Discussions are as much about listening
as they are about asking good questions
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Model active listening.
Use positive reinforcement for students who
demonstrate good active listening.
Look for patterns of particular bad listening
habits that point to a recognizable pathology.
Identifying a student’s or your own bad
listening pathology can help you decided the
best solutions.
The Mortar Lob occurs when:
 a student has prepared a single “round” he or
she found in the materials for the day's
discussion and is ready to discuss it in detail.
 the student waits for the opportunity to “fire”
the prepared set of comments.
Problem:
 The student throwing the Mortar Lob can
disrupt a discussion by failing to integrate his
or her comments into the conversation.
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Reward preparation for class while still
providing clear expectations that each
speaker should provide a link between his or
her observation and the preceding
discussion.
In the moment, you might say, "That's an
interesting analysis, Rick, but I'm not sure
how it relates to what Sharon just said. Can
you help us to see the connection?"
The Mongoose’s Strike occurs when:
 a student’s hand goes up while another student
is still talking.
 a student pounces on a minor weakness in some
part of the last speaker's statement rather than
engaging her or his whole set of ideas.
Problem:
 This behavior pattern can result in a
disjointed series of comments instead of a
conversation.
 Additionally, other students may feel discouraged
from talking if they feel they are not being heard
by their classmates.
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Whenever someone starts waiving a hand
before the speaker has finished, address the
behavior directly: "Put your hand down. You
can't be listening if you already know what
you are going say.”
Require the speaker to relate his or her
comments to those of the last speaker: "Well,
Cheryl, I guess you disagreed with John about
one small piece of what he was saying—how
do you respond to the rest of his statement?"
The Spartan’s Shield is deployed when:
 you ask a question, and the student turns it
aside with a deft parry and then goes on to
make whatever observation he or she has in
mind.
Problem:
 This type of student can quickly stop the
organic flow and progression of a discussion.
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Ask the student to return to the question and
answer it; this reinforces the necessity to
keep comments in context.
You can recognize a Pit Bull when:
 a student seizes on a particular issue and
pursues it relentlessly; often, they will pick
similar issues in every discussion (e.g., a
Marxist view, a libertarian perspective, or a
feminist approach).
Problem:
 When a particular perspective becomes identified
with a given student, the class (and the leader)
may stop listening because the points seem
automated.
 The Pit Bull limits his or her comments to issues
related to his or her familiar issue.
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One possible solution to require nonbulldogs to present different points of view.
Encourage all members of the class to
explore the issues presented from a
perspective different from their own. This
may lead to a more original and less
predictable presentations.
Aka, “I Don't Need to Know This.”
 This student’s attention often wavers during
a conversation, frustrating the instructor who
senses that they do not recognize the
relevance and importance of the points being
made.
 This student often waits in sullen boredom
while another student is talking and rejoins
the discussion when the instructor starts
speaking again.
Aka, “I Already Know This.”
 Nothing shuts students' ears more surely
than the feeling that they have already
learned the material. Sometimes they are
right. More frequently, they have
overestimated their command of these ideas
Discussion-based teaching provides an
opportunity for motivated learning spurred by an
understanding of relevance.
 Ask the class to identify why the points under
discussion are relevant. It’s always best when
they can persuade themselves and each other.
 Ask the Tune-Outs to think out loud about what
their classmates have said and why it may be
important.
 Pose a problem designed to highlight the limit of
the Tune-Out’s existing knowledge.
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The Teacher's Express: The classroom program is
billed as a discussion but is a lecture or a fully
planned exploration of the subject in the order
determined by the leader.
Hiding the Ball: When the instructor has in mind a
preferred answer to the questions he or she asks.
Everything Goes: The instructor is waiting to hear
only the desired response; the rest is hardly
heard at all. Or, the instructor and class operate
in the mode of false affirmation, approving of
each comment or observation.
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Discussion learning is at its best when a conversation
moves from one point to the next naturally. When
transitions are forced, or completely preplanned, they
may be artificial.
It is important to make members feel less threatened,
more at ease. Students will not contribute voluntarily
or comfortably unless they feel confident that they
won't be savaged. But, if everything goes, bad
observations will drive out good ones and there won't
be anything worth listening to.
It is a delicate—but vital—task to help the class
distinguish between attacking ideas and attacking
their authors as people. The instructor must foster an
attitude that all ideas are tentative and are offered for
examination
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Prevention (or cure) of listening pathologies
requires that the instructor trust the class and
behave accordingly.
The best demonstration of trust is truly
listening to your students and reacting to
what they say.
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Charley Wilcox
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Office 312-362-8638
Home 773-327-6092
Cell 773-727-0975
Email wilcox@cdm.depaul.edu