Group DiscussionGuidelines

Overview: The group discussion process should facilitate participatory, egalitarian discussion among group members, and not the lecturing or domination of the group by one or two members. It won’t work if people are passive; you all must be active both in listening and sharing. This enables students to more fully engage and better understand class materials.

General Guidelines:

  • Group members come prepared to discuss the readings (having read or at least perused them).
  • Group discussion is a cooperative, not competitive, learning process. Good results depend on everyone sharing their thoughts. This is a dialogic learning process.
  • Everyone participates and makes some contribution to the group discussion process, taking turns doing so.
Readings are discussed (stay on topic), though not necessarily comprehensively, as the group should go more in-depth key points of its choosing.
Group Process

Step 1: Introduce yourselves

Step 2: Identify and discuss main ideas and themes from the readings, & your reactions to and critiques. Students also often focus on examples of main ideas or themes here (be they real or hypothetical, from the news, your personal experience, or your imagination), but link them to readings.

Step 3: Groups report to the rest of the class (3-5 minutes per group)

The group discussion leader presents to the rest of the class what seems to have been the most important or interesting point discussed. This is key test question material; pay attention and take notes!
Group Discussion Leaders’ Roles

Note: Your RDP’s should adequately prepare you for group discussion, though just doing the readings is enough.

1. Initiating & Guiding (but not controlling)

Get the discussion started or restarted to avoid group silence.Pose a specific question or explain something you found interesting in the readings and ask for others for their view.

2. Facilitating Participation -- Make sure that all members get at least 1 opportunity to participate or speak. Invite everyone to participate.

3. Keep the Discussion on Topic and Moving along.

4. Briefly Report In to the class 1-2 main points from your group discussion.

Roles for All in group discussion
  1. Giving and asking for information & reactions & critiques

You must talk & listen to each other to get information, and more so to raise new points and insights that may only emerge through discussion.

2.Discussing and Questioning each other’s interpretations, insights, and views

Explaining, questioning, and debating various interpretations and views of the readings and related issues facilitates greater learning and understanding! It’s fine to disagree; just be polite.

3.Stay on topic

Discussion can often become pretty broad-ranging and free-wheeling, but it is important to not go too far off topic, and instead try to link your comments to the readings in some way.

  1. Ask the professor for help when needed.