Discussion strategies

Structured Discussions

In a structured discussion, a discussion is used to meet specific learning outcomes. The discussion usually has guidelines, which can be both content-oriented, logistical, and technical. 

For example, the discussion rules can restrict the topics, tell when and how to make contributions, require responses to specific questions, call for a formal debate, or ask participants for specific kinds of input, numbers of posts, or numbers of responses.

Examples:

Discussions might be structured in many ways. You can ask participants to:

• Complete one of the assigned readings on a particularly complex topic. Then give them time (in small groups perhaps) to discuss what they learned from it and as a group develop a better understanding of its implications.

• Compare two conceptual models of a phenomenon and discuss which does a better job at explanation.

• Read a case study or other research paper and critically evaluate its structure, processes, and results.

• Compare two research studies with contrasting results and critically evaluate them to decide which might be more valid.

• Conduct a debate or have participants take on different roles and or points of view in the discussion.

• Transform what could be a lecture into a problem to be discussed.

• Instead of just providing a definition of fog and a description of the various mechanisms that can cause it to form, ask a question. “Here are 3 very different locations where fog occurs frequently under certain conditions. Discuss what these situations have in common and how they differ. What can you say about the critical ingredients for fog formation?”

• Instead of describing how observing systems work, ask students to decide what data would be required to adequately forecast the formation and propagation of a tropical cyclone, and from which observations that data might be obtained.