2. Leading Effective Discussions:
Dealing with Roadblocks
I. Basic Rules for Leading Discussions
II. Silence
III. Student Confusion
IV. Inappropriate Questions
V. Controversial Topics
VI. Distracting Behaviors
VII. The “Know-It-All”
VIII. Ending the Discussion
3. Basic Rules for Leading
Discussions
• Be excited
• Be prepared
• Set clear expectations
• Learn names
– Icebreakers & Warm-ups
– Informally chat before/after lectures & discussion sections
• Share your agenda (briefly) at the start of each class
• Review course topics for the week
• Encourage participation…?
4. Silence
• Establish ground rule that everyone should
participate
– It’s important to hear everyone’s ideas and opinions
• Review week’s topics
• Require reaction papers
• Have students email questions or things of interest
before class
• Assign discussion leaders for each class
beforehand
“The Pre-emptive Strike”
5. Silence
• Is it an issue of clarity?
– Mini review of the week’s topics
– Ask an easier question first; rephrase question
– Provide clear examples (prepared beforehand if possible)
• Call on individual students
• Use strategic eye contact to encourage
participation
• Break students into discussion groups (2-3 people)
“Fixing’ What’s Broken”
6. Silence
• Shy students
– Pose non-threatening questions that don’t require great detail
or a correct response
– Engage students outside of class
• Wait…is it you?
– Are you talking to much?
– Are you answering your own questions?
– Are you being too opinionated and not allowing space for
students to speak freely?
– Do you wait long enough to allow students to think, then speak?
(3 - 5 sec)
“Fixing’ What’s Broken”
7. Student Confusion
• Confusion from the TA
– Review and prepare before section
– Watch for rambling
– Watch for inaccessible language
– Rephrase (see “Inappropriate Questions”)
– Use concrete examples & metaphors to explain a phenomenon
• Course content confusion
– Ask students for any questions concerning the lecture(s) at the
beginning of each discussion section
– Ask professor to review unclear topics at the start of next class
– Strongly encourage professors to outline the grading system
and course assignments for the entire quarter
8. Inappropriate Questions
• Guess what I’m Thinking…
– “What should researchers do to explore this question further?”
– “What could researchers do to explore this question further?”
• Yes/No questions
– “Do you think that this method effectively addresses the
problem?
– “Why do you think the researchers employed this method to
investigate the problem?
9. Inappropriate Questions
• Rhetorical questions
– “In research, don’t we have a responsibility to take into
account the cultural differences that participants bring into
the lab?”
– “What arguments, pros & cons, can we generate to account
for cultural differences in our research design?”
• Informational-retrieval questions
– “What was the method?”
– “How does the method used in this study compare to
previous studies on this topics?”
10. Controversial Topics
• Set ground rules
– The value or respectful tones
– The value of other’s opinion (regardless of your own)
– The value in healthy disagreements
• Modeling respectful listening & responding
– Give people time to make their point; do not interrupt
– Do not ridicule other people's opinions, or put them down
– Consider the effect what you are saying may have on others
– Listen to and consider other people's opinions
– Be aware that body language, as well as what you say, can
affect others.
11. Controversial Topics
• Maintain a neutral role
• Handling arguments or clashes
– Restate the essence of each person’s viewpoint
– If appropriate, state that the difference can’t be resolved here
and that you need to move on with the agenda
– Tense atmosphere – call for a short break
12. Distracting Behaviors
• Rambling discussions
– Politely ask student(s) how comment relates to current
discussion
– Politely return to discussion topics
– Ask class for cooperation in staying on topic
• Off the point comments or discussions; raising
topics that will be discussed later
– Affirm student(s), but move on quickly
• Side conversations
– Pause without looking directly at those talking
– If conversation continues, ask students if they have a question
or issue to raise to the entire class
– Continued conversation throughout class: talk to student(s)
after class or send a polite email addressing the issue
13. The “Know-It All”
• Eye-contact strategy
– Breaking eye contact with a speaker and scanning the room
can distribute the speakers communication through the class
– Works well to stop long-winded students from continued talking
• Acknowledge, encourage, then discuss the issue of
“air-time” with problem student(s)
• Assign talkative student(s) a specific role
• Implement time limits for comments
14. Ending the Discussion
• Ending the discussion
– Take notes – jot down notes from the discussion and use to
summarize the session
– Ask for any final comments or questions
– When possible, attribute comments to students who originally
made them
• Summarize with 2-3 points (only) – broad themes
– Remark on how the discussion progressed, the issues
discussed, and other issues to be addressed later
– Ask for questions of clarification from professor
• Set up class for the following week
– What questions or issues should they keep in mind?
15. Leading Effective Discussions
• Be prepared
• Don’t expect problems, but be pro-active in addressing
any potential issues that arise.
Conclusions
