Ground Rules for High School Academic Discussion
Teach Students to Discuss Literature in Exciting New Ways
Jan 29, 2009
Academic discussion is a wonderful way to rouse student interest and engagement in English class, but careful planning and implementation is necessary to scaffold student learning and direct student attention. By setting forth ground rules in the beginning of class, teachers can structure more productive class discussion.
Inform Students of Specific Goals
Teachers are required to identify specific learning objectives in their lesson plans and on their class syllabus. However, oftentimes they neglect to share these goals with their students. Keep in mind that doing so will help answer the age-old student question: “Why do we have to do this?” Reviewing learning objectives with students will help develop in them a vested interest in learning. Consider making the identification of learning objectives part of your lesson-initiating activity.
Select a Topic for Academic Discussion
If you want to incite a discussion about a story your English class is reading, consider presenting two stories for discussion. The benefits of discussing two stories concurrently are manifold. Selecting stories which share a similar topic, theme, or application of literary elements allows students to both analyze and synthesize texts by identifying similarities and differences while also considering author’s purpose. For instance, two choices that exemplify how authors use satire to criticize the government are “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”
Prepare for Academic Discussion
Teachers should not be the only ones preparing for academic discussion. A more productive session is likely to occur if students actively prepare as well. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Some ideas include:
- Divide your class up into partnerships or teams in advance so students know which questions they are expected to address the day of discussion.
- Assign certain students “for “ or “against” positions just as you might do in preparation for an actual debate.
- Assign certain students the role of devil’s advocate
- Assign certain students the role of discussion leader
You may also want to provide individuals or groups of students with an advanced list of questions, such as the following:
- Who are the main characters in each story?
- What are some examples of direct characterization? Indirect characterization?
- What other story/movie/song does this story remind you of?
- How would you have revised either story? What parts seemed awkward to you?
- What is the author’s purpose in each story?
- Which author makes a stronger presentation of his point?
- How do the two stories differ in tone/approach/ use of literary elements?
- What commonalities do these two stories share?
Finally, a graphic organizer of some sort, such as a Venn diagram, can be provided to students in advance to help them arrange their ideas.
Facilitate Academic Discussion
When possible, teachers should consider adopting the role of facilitator rather than discussion leader. Selecting a student or a group of students to serve as discussion leaders will help refocus the attention to one that is student-centered. The teacher can help redirect a topic or step in as necessary to remind students of the learning objectives for the activity.
Another way teachers can facilitate discussion is to help establish a positive tone of inquiry and acceptance. By telling students that part of the discussion should include supporting opinions with specific examples of the text, teachers communicate that the ideas are less important than the attempt to defend these ideas. Remind them, too, that supporting ideas with text-based evidence is an essential skill in essay and research paper writing.
Academic discussions such as this are a natural springboard for student writing. It can serve as an informal brainstorming session where students are given the opportunity to solidify their ideas. Students will also have conducted some close reading and identified specific textual support which they can use in their essays.
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