"Discussion as a Way of Teaching" Brookfield

Stephen Brookfield's "Discussion as a Way of Teaching" is a great article overviewing the types of discussion that could be useful in a classroom. Having a student-orientated discussion in the classroom has always been an interesting interaction to witness and participate in personally and from that, I do feel that it is beneficial in a classroom. Personally, I like the structured examples of discussion that Brookfield gives in his article and the rules that help guide the discussion. Brookfield gives an example called "The Circle of Voices" where it is a circle of students going around in a circle discussing their ideas on a topic. Once the circle discussion is over, each student has to present to the class an idea that another student in their circle discussed instead of their own. Being able to regulate the discussions and make sure they do not get off track is a rough job for a teacher, but with a regulated, rule-oriented discussion like "The Circle of Voices" it could help students stay on track and all equally participate in the discussion.

Another great example Brookfield gave was "Mutual Invitation". Where the discussion is started by a facilitator and then chooses the next person to speak about the same topic. When that person is done speaking, they choose the next person, and so on. Students do have the option to pass, but they must still choose the next person to speak. When a topic arises that is heavily debatable or controversy, this would be a great way for everyone to express their opinions and ideas on a topic. The room could be divided into the 'for's', 'against's', and 'neutrals', and they can choose to have a student in their group speak or listen to a student in another group speak.

Many of Brookfield's examples could be used in many different situations or environments and can still be regulated by the teacher so that nothing gets out of control. Discussion in the classroom, I believe is a great tool for teaching, with the multiple attributes it promotes.

Having your students lead a discussion in a classroom, especially high school, can help you as a teacher show your respect for the students' voices. It also shows your confidence in them as students to be able to handle a student-led discussion on their own without you having to interject every five minutes. If students feel respected by their teacher, they tend to be more willing and engaged in the classroom.

Overall I did enjoy reading Stephen Brookfield's article and will probably keep it for the many examples it provides that I may one day use in my own classroom.