CH 5

I liked the concept that teachers must create an environment for good discussion. With class sizes so large, speaking out may be even more intimidating to students than ever. Therefore, having students discuss questions in groups may be a great way to combat this problem.  It is easier to speak to 3 other peers than 30. This small setting also allows students to speak more often in the conversation. Furthermore, discussing questions in groups first would also allow students time to prepare their thoughts before they presented to the class. A student may feel more comfortable speaking on a topic they have had time to develop than speaking extemporaneously on a topic. The same idea can be implemented in freewriting. A professor implemented this tactic in one of my college courses. Since the class was held in a lab, it was easy to type our thoughts about that days reading. It was easier to discuss our ideas with the class after we had time to flesh out our own thoughts.  Another way to create comfortable environment is to play the role of facilitator not judge. I have been in many classrooms where instructors ask a broad question with a specific answer in mind. If the student does not guess this answer, they may feel humiliated or jaded against the teacher. I have found that I will stop answering questions if a teacher plays the role of judge.

I also liked the idea that students needs to assume responsibility for their readings. Often I find myself even glazing over passages. If students have to interact with the text before class, they will more likely be able to discuss better. My high school English teacher gave us the discussion questions as a homework assignment with the reading. When we came to class the next day, she knew we were ready to discuss the chapters of our novel. I like this approach and think that it would be a beneficial way to keep students accountable and interacting with the text.