Podcast - In the Classroom - Episode 39: Class Discussion Strategies to Get Everyone Participating - class discussion strategies
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Episode 39: Class Discussion Strategies to Get Everyone Participating

Class discussions can be powerful tools for learning, but when too few students are participating, we end up disappointed and worry that only those who actually engaged in the conversation learned anything. In this episode of the podcast, we’re talking about class discussion strategies that will get nonparticipants participating. We share how to draw in those who are shy or lack confidence as well as small ways to include those who really aren’t prepared to participate because they didn’t do the work they should have in advance.

Learn More About These Class Discussion Strategies in This Episode

  • Give students time to brainstorm a question or prompt with a partner or in a triad before opening up to whole class discussion.
  • If class discussion is a big part of your class structure or unit, take it into consideration when you make your seating chart.
  • Create group structures that by their composition force (in the nicest possible way) nonparticipators to participate.
  • Engage students who have not prepared for the discussion with questions that don’t rely on them having done the work, or ask them to summarize the points made in their partner or triad brainstorms.
  • Use a randomizer app and call on a few students prior to opening up class discussion to volunteers. (This class discussion strategy has the added benefit of encouraging others to speak before your eager-to-speak-first students.)
  • Create a participation points system that holds students accountable for participating in class discussions (nothing motivates quite like a grade).
  • Pull the student aside to find out why they aren’t participating. If it’s an issue of shyness or lack of confidence, come up with a plan together so the student feels comfortable participating in the discussion.
  • Build relationships with students to discover their area(s) of expertise.

Not every class discussion is going to be perfect, but these class discussion strategies can help set up your students for success and ease some of the anxiety students feel about participating.

Check Out This Content Related to Classroom Discussion Strategies

An important part of hosting successful class discussions is finding what you feel most comfortable with. Some of us like an open, free-flowing, let’s-see-where-this-takes-us exchange of ideas. Others of us prefer a little more structure because we want to ensure our students walk away from the discussion with the information they need.

We like to use class discussions when we teach poetry. One of our most important strategies is ensuring students are prepared for the discussion. In this blog post, we share the three things we like our students to do in advance of a poetry discussion.