Suggestion Number: 54 IF YOU WANT TO: - Encourage class discussion - Integrate discussion into lecture - Have an interesting style of presentation YOU MAY WISH TO CONSIDER: Dividing the class period into blocks of time, one of which is a discussion segment. "I found it boring when I was a student simply to listen to a professor talk for an hour and a half," says a faculty member of ethnic studies. "So I try to vary the class activities by dividing the class period into three segments." For the first 20 minutes of class time, he builds up to a discussion question by presenting evidence, facts or issues. The next 30-40 minutes is devoted to student discussion even though the class has several hundred students. The instructor asks students for possible explanations or interpretations of the facts or issues presented in the first part of lecture. For example, in his discussion of the Chinese Exclusion Act he will ask why it was passed at that particular time rather than in an earlier or later period. Students offer possible reasons which he records on the board, and elaborates, probes or interprets. The last 20-30 minutes of class is spent analyzing the discussion and bringing the topic to a conclusion. Finally he ends the period by posing a question which students are to think about before the next class meeting. Incorporating discussion into large lecture classes takes careful preparation: the questions posed to students need to be identified in advance and their responses anticipated in order to ensure a productive discussion. Nevertheless, this approach is very effective for engaging students' interest and encouraging analytical thinking. Limitations on Use of Suggestion Discipline: None
Course Level: None
Course Size: None
Mode: None
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