NS]: sorry for all the logistical questions but how do you assign conversational roles online
without folks knowing who's doing what? email? (again, apologies!)
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: Conversation moves would work really well on a web board
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: Do you repeat exercises so that they become part of the fabric of the course
or do you find it more fruitful to switch up between a range of discussion exercises? Or might the answer differ if you
are working with first-year students and more advanced students?
POLL #7: WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE ADVANCED EXERCISES
(CIRCULAR RESPONSE, QUOTES TO AFFIRM AND CHALLENGE, MUTUAL INVITATION, CRITICAL
CONVERSATION PROTOCOL, APPRECIATIVE PAUSE, DISCUSSION INVENTORY)
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: I do classess where we discuss specific cases, which the students need to read
before class. Often only about 10 out of 30 have actually read the case. The rest just show up to see what others
thought, but are not at all prepared, and do not know the details of the case being discussed. Any tips on making this
situation more effective?
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: Have you found you have had to clarify with students the difference between
donversation/discussion and being argumentative or overly critical?
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: To clarify: help them understand what contributes to the learning/conversation
MARY DEANE SORCINELLI [Amherst, MA]: The discussion inventory seems a wonderful strategy for pulling the threads of
discussion together, reflecting on process, etc. Can you talk a bit about the reasons you might not use this as an early
exercise?
RUTH ANN STRICKLAND [London, ON]: My concern is that students just copy one another's responses instead of doing
their own, but your open-ended questions will help. I do prepost discussion questions, but don't ask students to bring in
something. I like this idea. Just have to find a way to manage 200 of them (from all of my classes).
POLL #8: WRITE DOWN ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT TECHNIQUES FOR MOVING FROM
SMALL TO LARGE GROUP DISCUSSION (NEWSPRINT DIALOG, ROTATING STATIONS)
AMY JACKSON [Orlando, FL]: If your most comfortable style is lecture based, which of these strategies would be a 'baby
step' for experimenting with using discussion and allow one to feel successful?
JEAN ECKRICH [New London, NH]: Do you have any suggestions for developing useful discussion questions to pose to
groups?
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.
SHELLEY WITHERS [Dartmouth, NS]: I like this silent process... Do you then encourage group discussion or do you let
them walk away and let the ideas simmer. I always feel pressure to push discussion after the process, but sometimes I
feel I should have let thwem walk off and talk about it among themselves. Sometimes a minute paper tells you the rest.
Be Inspired. Be Inspiring.