Facilitating Discussion

For flipped discussions:

Hop from group to group, looking out for ones that have gone quiet or stopped working.
When working with a group, ask them to walk you through some of their work, even if they say they don’t have any questions.
Don’t give away answers too early - let students debate amongst themselves.
Look for non-verbal signs that students are lost or confused.
Swap "Do you have any questions?" and "Do you understand?" for "What questions can I answer?" and "Can you explain...?"
Embrace the awkward pause!

For traditional discussions:

Plan your material around what students need in a particular week; for example, problems related to homework or upcoming exams.
- Only plan ambitious material or particularly difficult questions as time and engagement permits.
Ask students if they have questions often and interactively.
- Swap "Do you have any questions?" and "Do you understand?" for "What questions can I answer?" and "Can you explain...?"
Don’t give away answers too early—let students debate amongst themselves.
Look for non-verbal signs that students are lost or confused.
Embrace the awkward pause!

Your lesson plan should come with time stamps
Don't spend too much time reviewing material—focus on the topics that students might have issues with on the problems on the worksheet.
It's fine if students leave discussion with some questions unanswered, but don't let a major error/misunderstanding go!
Do your best to finish on time (remember each discussion is only 50 minutes).
Offer to go over anything that there wasn't time to address during discussion in office hours.

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