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Discussions as a Way of Teaching- Blog Post #1

I found this reading to be very interesting because of the different methods of approaching discussions that were offered. I also liked the idea of setting ground rules for discussions. This is something that I see myself doing in the beginning of the school year. I would set roles and what I would expect from my students and have my students put in their input as well. I also liked some of the different ways one can have a discussion in class. I liked the "Circle of Voices" technique where everyone in the group gets into a circle and we each go around and talk about what we thought about the reading. I like that it gets rid of the anxiety of needing to jump in or looking for a time of when to jump in. I also liked that it focuses on what others have said, so this makes students more attentive and good listeners because when we go around the circle again we can only expand on what others have said. The only thing that this doesn't solve as much are getting the shy students to talk, but I think that if the environment is calm to them it can help.

It was also interesting for me to read about the different roles I could take on as someone who is facilitating the discussion. Of course I should always be an active listener and maybe question or challenge what is being said in class. So it was a good reminder. The open ended questions toward the end of the reading were helpful. I think having open ended questions and continually asking open ended questions can keep students talking and can deepen the discussion as long as it's still focused. So reading that was also helpful. These questions can help students expand on what they may be trying to say and make connections with the text they are studying. I realized that there are many things a teacher needs to look out for during a discussion.

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