Discussion in the College Classroom (ePub)

Keep students engaged and actively learning with focused,
relevant discussion

Second only to lecture as the most widely used instructional
strategy, there's no better method than classroom discussion to
actively engage students with course material. Most faculty are not
aware that there is an extensive body of research on the topic from
which instructors can learn to facilitate exceptional classroom
discussion. Discussion in the College Classroom is a
practical guide which utilizes that research, frames it
sociologically, and offers advice, along with a wide variety of
strategies, to help you spark a relevant conversation and steer it
toward specific learning goals.

Applicable across a spectrum of academic disciplines both online
and on campus, these ideas will help you overcome the practical
challenges and norms that can undermine discussion, and foster a
new atmosphere of collaborative learning and critical thinking.
Higher education faculty are increasingly expected to be more
intentional and reflective in their pedagogical practice, and this
guide shows you how to meet those expectations, improve student
outcomes, and tackle the perennial problem of lagging
engagement.

Thoroughly grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning,
this book gives you concrete guidance on integrating discussion
into your courses. You'll learn to:

* Overcome the challenges that inhibit effective discussion

* Develop classroom norms that facilitate discussion

* Keep discussion focused, relevant, and productive

* Maximize the utility of online student discussions

The kind of discussion that improves learning rarely arises
spontaneously. Like any pedagogical technique, careful planning and
smart strategy are the keys to keeping students focused, engaged,
and invested in the conversation. Discussion in the College
Classroom helps you keep the discussion applicable to the
material at hand while serving learning goals.