How can you use discussion-based learning to promote student engagement?

Constructive alignment is key to successful student engagement via discussion based learning. The topics must be relevant but vibrant, sparking deep thinks into the area. I always find it helpful to select a meaningful topic with an emotionally intelligent hook. The hook allows the student to start conceptualizing the topics from an emotional perspective and then drilling down to a cognitively challenging perspective. For example, the topic of ethics in my subject area of construction management is often a great moot that generates intense debate. The strategic objective is to know your students and find out what they care about in relation to the subject. Once this is accomplished you retain their interest.

I always ask my students to be good listeners. The best listeners aren’t just popular, they become constant learners by truly hearing what others have to say. I create a safe space for learning by emphasizing that it’s okay to make mistakes. We are all here to learn and explore ideas together.

It is important to discourage suppression of views in the academic environment, even if those views are polar opposites. To create a supportive and respectful environment, the following could be done: 1. Discourage unconscious bias 2. Provide a fair amount of time for contributions 3. Encourage diverse views from different perspectives 4. Provide different mechanisms for contributions as some students may not participate in open forums due to their neuro diversity. 5. Listen attentively and build the discussion on the contribution rather than ignoring it and moving on 6. Zero tolerance for disrespectful behaviour, i.e. set the ground rules.

Authentic feedback is key and not just any feedback. Some ways authentic feedback can be provided are: 1. Progressive feedback for the formative and/or summative assessment 2. Ensuring that rubrics are well defined and clear to avoid any challenges 3. Ensuring that feedback is specific such that the student is motivated to repair any deficiencies 4. Use different methods depending on the situation, one to one could work in some cases in lieu of feedback via Moodle. 5. Provide rationale for the design of the assessment, i.e. why are we testing this? If the students understand the why then the feedback becomes more useful. 6. Use peer review in some cases where students could provide feedback once there is no competitive element.

In my own experience, sometimes we just need to give it time. As teachers we are eager to jump in to help facilitate but most of the time, we are a few seconds away from a student engaging in the discussion. Waiting is the hardest part.