Chapter 9 - Instructional Media: Chalkboards to Video - CGISS

• Postpone the student who attacks. When a student argues
for the sake of argument, an instructor will almost always lose
if he takes the bait. This situation often occurs when an
instructor is going over exams or assignments. Simply give
the student some recognition while firmly moving on. Do not
discuss the controversial issue in the classroom; instead, tell
the student you will talk with him or her after class.
• Redirect the student who tries to embarrass the
instructor. Students may try to gain authority or diminish your
own through comments such as: “How do you really know
that…” or “You’re not really saying that…” Respond by
redirecting the attack by saying: “What I’m saying is…, but
now I'd like you to share your perspective.” Turning the
question back to the questioner forces him or her to take
responsibility for his or her opinion.
Concluding the Discussion
Good discussions end with a summary so that students know
what important points were covered. The advantage of active
learning techniques such as the discussion is that students have
the opportunity to verbalize course materials for themselves and
receive feedback in class from the instructor on how well they
understood that material. In addition to showing students why the
discussion was important to their learning, a summary provides
the opportunity to fill in points that were not covered and to praise
the class for the quality of their responses.
*Adapted with permission from Teaching at The Ohio State University: A
Handbook, Center for Teaching Excellence.
Questioning Sessions
The Intention
Using Socratic questioning techniques to proceed through a
lecture, a problem solving session, a demonstration, or simply as
a stand-alone can be an effective active learning technique.
Students learn to process concepts and information and to
articulate that knowledge. Whether the questioning session works
depends on how you ask, phrase, and pose the questions.
Section: Lesson Delivery 93 Chapter 8: Using Active Learning