To prepare, you and your partner should both complete all the readings (required and supplemental) for the topic you will be leading.  We recommend that you complete the readings in advance and meet with your partner to plan for the discussion you will lead.  One of you must take the lead on preparing for the discussion, while the other takes the lead during the discussion itself.

As part of your planning, you should reflect on what you learned about the topic, anything you find interesting or confusing, and how the topic relates to the MaGE Program and the GEM role.  It’s a good idea to head into the discussion with several leading or open-ended questions to help spark conversation.  You can structure the discussion in whatever way you think will be most effective.

The goal of this assignment is to help you practice leading discussions.  This is not a presentation.  Your classmates will already be familiar with the topic from the required reading, so your goal is to find ways to engage them in a productive dialogue.  To encourage everyone to participate in the discussion, we suggest starting discussion in pairs or small groups then continuing with the whole class together.

 (None of these are requirements of the assignment, but they might help you in effectively leading discussion)

 * Think about the aspects of the topic you want to cover in the discussion, then create several questions relating to each of those aspects

 * Having an assortment of prepared questions will allow you to pick and choose based on the flow of conversation -- don’t feel as though you need to ask every question you came up with

 * Avoid formulating questions that have a clear “right” answer, focus more on encouraging your classmates to share their own thoughts and connect the topic to the themes of the course

 * Don’t be afraid of awkward silence, feel free to let it sit for a few moments -- sometimes people need a moment to reflect on what you have just asked

 * If no one is responding to a question you pose, try rephrasing the question or approaching the idea from a different angle

 * Having reference points within the required reading will sometimes help reorient your classmates or give them grounding and context for your questions

 * Be sure to listen to what your classmates have to say, try to pose questions that are related to or in response to what has just been said rather than plowing ahead with a predetermined sequence of questions