In "Discussion as a Way of Teaching" the authors go into depth on how discussion really enhances a classroom. Not only does discussion help to get the students to interact with one another, but it also gets the students to see more than one side of a topic. As teachers it is our job to get these teenagers to see that the world outside of middle/high school is more complex, but this task is not an easy one. As a student teacher myself, I find it hard to get my students to talk about simple stuff (i.e complex relationships like Romeo and Juliet's). After this reading, it has given me a little insight on how I can make discussion happen in my classroom.
One important aspect I found useful in chapter one was humility in discussion. In the high school settings there are so many cliches and stereotypes that it makes speaking out difficult. The students are scared of being judged for talking about a certain issue or maybe believe that if they don't draw attention to them they can survive high school. By making it clear the first day to your students to not judge someone based on their opinions of an issue and to show respect as they talk, then there should be no problem getting your students to speak up.
The benefits of discussion in the classroom are worth it to push your students to be more interactive in the classroom. Looking back to my high school days I realize that my teachers didn't have discussions. It was more of a lecture based high school classroom, and because of that I think I suffer as a college student myself. I feel that as a learner I have a hard time exploring the diversity of a subject and I never gained the intellectual agility that I see my colleagues obtaining. My high school did not prepare me for college, and because of that I will be sure that my own students don't suffer the same things. "Discussion as a Way of Teaching" has inspired me to further my teaching abilities and start using discussion within my classroom at Mead High School.
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