Discussion as a Way of Teaching

At the very beginning, I really liked how the article made you think back to the different discussions you have been a part of, what made those discussions good or bad. When I thought back to the different group discussions I have been a part of, one of the things that always made it more fun was when everyone was involved, listening and responding to each other and a professor who knew how to guide the discussion when the conversations or topics died down and we didn't know where to go from there. I feel like group discussions would be hard to facilitate sometimes because you can prepare and prepare for all different kinds of directions that the discussion could go, but you never know where it will actually go. So I guess it would be good to be prepared for those times when the discussion trails off, you can have multiple points ready to get the discussion back on track. I used to be very uncomfortable with group discussions because I was shy and I felt that my thoughts and opinions weren't good enough or wouldn't sound smart enough and that can hinder a group discussion if everyone feels that way. After being part of different classes where discussion was a major part of the class, I grew more confident in speaking my mind when I had a different opinion than others. It's nice to hear different opinions and different sides. I think discussion can be very helpful with certain things, like poetry or trying to analyze Shakespeare. With things like that, I feel it would help students to hear what others think when they are struggling to understand what is going on. However, discussion isn't always helpful, so I think it is good to keep in mind when a good time for discussion is and when not.

 This article was awesome and I definitely plan on looking back on it someday when I'm a teacher for tips on how to lead good discussions when I feel I am struggling leading the discussions.