A Game for Encouraging Discussion Participation

Carey L. Booth, Ph.D.
Summer Session Faculty
1628 SE Salmon St.
Portland, OR 97214

Lesson Summary          
The goal is to enable all students to participate in every class discussion regardless of background in the topic, shyness, or second language issues. By asking early participants to pause and listen, more hesitant participants can enter the discussion. Some shy participants have the best insights to offer the class.

Background
To reinforce learning of the concepts that I present in lecture, I wanted to spend the second hour of each class discussing two assigned journal articles on animal communication, which deals with the evolution of animal morphology and behavior from a sensory perspective. This gave the students a chance to read examples of reviews and experimental work in the field and to use the vocabulary, verbalize their understanding of the material, and ask questions during discussion.

Some people, however, are more inclined to join into a discussion than others, and those who were more hesitant had a difficult time getting their turn to get participation credit. After one class with a particularly vocal student who monopolized the conversation, I devised this scheme to allow everyone a chance to participate without having to force their way into the discussion. I have used this discussion technique successfully for 11 years, and it has been well received by my students.

Implementation
Motivating with participation credit:
Participation credit is given for 25% of the course grade. In order to get full participation credit, each student must make at least 3 contributions to each discussion session.

Low pressure:
The quality of the comments is not graded. Asking a question, such as the meaning of a new term, counts.

Encouraging respectful discussion:
Creating a safe, comfortable environment for low stress participation is crucial. We can respectfully agree to disagree on some points. I point out in the first class that evolution does not conflict with a belief in God.

Facilitating discussion:
I try to make sure that the major issues of the articles are understood by asking questions on topics that have not come up in the students’ conversation so far. I ask them to bring a copy of the articles to class so that we can read sections together and discuss graphs and tables in detail.

The game:
The first day is just lecture, since they haven’t had time to read any articles yet. To make it easier for me to get to know them, they fill out a name card with their major, regular school (PSU or another), why they are taking this class, and a specific area of interest. Getting to know their areas of interest and expertise allows me to draw them into the conversation. I always hope to have a person interested in plants to help with the plant-animal communication topics. Sometimes a student will have experience with a particular group of animals (this summer I had a student who worked in an aquarium store and had hands-on experience with fish and amphibians). I also explain how the discussions will work.

Starting on the second day, after lecture and a 10-minute break, we circle the chair/desks, and I sit in a different spot each day to vary whom I make eye contact with.

As the discussion starts, 3 or 4 people will usually get involved in a conversation. I keep track of their participation with a check by their name on my attendance sheet (alphabetized by first name). After about 10 minutes, I announce that those people have their 3 marks for full participation credit. I thank them for their contribution and ask them to listen, but to stop talking until they are invited back into the conversation. I suggest that if they just can’t stand to let an idea go, that they write it down for later. If they continue to interrupt out of turn, I gently remind them that they really can’t talk now.

As the quieter people find an opening, I keep track of their comments and every few minutes announce a few more people who are done for now. Before the end of the first half hour, I let the remaining students know how many more comments they still need to get their quota of 3. I offer a change to the second article to open up new possibilities for them.

It occasionally gets down to one student with 2 or 3 comments still needed. I remind everyone else that it is not their turn and ask the last student what they’d like to talk about. If it is routinely the same student each day, I talk to them after class to offer strategies to help them get their points in sooner. In subsequent classes, I make eye contact with them as an invitation to join in or ask them to go first.

Follow-Up
As I get to know the students better, and as they get to know each other better, the discussions flow more easily. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of every comment, but everyone participates more than enough to get full credit. I worried that when everyone had their 3 marks, they would no longer be motivated to participate, but once the last person is done, and everyone is invited back in (usually in the last 10-15 minutes), many people join back in, and the hour ends quickly.

Some of the quieter students have engaged each other in a contest to see who can be the first to get their 3 points in. Some of the more vocal students have challenged each other to not be in the first round of people asked to be quiet.

When grading exams, I will write comments to those quiet ones who do particularly well, that the class could benefit from hearing more from them during the discussions.

Adaptability

Class size:
This works best for classes small enough (<15 or 20) for the faculty member to learn everyone's name and for there to be enough time for everyone to talk.

Time allotted:
An hour is a good amount of time to let the conversation take its course, to make sure that the major points are covered in the two articles, and to let everyone have time to get their 3 points. In summer session, I have 2 hour and 20 minute classes, which lets me break each class into half lecture and half discussion. It could also work in a regular class, with one day for lecture and the next day for discussion.

Classroom configuration:
Having desk/chairs is best, but moveable tables and chairs can work to make a circle for the discussion.

Teaching style:
The teaching style needed to pull this off is personal enough to get to know the students by name and some of their areas of interests to help draw them out, but firm enough to require that they be quiet when it is not their turn. This can be done in a joking manner while repeating your appreciation of their earlier participation, but you need to be persistent in reminding them that they need to listen until invited back into the conversation.

Discipline:
This works very well for this scientific topic, but could easily be adapted to any area where a combination of lecture and discussion of readings is appropriate.

Materials and Additional Resources
Name card form
Participation form

Author’s Reflections
The first to join in are not always the ones with the most insightful comments on the scientific aspects of the articles. Sometimes they just want to get it over with, they can’t stand an uncomfortable silence, or they just like to talk. The length of silence that feels uncomfortable varies with each person. Those that are more hesitant to join in seem to need a longer silence to get motivated to fill it with their comment. I work hard to not talk too much, but to guide the conversation as needed. If a question is directed at me, I’ll ask if someone else (who can still talk) has an answer.

Sometimes the last people to participate have the most to offer the class in terms of their sophistication of understanding of the material. These people would almost never be heard without the game of asking people to be quiet after being assured that they have full credit for the day. It’s like having extra teachers there to help teach everyone!