November 13th, 2020

Title: Let’s Discuss It: Research Based Techniques for Initiating and Sustaining Engaging Class Discussions

Author: Maya Aloni, Department of Psychology, Western Connecticut State University

Abstract: Teaching and learning through class discussions has many benefits for developing students’ critical thinking skills and fostering a sense of community. However, it is challenging to engage all students in a course, as well as to sustain the conversation at a high-level once it has been initiated. One way in which these challenges can be overcome is by creating effective discussion prompts as well as assigning students to discussion roles. The presenter will first review research on best practices for designing effective discussion prompts and will share an exercise she developed for constructing discussion questions. She will then review research on the effectiveness of assigning students to discussion roles and will demonstrate how she has implemented these roles across various class settings (i.e. synchronous vs. asynchronous, in-person vs. online, large class vs. small groups) and course levels (e.g. introductory, sophomore and capstone).

Learning objectives:

Participants in this presentation should be able to:

1. Identify the benefits and challenges of sustaining an engaging class discussion.

2. Distinguish between effective and ineffective discussion prompts.

3. Articulate how discussion roles can be utilized to facilitate discussion.

4. Apply the material covered in this session to their own courses.

To register and for more info, visit the Online Teaching of Psychology Conference page