A combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out participants’ ideas further.Īsking the contributor for further clarification and/or elaboration. Writing participants’ comments on the whiteboard.Īsking follow-up questions, and paraphrasing the comments for everyone to ponder. Step back when a group is functional/functioning – help participants become independent learners take control of their learning.Įncouraging participation can be accomplished by: If the group starts to veer in the direction of negativity and/or pointless venting, ask them how they would like to address this. Try to keep the group on task without rushing them. Request that if participants challenge others’ ideas, they back it up with evidence, appropriate experiences, and/or appropriate logic. Go over constructive and destructive group behaviors at the start of the course / workshop. Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of perspectives as an essential part of the process. Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping).Īsk dominant participants to allow others to speak. Make the discussion functional by clarifying the goals of each session to the group. Keep discussions constructive and positive Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal communication.Ĭonvey a sense of self-importance or superiority.Īllow only the dominant or more verbal participants to take over the conversation.ĭiscourage alternate views or counter-arguments.Ģ. Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism). Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable.Īssume participants all have the same expectations when the group first convenes. Provide opportunities for participants to pair-share. Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to discussions. Treat participants with respect and consideration.ĭevelop an awareness for barriers for learning (cultural social experiential, etc). What behaviors am I most familiar or comfortable with?Īllow participants to introduce themselves – you can even set up an ice breaker to have pairs of students introduce each other.īe clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator.Īsk for clarification if unclear about a participant’s intent or question. What do I bring to the group? What surprises or challenges me? What do the participants bring to the group? (“Characteristics that may give you a unique perspective”) Discussion is a powerful mechanism for active learning a well-facilitated discussion allows the participant to explore new ideas while recognizing and valuing the contributions of others. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement.
#Participants in a formal discussion use language that is series#
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