Response to Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Response to Discussion as a Way of Teaching:

The two chapters from this book that we were asked to read for class were really quite inspiring.  The first chapter seemed to hit me more than the second, as it was discussing my role as a student teacher and how my job needs to maintain healthy and constructive discussion in the classroom.  Reading some of the sections on Appreciation and Humility stood out as the two most important aspects of democratic discussion.  They both center on the necessity of participation from all students as much as possible and they both touch on the students who like to stay quiet in class.  I fully back the need for participation from multiple students—the problem is how to achieve this goal.  All of the points in both chapters discuss how important discussion and participation in the discussion are, but they do not specifically discuss how to engage the students.  Sure, giving positive feedback through appreciation for participation is a great way of encouragement, but that does not explain how to engage every student.  What do we do to bring in all of the students and persuade them to participate?  There was also the part in the section on Participation that touched on our job as future instructors to take a step back from speaking our own mind in the hopes of allowing further growth for our students.  This is another area that I feel could have been elaborated on.  For instance, what do we do when the discussion falls flat?  Is that the time to discuss what we are hoping the students will get or is that time for a follow-up question?  I guess the main issue is that I know discussion is extremely beneficial, but how do we create a beneficial discussion?  If anyone knows some great tips, I am all ears!  All in all, the text clarified what a discussion should include and how it is beneficial to the students.  I enjoyed the text and it left me with some burning questions!