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Engaging with Learners

4. Leading Dynamic Discussions

In this resource we will examine best practices around dynamic discussion.

Classroom discussions about practical applications of study can be accomplished in all disciplines, even highly analytical disciplines like math and statistics. Studies show that when students apply and interact with the facts they are learning, that learning is more likely to be understood and retained. But good discussions do not just happen; they require careful planning and lots of modeling. Penn State’s Lolita Paff suggests that conducting discussions requires:

  • Observing and keeping track of what happens during discussion
  • Differentiating between content and process of discussion
  • Developing a tolerance for the messiness and unpredictability of interaction
  • Recognizing students’ central role in discussion
  • Accepting that discussion leading is a learnable skill

Discussion styles

Discussion styles can take different forms in the classroom. In recitation, the teacher asks close-ended questions and students give right or wrong answers. In conversation, discussion is so informal that it has no real academic agenda. And in seminars, interactions fall somewhere in between (Filene 2005).

  • Recitation acts like an oral quiz, focusing on lower-order questions—those that test students’ ability to remember and understand ideas. Asking who, what, where, when, why, and how questions can be an effective as a drill, but it does not encourage learning beyond rote memorization.
  • Conversation is much more relaxed but can be unfocused and meandering. This strategy is great for building rapport but may not be conducive to higher-order thinking because of the haphazard and informal way material is addressed.
  • Seminar aims at a substantive and probing analysis of a specific topic and includes issues and perspectives that will challenge students’ thinking. This style can take some time to learn to orchestrate, but it is a valuable tool for encouraging student engagement (with one another and with texts) and higher-order, critical thinking.

Seminar-style discussions that encourage higher-order thinking 

One way to urge students to think beyond the obvious is to use Bloom’s Taxonomy of thinking skills to formulate higher-order questions for discussion (see the other Bloom’s-related links below). A systematic method of disciplined questioning—be it Socratic questioning, the Harkness philosophy, Bloom-focused questioning skills to engage students, or other higher-order questioning techniques—will also help students think deeply about a topic. Classroom discussions conducted using this method have a clear goal and keep participants focused and engaged. See Examples of Socratic-style questions for ideas on how to word strong questions.

Leading dynamic discussions is a skill, and it requires practice to improve. Try several question types based on the systematic approaches suggested here to see which work best for your discipline, teaching style, and classroom community.  Lower-order questions may be useful to prompt students' memories of important facts that will be required to address more detailed questions, but focus your efforts on the more difficult task of crafting higher-order questions that require students to engage with the material in new ways.  Keep track of what works and doesn't work for you, and with practice, you'll gain confidence and intuition about what question style to use in what situation.


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