How to Facilitate Discussions in Primary Classes

Reading assignments are a good way to facilitate discussions in class

A teacher wants the class to participate in discussions so they can have a more rewarding classroom experience. One good way to facilitate discussions is to have students read a book every week throughout the semester and write an analysis of what they have read. Then ask them to write four discussion questions to bring to class the next day to facilitate a discussion.

Instructions

1. Assign oral reports. Let students choose their own research topics and have them write a five-page report on the topic. On the next class day, ask each student to give a ten-minute summary of the paper and to tell how relevant the topic is to society today. Also have students ask questions about the papers.

2. Student-led discussions. Choose one day a week where a student will lead the class discussion. The student can use a magazine, scholarly journal or regular non-fiction book for the discussion. Ask the student to write an outline of what he or she plans to talk about in class the next day. Be sure toreview it to make sure the student is going in the right direction.

3. Have students interview their families and write an informative essay about what they learned. This is a good idea for a sociology class since the study of families is important in this field. Let students ask each other about their families and also discuss current social and political issues that affect family life.

References

• University of Oregon: Facilitating Class Discussions
• University of California at Berkeley: Facilitating Discussions
• Columbia University: Leading Scintillating, Stimulating Class Discussions