510 - Discussion

Discussion

An instructional strategy that encourages critical thinking among students by engaging them in conversations where they can collaborate and exchange ideas between each other or with the teacher for the purpose of furthering their learning,understanding, or problem solving. Discussion allows teachers to bond with students as the teacher exchanges feedback reflecting that he or she cares about the students’ point of view building a trusting environment. It Is a way to get to know the students’ skills and their understanding about the topic or subject in their own words.

ADVANTAGES

Engages students more than note-taking or lecturing!
Holds students accountable to do the homework because they are forced to speak in front of their peers

DISADVANTAGES

Some students struggle speaking out in front of peers
May be harder to control what topics are covered during class

Technologies to use with Discussion

J. Taylor: Technologies for Discussion

1. Virtual questions using Google Classrooms. Google Classroom can be used to ask students questions in Google Classroom question. The teacher post a question and must select “Students can reply to each other” in the bottom right-hand corner to allow students to reply to each other in the comments, which makes this feature a discussion board. The teacher can guide the conversation by asking questions. https://edu.google.com/workspace-for-education/classroom/

2. Doing a Socratic Seminar using Google Docs. The teacher posts a question on the Google doc, assigns the Google doc with instructions, and have the students respond on the form. The Socratic Seminar allows students to particpate in a virtual circle to discuss topics . https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Virtual-Socratic-Seminar-for-Distance-Learning-Digital-Editable-5692689

3. Create a Silent discussion using Mentimeter site. The teacher can post poll questions using interactive formats such as word clouds, bar charts, or word walls. Students can access from any device (phone, computer, or tablet) by going to menti.com https://www.mentimeter.com/

4. Create interaction and discussion in classroom by using Top Hat. Top Hat can increase student engagement because it has lecture tools, asks questions, has interactive slides, and manages class discussions. Students log in and particpate in the discussion by posting questions and answers. https://tophat.com/

5. Collaborative Note Catchers can be used for small group discussions. The teacher creates a slide show with a slide for each discussion group and changes the sharing permission to "anyone with the link can edit." Once the students have access using the link, they can type answers on the slide as they discuss the prompt. https://www.google.com/slides/about/

G. Sherman: Technologies for Discussion

Interactive and collaborative virtual mind map using Fig Jam.

Fig jam allows students to collaborate on a mind map. Students can contribute via text, shapes, doodles, and more. This allows for open discussion where all students can work together and expand on one another's ideas.

https://www.figma.com/file/Xr6aPrnNfq1ke10wJgQY3a/Mind-Map-Template/duplicate?type=whiteboard&node-id=0-1

Video discussion via Flip Grid.

Using Flip Grid, teachers can pose discussion questions that students reply to in video form. This could solve the issue of overly shy students who do not feel comfortable speaking in a typical class discussion. The teacher can come up with follow-up questions based on the student's video responses and have them discuss these follow-ups in class.

https://info.flip.com/en-us.html

Teachers can allow students to submit any questions they have about the current unit/lesson on a Google form.

Google Forms allow students to submit questions they have anonymously. This will allow a point of departure in the class discussion that the teacher knows the students want/need to discuss. Students are also more likely to ask questions via an online platform rather than in front of their peers.

https://www.google.com/forms/about/

Kahoot.

Kahoot can be used to pose a discussion question that all students must answer before the timer ends. After each student has answered, the class can discuss the question more in-depth. Kahoot motivates students because there is a leaderboard.

https://kahoot.it/

Prezi!

Prezi is a free, collaborative tool to make engaging presentations. Students could be assigned (with a partner or group) to create a Prezi with engaging questions for that class's discussion. This allows students to take ownership of what is discussed and requires in-depth engagement when it is the student's turn to lead the discussion.

www.prezi.com

M. Villarreal: Technologies for Discussion

Real time connection with Microsoft Team.

Keeps classrooms and teams connected, it offers workspace chat and videoconferencing. Students can share and edit files in real time and use applications like Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app

2. fun and creative collaborations with Padlet.

an be used as a collaborative web platform where students can create and share personalized boards and documents. It also offers a question and answer space and students can comment, vote on and like posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLdZJAc3bGQ

3.NowComment. Collaboration tool for group discussions.

Students are able to comment, brainstorm and debate alongside the desired text, video or image to be discussed. Comments are specifically related to the topic. It can be used for a large groups and have multiple conversations at a time.

https://nowcomment.com/

4.More engaging debates with Kialo

Students are able to participate in cons and pros discussions. Each student can express their point of view and explore their classmates' arguments at their own pace, it gives the opportunity to consider counter-arguments . The goal is to think critically, show what they have learned, and express their ideas.

https://www.kialo-edu.com/

5.Piazza is great for questions and answers between the teacher and students.

It offers anonymous posting so every single student can communicate their doubts about the topic without feeling embarrassed. It cuts down frequent email questions. Students learn by exploring their classmates' answers; answers are supervised by the teacher. Teachers can create polls and track students participation creating a graph.

https://piazza.com/