Discussion-based academic teaching is among the most intricate methods of education but also be among the most rewarding. Precisely, using discussions as the primary method of teaching enables the teacher to stimulate critical thinking. While the teacher creates a rapport with the students, he or she can indeed show gratitude for their contributions as well as challenge them to contemplate more seriously and to articulate their ideas (Beck et al 1982, p. 506). Frequent questions, asked by either the teacher or the students, are a way of determining their understanding and studying in-depth the fundamental course concepts. Discussions are also an excellent technique for improving student enthusiasm, fostering intellectual agility, and encouraging democratic habits (LaRusso et al 2016). As such, they generate opportunities for the students to practice and develop some skills, including the ability to articulate and also defend positions, contemplate diverse viewpoints, and enlist and evaluate evidence.
Each student in a group is given a different role. To begin with, the leader is supposed to create a critical question regarding the article while the student in charge of vocabulary has the duty of highlighting all the material and look at the connotations of technical vocabulary and creating a list of words. Notably, the researches presented in discussion-based classes are not only all-inclusive but also detailed (Smoke 1988, p. 15). Furthermore, the study conducted here involves different articles that discuss the specific consideration a teacher should keep in mind when teaching this kind of lesson. Therefore, these considerations encompass all the individual responsibilities of a group member and the class in general.
Participation is very crucial in discussion-based reading class. In other words, it is a workhorse educational strategy that is straightforward, easy to use, and quite effective at accomplishing some learning objectives. Participation provides interest since it is challenging to maintain learners’ attention and focus when the only thing they hear is the teacher talking. Moreover, participation is a crucial way of engaging learners (Smith-Lovin & Charles 1989, p. 429). For instance, a good question can pique their attention, make them contemplate and think, and encourage them to connect with the learning content.
Importantly, any time students answer or attempt to explain, educators can tell their level of understanding. When educators ask questions or seek students’ input over a given topic, they let students understand something about the significance of particular information and ideas (Latendresse 2004, p. 17). If a teacher frequently calls on learners and questions them regarding assigned reading or what they have previously learned during a class session, they enhance student’s preparedness. Arbaugh (2000, p. 240) asserts that in most professional contexts, individuals need the ability to communicate in a group. They may want to give information, ask questions, or disagree with different solutions. Whenever participation is used to teach students public communication skill, feedback is of the essence.
Feedback is an integral part of active discussion-based learning because it helps students comprehend the subject of study and acquire clear guidance on how to boost their knowledge. Discussion feedback is more strongly and consistently related to accomplishment compared to any other educating behavior (Leal 1993, p. 115). Moreover, this relationship is reliable irrespective of socioeconomic status, grade, race, or institutional setting. Importantly, feedback helps improve a scholar’s confidence, self-consciousness and passion for studying. Murphy & England (2018, p. 15) assert that effective feedback in the first year of university study can support the transition to higher education and also support the retention of the student. Providing learners with feedback should boost learning and strengthen assessment of performance. Notably, some educators fail to recognize the need for improvement in their teaching. Hence, they tend to think that their classroom job is already perfect, a notion that lowers their interest in strengthening their overall performance (Seldin 1989, p. 336).
Assessment
Jones (1999, p. 247) asserts that in trying to find out what the learners need, one cannot make much advancement without enquiring into their studying technique, which is identified hugely by cultural history. Irrespective of the number of Asian cultures, it is probably to draw out common characteristics that may help in comprehending why learners from the area are susceptible towards silence or reticence in class (Spink & Carron 1994, p. 33). Considering the way a group activity relates to course results, instructors ought to contemplate the skills necessary to complete a given task and not merely the correct content representation. For instance, group activities must be assessed for both product and process, i.e. regular check-ins with time before the last submission (Applebee et al 2003, p. 691). Importantly, peer and self-evaluation at critical points in the development of the group result are vital. Moreover, the teacher should consider various tests comprising the final grade for that activity. Hence, the instructor ought to ask the learners to assess their contribution to the particular project by applying self-assessment tools and focusing on the process skills accentuated in the course outcomes.
Team-based studying is a necessary organized kind of small-group learning that focuses on student preparation away from class and knowledge application in class. For instance, students are structured rationally into different teams that function collectively throughout the class (Smith-Lovin & Charles 1989, p. 430). Notably, before every module or unit of the course, students get ready by reading prior. Although such discussions prompt strategies for discovery and exploration, managing a discussion may produce anxiety. Also, discussions are sometimes erratic and require teachers to surrender a particular degree of control over the circulation of information (Reznitskaya et al 2009, p. 34). Luckily, well-thought planning may help an educator make sure that discussions are vibrant non-chaotic and exploratory without losing focus. Planning a discussion requires the consideration of cognitive, social or emotional, and also physical factors that may either promote or prevent the productive exchange of ideas.
