Experts in the field recommend that discussion participation should equal anywhere from 10-30% of the entire grade if students are to take them seriously. Here we provide a list of strategies and methods that help improve the quality of online learning discussions. A commonly held myth is that technology could replace the instructor, or that online learning does not need an instructor.
From the instructor’s preparation to the students’ personalities, many ingredients can enable or challenge the social construction of knowledge in a class community. As Jay Howard suggests, quality discussions require a great deal of planning and an understanding of social, emotional, and intellectual dynamics (Howard 2019). These online discussion boards are powerful because they give all learners a voice in a low-risk setting. You can read more about how Abby structures and facilitates these online discussions HERE. Create a posting schedule that features all the topics you want to cover and when. Include all materials, links, and prompts or questions that accompany each talking point.
- Post a question at the top and A, B, C, D answer choices at the bottom.
- Make both the initial posts and their participation replies an adequate percent of the total grade.
- If you have not created Google Forms before, Lauralee walks you through the process in her digital classroom blog post.
To add another layer of complexity, the audience can partake in a virtual discussion to mimic “tweeting,” which often happens during panel discussion. Jenna uses a shared Google Doc or Backchannel Chat for her audience members. Teachers can leverage this activity virtually using the same tactics, and leveraging breakout rooms, Google hangouts, or a similar tool for students to interact with one another.
Discussions in the classroom setting provides your students opportunities to better get to know each other and expound on the information that they are learning with their peers. Discussions may look different depending on the delivery format of your course. Below are suggestions on how you can adapt your classroom discussions based on your course format. Create a social atmosphere, which is friendly and enthusiastic.
You should also provide clear instructions, expectations, and criteria for participation and assessment. Every forum, blog, and social media post should focus on a specific topic. Secondly, it makes it easy for online learners to respond or leave their eLearning feedback. Going off on tangents or trying to cover too much subject matter will only lead to confusion. Aside from this, you should also moderate ongoing online discussions to ensure that they are on-topic.
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Gradually, as students internalize these concepts and they become second nature, students will be more independent. Have you ever sent students into a discussion and they were done in the blink of an eye? An integral aspect of any of these discussion strategies is student readiness. Students can then collaborate in a virtual setting, and they already are familiar with the topic since they answered the question similarly. Google Forms are quick to make, and the data is simple to process (especially with the multiple choice and checkbox features), which makes it a time-saving tool. Read a multiple choice question slowly and carefully so all students can hear the question and answer choices.
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Based on a short video or text, they practice asking different kinds of questions and her students are able to see first hand how the questions lead to very different discussions. Staci (@DonutLovinTeacher) often asks her students to engage in Socratic Seminars, digital discussion boards, or in Book Clubs. However, before expecting students to know how to have these kinds of discussions, Staci and her students examine the impact of types of questions and responses. Silent discussion strategies have been gaining momentum in the physical classroom, but they are also convenient for online discussions. In a face-to-face discussion, they can choose when to participate and how to respond to others’ input (from nodding, to clapping in support and to adding to what was said).
When Bethany Schultz and her colleagues at Northwest Nazarene University investigated why (Schultz et al., 2020), they discovered three reasons for the skepticism. Anytime you have a group of people gathered in one place, even if it’s online, disagreements are bound to happen. Fortunately, you can minimize the impact of these disagreements by developing a conflict resolution strategy.
The fourth step to lead online discussions is to use appropriate tools and platforms that suit your purpose, audience, and context. You should consider the advantages and disadvantages of different options, such as synchronous or asynchronous, text-based or audio-visual, moderated or unmoderated, and public or private. You should also familiarize yourself with the features and functions of the chosen tool or platform, and test it before launching the discussion.
Facilitating discussions during class can improve student engagement, enhance critical thinking skills, and promote deeper learning. Students are more likely to retain information and will be able to apply it in new and different contexts. Furthermore, classroom discussions can help to create a more collaborative learning environment, where students can learn from each other and build upon each other’s ideas. Online discussions can help you prepare for class, learn discussion skills, practice your writing skills, and learn from others. To be successful, you need to translate your face-to-face discussion skills to the online environment. Remember that Meetheage review online discussions are first and foremost dialogues, not writing assignments.
In this case, a question like, “Anyone care to comment on this? ” might be changed to “Please post your response to the topic by Wednesday.” Humor is culturally specific and may not be perceived the same by everyone. To develop a seminar, Amanda from Mud and Ink Teaching recommends starting with an Essential Question.
For example, a short paragraph response to the prompt you included in the blog post. Write a list of tips and guidelines and pin it to the top of your message thread for quick reference. Teachers have vital roles in engaging students in online learning platforms.
Teachers will continue their role as a facilitator of learning; however, we now have a different platform, which requires a modified skill set. Leading effective discussions can be intentional and meaningful but, as a teacher, you need to do the frontloading prior to jumping online. The perfect class discussion can feel like something of an alchemy.
One of her go-to silent discussion strategies is a Color-Coded Conversation using a shared document. In order to make a virtual or blended learning silent discussion work, we first have to select the technology we need. So, I started brainstorming how those engaging techniques can transfer to online learning.