DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING Stephen Brookfield

Stephen Brookfield’s article about discussion in the classroom is a useful resource for showing different discussion methods in the classroom. I’ve always been a little bit more on the quite side when it comes to class discussions but Brookfield is very convincing when showing how important participation in class discussions can be. The beginning of this article shows how a teacher can set ground rules for their classroom in regards to discussions. This made me reflect on the multiple experiences I have had with class discussions that I found invigorating as well as the class discussions that nearly put me to sleep. Some of my favorite discussions involved discussing a topic with a group of three or four students and then reconvening with all of the other groups to discuss that topic as a class. The discussions that I remember disliking usually involve the class not being prepared for the discussion, or the teacher trying to force a comment or idea out of me that I do not have at that moment. That being said, I had mixed feelings about the discussion methods that Brookfield introduces in his article. One method really stood out to me. In my notes about the “Snowballing” discussion method I wrote “Winner!!!” (pg. 13). I like this method the most by far because it seems like a perfect way to get everyone in the class involved in a discussion. I can just picture students moving around in an eager fashion while they join a new group every few minutes to share their ideas on the topic. By the time the whole class comes together, everyone’s thoughts have been shared and expanded on in one way or another and this could make for an exciting class discussion in the end. This method is something that I am definitely going to try in my classroom one day. A method that I am not very fond of in this article is the “Specific Moves” discussion method (pg. 7). The list of moves seems forced for students who might not have anything to say for their specific move and it seems limiting for a student who might have more to say than what their specific move allows. When reading this list of moves I imagined putting myself in a class discussion where I have to “Use body language to show interest in what different speakers are saying,” and it makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it. I believe that class discussions can be some of the most beneficial classroom experiences that a student can have if done correctly. This article opens up new ideas for class discussion and methods that can be used to get the most out of a student’s educational experience. It is one that I will keep in mind when I begin to lead my own class discussions in the near future.