How to Lead and Guide but Not Control and Direct

Students benefit greatly from participating in class discussions, but have a natural tendency to let the tutor do the talking.  This is not from laziness: they simply respect the tutor's opinion more than their own, or their classmates'.  How can you keep a class discussion going without dominating it?  Werner (1993) offers four tips:  

·        The tutor must make a personal commitment to discussion.  Students resist discussion: they want the `right' answer, and they want it now.  With long silences and bored looks, they can easily wear a tutor down.  You have to make a firm commitment to yourself not to give in and reveal the answers.  Eventually students will realize that the quality of learning depends on them.

·        Tutors facilitate discussion by removing themselves from positions of power in the classroom.  Sit amongst the students, and let them face each other.  If they can only see you, then they will only talk to you, and not to each other.

·        Leading a discussion involves providing a framework for the discussion.  Plan in advance where you want the discussion to go, and think up some leading questions.  It is hard to generate these on the spot.

·        Good discussion leaders attend to the process.  Always be aware of where the discussion is going, and intervene if it has gone off-topic or is leading up a blind alley.  Referring back to an earlier comment made by a student is a good strategy for getting out of rough patches.