Brookfield says discussion has “exalted methodological status” due to its democratic associations. I think it also resonates with us because it draws on the deep history of social learning. There was learning before the advent of formal education and there continues to be learning without the aid of instructors, classrooms and institutions. Discussion as a method emphasizes the natural, participatory, informal aspects of learning.
I agree with Brookfield that one purpose of discussion is help learners become more critical thinkers, but I also think it serves as practice for the group discussions Lindeman (1945) saw as essential to the maintenance of democracy. Many of the prevailing forces in our world discourage us from self-organized, democratic discussion. The recent “fake news” campaigns are aimed at undermining our ability to participate in civil, democratic discussion. I believe creating the space for people to practice discussion improves discussion skills, ultimately serving their ability to learn from others.
Brookfield’s “theory-in-use” for facilitating discussions hits home with me. The five components are:
1. Be wary of standardized approaches
2. Use a diversity of approaches
3. Welcome the unanticipated
4. Attend to the emotional dimension
5. Be authentic in the group
Application: My colleague and I will be using the discussion method as a capstone to an online learning experience on building social support networks to support your resilience. The capstone will be a discussion via webconferencing. Our goal is to have participants reflect on what they have learned and think about ways they might apply it in their work. The diversity of perspectives that can be represented in a discussion will, hopefully, help each participant see the learning experience through a different lens and learn about application examples in contexts different than their own.
Facilitating a discussion via webconferencing brings some challenges. Low Internet bandwidth or the lack of a webcam can present equity concerns beyond those present in a face-to-face environment. Additionally, the chat feature in our webconferencing platform does not allow for threaded discussions which sometimes makes it really difficult to follow the discussion. Our platform does allow for breakout rooms, so we will use those rooms to form smaller groups, if necessary, and to allow participants to the option of joining samall groups based on a certain topic or discussion thread.
Assessment: Free Discussion (Barkley & Major, 2016, pp. 271-276)
Free discussion may not be the best assessment choice given that the participants have already committed so much intellectual energy to discussion, but I think it is the technique that gives us the best chance to find out if reflection has taken place and if participants are coming away with ideas for application. It also fits the broader goal of practicing discussion to build skills for civil, democratic discussion.
The free discussion would be focused on the participant’s experience in and feelings about the discussion method.
References
Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2016). Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Brookfield, Stephen D.. (2004). Discussion. In Michael W. Galbraith (Eds.), Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction (3rd Ed.) (209-226). Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company.