Discussions, In Class and Online

DISCUSSION, IN CLASS AND ONLINE

Class discussions are a useful classroom strategy and teaching tool. Through discussion, students are participating in active learning, where they’re engaging with the material, one another, and their own experiences. Using these connections, they are able to build their understanding of the material. In small or large groups, in person or online, a meaningful class discussion deepens understanding of material and develops class community (Gutierrez Keeton et al., 2021).

On this page, we will cover: Multiple text bubbles grouped together suggestive of discussion or dialogue.

 

 

About Class Discussions

We know that class discussions have value in both in-person and virtual settings. But we know that putting our students in groups, large or small, and asking them to “talk about stuff” doesn’t always work. So to avoid the “crickets” when we ask “what do you think?” to a large group, or awkward moments in small groups, it helps to have a strategy to approach class discussions. We suggest considering the discussion in three steps: before, during, and after.

Before the Discussion

Before you ask the students a discussion question, return to your weekly or course learning objectives. Ask yourself: why am I asking them to do this? What do I want them to learn, do, or get out of this discussion? Are you asking them to dig deep? To analyze and synthesize? Are you asking them to make connections between one element of course content and another, or to their own experience? Are you asking them to chat to build community among themselves? To create? The clearer your questions and expectations, the better able they will be to achieve the task.

Asking the Right Questions

Draft questions using your target as a guide, and focus on open-ended questions (that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no, or have a right or wrong answer), so that the students can engage with the material and one another. The following table, adapted from Columbia University (2021), includes sample questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy:

Question Type and Purpose

Sample Questions

Recall: Basic knowledge/recollection of subject matter. 

“What is the purpose of X?”
“Describe/define X.”
“What happened after X?”
“Why did X happen?”

Understand: Explain, interpret, or give examples.

“What was the contribution of X?”
“What was the main idea?”
“Give an example of X.”

Application: Use knowledge/skills in new ways. 

“How is X an example of Y?”
“How is X related to Y?”
“Can you apply this method to Z?”

Analysis: Draw connections. 

“Can you compare/contrast X and Y?”
“What is the importance of X?”

“How is this similar to X?” 

Evaluate: Make judgements and assessments. 

“How would you assess X?”
“Is there a better solution to X?”
“How effective is X?”

Create: Combine ideas and knowledge. 

“How would you design X?”
“What’s a new use for X?”
“How else can one achieve X?” 

 

Preparing the Students and Setting Expectations

Preparing the students for the discussion is critical. And in fact, if discussions are going to be a part of your class, this preparation should come early. Start with easy, getting-to-know-you, low-stakes discussions so that the classroom community can develop. Helping create that community will help ensure better discussions throughout the semester.  

On a more granular level, students should understand what’s expected of them and what they can expect from you during the discussion.  

  • What size is the group?
    • Sometimes, it’s a whole-class discussion. The degree to which this works well depends on the content and the size of the class. Writer’s workshops can do well in large groups, as do Socratic Seminars Links to an external site. or Fishbowl Links to an external site.discussions. Instructors often elect to use small groups which, according to conventional wisdom, should be between 3-5 people. Often, the small group activity will lead to a larger group discussion. 
    • Students can write individually, then get into pairs (Think/Ink/Pair/Share), and then pairs can get together to share. 
    • Some people prefer preset groups that students return to regularly, that help build community (Kirby & Thomas, 2022). 
    • Other groups are randomized. Some groups are assigned a leader, a time-keeper, a note-taker, and a presenter. 
  • How much time will this take, and does that include preparation time or a debrief? 
  • How long will they be in their groups? 
  • What will your role be in their individual discussions? Will you come sit in on each group? Just listen? Are you facilitating a larger group follow-up?
  • Do the groups have roles? Is someone responsible for time-keeping or preparing a deliverable, if there is one? Is there a notetaker?
  • What will they need to do after the discussion? 
  • Are they being graded on this discussion and/or the deliverable?

Once you’ve provided them with a specific question, let them know how long they’ll have, and set them to it. 

During the Discussion

Once the parameters have been set, the discussion can begin.  Here are some things to consider: 

  • It can be helpful to give students a few moments to write and reflect individually on a topic before asking them to engage with one another. The process of freewriting in response to a topic will have them generate ideas that they can then bring to the table for the discussion.
  • A deliverable can help create accountability in group discussions. Whether that means a series of notes, or a paragraph, or annotations in a text, or whatever else makes sense, asking students to produce something gives them a tangible artifact of their work. It can help reinforce their understanding of the material through the process of notetaking. This can also help faculty who want to evaluate the discussion for points. 
  • Project or write the specific task they’re addressing and consider including a timer to help them stay on task. 

 

After the Discussion

Once students have finished, it’s useful to debrief, for the small groups to share out with the larger group, and for you to collect the deliverables.  

Finally, some choose to conclude with a discussion wrapper, where students “wrap up” the discussion by identifying main ideas and common themes, or with a reflection or questions about course content that might be confusing. 

 

Online Specific Strategies

The strategies listed above work well for in-person or synchronous online discussions in breakout rooms, but can also be adapted for asynchronous classes. The suggestions to think meaningfully about the purpose of the task and the clarity of the questions become especially critical in an online space where students don’t have the luxury of asking for clarification in the moment.

Here are some other additional considerations for fostering meaningful discussions in your online class:

  • Consider due dates. If you are asking students to simply post one comment in a shared space, this may be less useful, but the point of a discussion, as opposed to another assignment, is to read and be read. This means students need time to post, and then time to review each other’s posts. Often it’s useful to have two due dates for your discussion – one for an initial post, and another for responses. While Canvas does not allow for two due dates per se, you can set the initial post as the “due date” in Canvas Links to an external site., and the responses due before the “cut off date” in Canvas. Or, you can set a reminder assignment in Canvas for the initial due date.
  • Consider group sizes. While an initial “getting to know you” forum is well-suited to the whole class, for other discussions, between posting and responding to posts, the volume of text can quickly become unwieldy. Consider using groups Links to an external site. in Canvas as an alternative to a whole class discussion. On a practical level, writing and responding to even a modest class of 20 students, once folks have posted an initial post and two responses, there are now 60 posts to look through. Smaller sizes encourage more intimate discussions, students feel their posts are more likely to be seen, and this helps to create accountability.
  • Consider alternative means of expression for your discussions. According to Universal Design for Learning Links to an external site. principles, allowing students many different ways to present their response to their discussions is a nice option. While there are third-party tools like Voicethread Links to an external site., Flipgrid Links to an external site., or others that allow for audio or video responses, students can actually record audio or video replies directly into Canvas. And through Panopto, students can create video with captions for accessibility to all students.
  • Consider using a rubric to score discussions. This creates objectivity, helps show what is most important to you in terms of what you’re looking for, and can help streamline the grading process for you.
  • Following the group discussion, include a virtual debrief. The Canvas announcement feature works well for this, or an overview in the next week’s module. Pulling out a few specific insightful comments from the groups, and sharing them out and praising students by name in a public space helps validate their experience and helps them to feel seen. 

 

Additional Resources 

Association of College and University Educators. (2020, April 23). Planning and facilitating quality discussions. https://acue.org/planning-and-facilitating-quality-discussions-2/ Links to an external site.  

Lander, J. (2017, January 28). Can we talk?: What students learn through intentional conversation (and how to get them to speak up). Usable Knowledge. Harvard Graduate School of Education. https://www.gse.harvard.edu/uk/blog/can-we-talk 

Knoll, J. (2019, March 18). How I use fishbowl discussions to engage every student. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/fishbowl-discussions/ Links to an external site.  

References 

Columbia University. (2021). Learning through discussion. Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/resources/learning-through-discussion Links to an external site. 

Gutierrez Keeton, R., Mendoza, Y., Zarate, M. E., & Magruder, E. D. (2021). Teaching faculty to reach first-generation college students: The impact of a professional development course on faculty. College Teaching, 70(2), 152–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1909526 Links to an external site.  

Kirby, L. A. J., & Thomas, C. L. (2022). High-impact teaching practices foster a greater sense of belonging in the college classroom. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 368–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1950659 Links to an external site.