classroom discussions

Breaking the Ice with Your Students

With the beginning of the semester just around the corner, many instructors are strategizing about how best to start productive classroom conversations. Students who speak even briefly at the beginning of a class meeting are more likely to participate in discussions going forward, and a well-chosen icebreaker can help everyone join in. As quick, low-stakes, and often fun activities that involve students at the beginning of a session, icebreakers can be a good way to learn about who's in the classroom, reduce anxiety, and begin thinking together about course content.  

CRLT provides examples of icebreakers and guidance for using them in the Handbook on Departmental GSI Development. We also recently polled our Graduate Teaching Consultants (GTCs) to gather a list of their favorites. Here are some good ideas we received when we asked the GTCs to "tweet" us a particularly effective icebreaker they have used, seen, or heard about: Read more »

Submitted by tbraun on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 1:22pm
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Classroom Challenge: Encouraging Student Participation

Having trouble getting students to speak up in class? This is one of the most common challenges we hear about when consulting with faculty about their teaching. Below are some resources you might find helpful if you're trying to increase student participation in your classes.

This section of the "Solve a Teaching Problem" tool at Carnegie Mellon's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence offers a range of teaching strategies to encourage student participation. The site invites teachers first to consider why students might be reluctant to join the conversation (Are they unprepared? unaccustomed to contributing in class? uncomfortable sharing certain kinds of ideas with their peers? unsure what you're looking for as an instructor?) and then suggests tailored solutions. 

Here on the CRLT website, we provide a range of resources to support your success in teaching discussion-based classes. See this page of Discussion-Based Teaching Strategies for ideas about how to get good conversations started, develop a classroom environment in which students engage readily, and manage several issues that can arise in a discussion--from dominators to classroom controversy.   Read more »

Submitted by tbraun on Mon, 02/04/2013 - 1:17pm
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Leading Discussions in the Social Sciences and Humanities

How can I heighten student participation in my sections? What are different ways I can plan a discussion and ask questions of students? How can I confront challenges in my classroom discussions? This seminar will provide participants with strategies for addressing these questions in social science and humanities classrooms. Seminar participants will learn and practice techniques for facilitating discussions, managing controversies, asking effective questions, and enhancing student participation.

Event Information
Start Date: 
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 3:30pm
End Date: 
Tue, 02/05/2013 - 5:00pm
Location (Room): 
CRLT Seminar Room (1013 Palmer Commons)
Presenter(s): 
Sara Crider
Audience: 
Graduate Students and Postdocs Only
Eligible for Certificate: 
Eligible for Graduate Teacher Certificate
Submitted by fisherpj on Mon, 12/17/2012 - 9:01am
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