The Skillful Teacher

Getting Discussions Started
The foundation of productive discussion is the generation of ground
rules. Such rules typically ensure that minority opinions are
respected, that no one is allowed to dominate the group, that diver-
gent views are allowed full and free expression, and that time lim-
its are set on members’ contributions. Teachers can impose such
rules themselves but a more participatory approach, and one that
will likely ensure that students take any rules proposed seriously, is
to involve students in setting these. This can be done by encourag-
ing students to reflect on their own experiences as discussion par-
ticipants and then helping them extrapolate dialogic rules from this
reflection.