SECTIONS AND LABS Facilitating Discussions Encouraging Student Participation

One of the biggest fears new instructors have is that no one is going to speak up in class. And, in fact, many teachers are frustrated by the fact that students often do not respond to their questions and seem unprepared for section. Here are some tips on how to get students involved in discussion.

1. Early Discussion

Try to get everyone talking in the first couple of section meetings. Once students “break the ice,” they’ll be more likely to share.

2. Make Your Goals Clear

While remaining flexible to the unpredictable turns that classroom conversations can take, you should come to lab or section with a lesson plan, in which your main goals have been articulated, and the activities or questions you will use to meet those goals have been planned out. Some GSIs like to provide their students with the goals, or “take home message,” at the beginning of class, in a handout or on the board. This will make section feel more focused and productive. Students participate more when they have a sense of what to expect. Also, prioritize the goals you set for a class session and be realistic. Planning only two or three goals and creating activities that promote discussion, debate, and deep learning is more effective than tackling many goals in a superficial way.

3. Avoid Programmed and Yes-or-No Questions

To encourage discussion, ask broad questions — “How” or “Why” questions that require the students to think through a process, evaluate information, predict outcomes, form opinions, etc. Avoid “programmed” questions, in which you answer the question yourself before students have a chance to respond (e.g., “Why doesn’t the moon have an atmosphere? It’s because it has weak gravity, right?”). Questions with a simple “Yes” or “No” answer can also cut off discussion. (For more on asking good questions, see “Asking Questions” [Davis 2001, 82–90] in the print version of the teaching guide.)

4. Rephrase the Question

If no one responds to your question, try rephrasing it. If you still get no response, don’t be afraid to ask the students why they didn’t respond. Was it vague? Unclear? Did they do the reading? (And yes it is OK to ask your students if they did the reading.)

5. Encourage Student Questions

Remind your students that there are no “stupid” questions — if they have a question, chances are that someone else in the class has that question, too. Never assume that something that seems easy to you will be easy to your students. “What questions do you have?” usually gets a better response than “Do you have any questions?”

6. Ask Them to Respond to another Student’s Comment

Involve more students by asking questions that agree or disagree with a comment: “How do the rest of you feel about that?” “Does anyone who hasn’t spoken care to comment?” “Is there anyone else who agrees or disagrees?” Discussions run best when the students are responding to each other. Try to keep your talking to a minimum and encourage students to respond to each other’s comments and to look at each other. Think of yourself as a discussion guide, not leader.

7. Written Responses/Free Write

Consider asking students to write a response to a question you pose. Then you can choose to call on a couple of students to read their response. This will give everyone time to prepare something. This is a great opportunity to get those students not participating involved. Call on someone who does not speak up much or who may seem disengaged. 

8. Group Assignments

Instructors can devise assignments to facilitate more group involvement. Breaking students down into small groups and giving them directed questions to discuss will get more students involved. You can have the groups report their findings back to the rest of the class. Once students have formulated and discussed their ideas in a small group, they may feel more comfortable sharing with the rest of the class. (For more group work suggestions, see Facilitating Group Work and Additional Strategies to Create Variety in the Classroom.)

9. Assign Roles to Students

Instructors can ask two or three students to lead part of a discussion one week. Be certain to give students guidelines and a format, as well as some moral support. (If you have a large section you may need to make the discussion leader groups larger in order to ensure that all students have the opportunity to present.) You can also create other roles for students such as a summarizer or a recorder to recap the key points made in the day’s section. You might also establish an observer whose role is to comment on the discussion. Be sure that students who lead discussions understand that they must involve the other students and avoid giving a presentation.

10. Bring Students’ Outside Comments into Class

If a student makes a good comment in office hours or on a paper, check with the person to see if you can bring it up in class. Then in your next meeting say, “Anna, you were saying something about that in office hours yesterday; would you mind repeating it for the class?” You might consider using this technique with your students who do not speak up much to help them feel more comfortable speaking in front of the class. Be sure not to always single out the same person.

11. Nonverbal Support

Keep eye contact with students while they are talking. Nod along so that they know you are listening. If they feel as though you’re interested in what they have to say, they may volunteer more often. If a student who is rarely involved contributes to the discussion, give the person a smile and let them know you’re interested in what they have to say.

12. Assign Alternative Tasks

Remember, just because they are not speaking doesn’t mean that they are not involved. Assign a small, specific task to a student who doesn’t speak up much in class, for example: “Kyle, could you find out for next week when the first NAACP chapter was opened in San Francisco?”

13. Limit the Contributions of Students who Dominate

Make sure to wait after you ask a question to give all students an opportunity to think about your question. Don’t just call on the first hand that goes up. Provide six to ten seconds of “wait time” before calling on a student. Though this may seem long and drawn out to you, keep in mind that students and teachers have different timing needs, and students need time to think before they can respond.

You can also have students write down a response to your question before you ask for oral contributions. This gives them time to think. You can then choose a couple of people to respond who don’t speak up much.

Consider calling on students who don’t raise their hand. Let students know at the beginning of the semester that you will be doing this. Some students know the answer but are afraid to raise their hand.

Working in small groups is also a good way to distribute turns at talk, but you may need to take steps to prevent a student from dominating the group discussion. One way to do this (as discussed above) is to assign roles to students in the groups, e.g., recorder, summarizer, time keeper, etc. Assign the dominant student a specific role that limits participation, such as summarizer.

If the problem continues, you should speak to the student outside of class. Be certain to let the student know how much you value his or her participation. If the student’s comments are good, let the student know, but point out that not all students are getting the opportunity to participate. Normally you will see a remarkable difference in the very next section if you do this. If not, speak to the student again.

Setting guidelines for discussion early in the semester that stipulate that no one person should dominate the discussion and that all should have the opportunity to participate is an excellent way to nip this type of behavior in the bud.

14. Tactfully Correct Wrong Answers

Disapproval or a put down will discourage students from sharing again. If a student is off track, try to coach the student towards the right answer. Provide hints or suggestions. And say something positive about the aspects of the response that are insightful, original, or creative. Try things like “Good — now let’s take it a step further”; “Keep going”; “Keep thinking about it.”

15. Pre-lab or Pre-Discussion Assignments

One of the primary reasons that students do not speak up in section is that they have not done the reading and are therefore not prepared. The best way to get students involved is to ask them to be responsible for doing something with the material before coming to class. For example, have your students write responses to questions you give them in advance. Asking students to post their responses and read those of their colleagues before coming to class is a great way to get them to come prepared to section. On-line discussions can facilitate in-class discussion. (See Using Technology in the Classroom.) You can also have students keep a reading “journal” (one page of free-form response) that they need to hand in or post electronically. Alternatively, select out and have students come prepared to discuss specific passages in a text that are central to the text’s argument. You can also ask students to identify the paragraph or section of the reading that confused them the most or one they found most useful in understanding the overall message of the reading. You can also have students fill out a worksheet before coming to class. All of these small assignments will encourage broader participation in class. Giving assignments ahead of time requires that you keep at least a week ahead on the readings, and that you develop a system of grading the assignments (usually by a “check” or “check plus” system).

16. Don’t be Afraid to Admit You Don’t Know Something

You are not responsible for knowing everything! Far from undermining your authority, admission of ignorance about something shows that you are not defensive about your knowledge and imparts the important lesson that part of wisdom is knowing what you don’t know. Use this as a learning opportunity. If the problem is one that can be speculated about, ask students to consider how one might arrive at an answer. Tell the students you will look up the information (and be sure to do so). Alternatively, for accessible facts, ask a student to look up the information after class.

17. Move around the Classroom or Lab

Sitting behind a table for the whole class can lower energy — both yours and the students’. It also gives the students sitting next to you more of your attention. You will find students regularly sitting far away from you either to avoid participation or to divert attention from their lack of preparation. Try switching locations from class to class. Or move around the room during class — get up to write on the board, or to work with students in smaller groups.

18. Create a Safe Space

It is important to establish a safe space in the classroom so students feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints and ideas. Critique ideas, not people. Respond immediately to offensive comments. Let students know that you will not tolerate stereotyping, homophobia, racism, sexism, etc. Students should know that they can contact you outside of class if something in section makes them uncomfortable or is upsetting. Don’t ever dismiss students’ concerns or feelings.

19. Be Aware of Who You are Calling On

Research studies show that teachers respond more favorably to male students. Be sensitive to this and be certain that you’re communicating equally with male and female students. Call on them equally, make eye contact with them all, and support them all. (More on this in the online course on professional ethics and standards.)

20. Engage Your Students

One way to get students involved is to engage their interests and make material relevant to their daily lives. Students also report that they feel more intrinsically motivated when instructors create realistic expectations that are conveyed explicitly. Having section participation count in the course grade acknowledges the value of section and, in a context that fosters intrinsic motivation, can be seen as a healthy incentive. Frequently ten to twenty percent of a student’s course grade will be based on  participation in section. If participation will be graded, you need to determine in advance what constitutes class participation and how you will assess it in order to maintain accuracy and equity in grading. You should keep detailed records of participation for each class meeting. Consider not only quantity of talk, but quality of engagement.