Mentee Minute
March 24, 2014 vol. 12 ~ Discussions
Discussions
Discussions are a powerful communication and education tools. Teachers are responsible for maintaining meaningful threads of discussion that support the content in the course. Discussions are particularly valuable as a tool that encourage student participation in online learning, writing and responding to discussion posts. Discussions also allow for an open forum to exchange amongst a community of learners. Discussions online often exceed the limitations of the face to face class by allowing students to communicate socially without social pressures.
Add a Spring to Your Step ~ 4 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues
Take a look at this article, by Nicholas Provenzano, which we think can help teachers revitalize teaching!
Forgive the pun in the title of this post, but I couldn't help myself. The temperatures are starting to rise, and teachers need to shake off the winter weariness to make it through to the end of the school year. I've got some great tips on how you can inject some much-needed energy into your teaching and end each day with a smile on your face.
1. Go Exploring
2. Open Your Doors
3. Ask Students
4. Be Social
Read more in the original article: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/adding-spring-beat-winter-blues-nick-provenzano
Discussions by Departments
Each department has established specifics indicators and expectations for discussions. Click here for discussion by department expectations:
Ideas for Participating in Discussions
Offer Differentiation
Offer students a choice to the discussion response by making the discussion more of a project. Ask student to create a visual like a collage or postcard.
Create a RAFT
RAFTs encourage students to uncover their own voice by responding through different perspectives.
Here's a website that offers more explanation about creating RAFT's for the classroom:
Pin a Student Follow-up Response
If you have several students posting similar responses or have an insightful student post, paraphrase or quote the student and ask a great follow-up question. Pin this at the top of the discussion board.
Realia
Select examples of appropriate realia or art depicting a historical/cultural event and ask the students to make observations and share their thoughts. This should encourage student curiosity about the subject they are studying. Pin this at the top of the discussion board.
Provide Research
Use scholarly research as a pinned discussion follow up. This may challenge student assumptions about the content and offers different perspectives from experts on the subject.
Encourage Response Variety - Require students to do more than agree
Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation
Let us know you read this and share your thoughts. We are always looking for great suggestions.
Meet the Authors
Kelly Gardner ~ GaVS 2012/2013 & 2013/2014 Teacher of the Year Finalist; GaVS English Department Mentor; GaVS English Instructor since 2007