Engaging Students:

Discussion Based Learning

The Conversation of Learning

Questioning, Discussion

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Becky Groves, M.Ed.

© University of Virginia

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Entrance Ticket

Why is discussion an important part of

the learning process?

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The Elephant in the Room…

“Trying to improve class discussion is like

trying to eat an elephant; if you try to do it

all at once, you’ll kill yourself.”

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“You have to have a question

before an answer means

anything.”

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Types of Discussions

Guided Discussion

Used to clarify meaning and develop concepts

Students are developing understanding of the topic

Teacher is a guide

Reflective Discussion

Used to solve problems, think critically

Students have a solid understanding of the concepts being discussed

Teacher is a participant

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Questioning/Discussion Strategies:

Story Impressions

Think-pair-share

Sticky note discussions

Read and Say

Something/Grand

Conversation

Seed Discussions

Carousel

Discussion Webs

Jigsaw

QAR (Question-Answer

Relationships)

Reciprocal Teaching

Questioning…

Teacher generated versus student generated

Why should we teach kids how to ask their own

questions?

Want kids to understand that good readers actively

question while they read

Sign of a reader who is monitoring his/her

comprehension

Actively engages student during reading

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Authentic Questioning

Student derived questions based on their reading

A way to create wonderful questions for a lively discussion as different interpretations of the text emerge.

What puzzles one child might not puzzle another

It’s a question they have- it’s authentic!

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Seed Discussions

A way for kids to lead their own discussions

As each student reads, a topic is identified important to his/her own thinking

Good “seeds” lead to lots of discussion

List of possible good seeds:

Questions I don’t understand

Interesting/surprising things

Things that remind me of something else

Descriptive writing I enjoyed

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Seed Topic Procedure

Model correct discussion behavior

Continually model good and poor seeds

Have four students say something about a

seed before moving to the next

Use sticky notes to mark good seeds while

reading

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Alice in Wonderland

Good Seed:

“I’m not sure if Alice is

having a dream or not.

If so, what do the things

in her dream stand for?

Is the Queen a symbol

for her sister?”

Bad Seed:

What color dress

does Alice wear?

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The Hunger Games

Strong Seed

I am not sure why the

Capital is so

determined to keep

the Districts enslaved.

Weak Seed

I think Katniss is very

brave.

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Strong vs. Weak discussion seeds Chapter 5, The Giver by Lois Lowry

Which is best???

I don’t know why the Stirrings must be

controlled with medication.

I wonder if Fiona is pretty.

Jonas seems embarrassed to share his

dream.

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Let’s Try It Out!

Work in Small Groups

to create some seed

discussion points

using the reading

“Grandmother’s

Table”

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Harry Singer (1978) contends that

whenever readers are involved in

asking questions, they are engaged

in “active comprehension.”

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Sticky Notes Discussions

Discussion

Notes placed near section to discuss

Meet with partner, small group, whole group, and share

Notes are used to refer back to text

Students can leave notes in the text for another student

to read and respond

Notes can be moved into reading log

Comments can become future writing topics

Use notes to draw visual representations/key pictures

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Let’s Try It Out!

Use the article,

“Republic of

Cockroaches” to

have a Sticky Note

Discussion.

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Literature Roundtable Discussions

Students all respond

to the same question

in terms of their

current independent

reading book.

Topics can be about

general themes,

quotes, or literary

elements.

Examples:

“The more things

change, the more

things stay the same.”

“Nothing happens

unless first we

dream.”

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(1993 letter from a boy in Kentucky)

WHAT WE WANT TO AVOID……

Dear Carolyn Reeder,

I have read your book, Shades of Gray. I

had to read your book for school as a Reading

assignment. My class had to read it and do a worksheet

for each chapter. We all hated the worksheets, but

enjoyed the book. We had to write out character

sketches of Will, Jed, Ella, Meg, and Hank. Afterwards

we began about 15 projects-this letter is one. Our class

was split into groups—my group has three people. I

wonder what it is like to hear that your book has turned

into a bunch of assignments and projects.

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“At one magical instant in your early

childhood, the page of a book- that string

of confused, alien ciphers- shivered into

meaning. Words spoke to you, gave up

their secrets; at that moment, whole

universes opened. You became,

irrevocably, a reader.”

Alberto Manguel from A History of Reading, 1996

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And to sum it all up…

Grand conversation time!

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