A Discussion on Discussions

I’ve heard that leading discussions has become a lost art. That may be an exaggeration, but it still concerns me. Discussion is a vital part of creating an experience, rather than just teaching a lesson. It is the time in the session when students don’t have to sit idly by, listening to one person’s expertise and opinions on everything from the Davidic lineage to the usage of logos in John 1. With discussion, they get to add their part to the lesson. They get to explore. They get to help decide what shape the learning experience takes on. Discussion gives them a reason to pay attention and a reason to think.

Leonard Sweet said it this way: "What is different about today’s form of interactivity is that post-moderns have affixed a karaoke handle to everything. If there is no karaoke handle, they won’t touch it." The group of students that sits in your classroom craves interaction. How effective are you as a discussion-facilitator? Is your classroom interactive? How can you tell? Here are five questions to ask yourself, and to help you take an interactive inventory of your teaching times.

What does a good discussion look like?

Most Sunday school classes fall into the category of lecture/discussion for good reason. Lecture is a vital part of teaching; Jesus did it throughout the Gospels. It is the most effective way to communicate the most truth in the shortest amount of time. However, it is discussion that internalizes that truth. What’s my point? Some teachers have a hard time balancing these two important aspects of the classroom experience. If you pay attention to how much time is spent in lecture versus discussion, I’m afraid you may find a clear imbalance. Some teachers may consider a handful of one or two-minute breaks in their forty-five minute lecture plenty of discussion. But is it really?

A good discussion is the time in a lesson when the brain gets turned back on. It is the time for students to question what was taught, think out how to apply truth, etc. It is even a time for disagreements and seeing different sides of an issue. Discussion is when critical thinking happens. In short, good discussion is critical thinking with all it entails. If a typical discussion in your class takes a couple of minutes, ends with someone getting the "right answer," doesn’t point towards application, and doesn’t force students to look at various perspectives or possibilities, you may need to re-think your strategy.

What is the class temperature?

Don’t worry if you don’t know where to find your classroom thermostat. I am talking about something slightly different. Is your classroom a warm place where discussion is welcome? Is there an attitude of acceptance and openness? Here are a few suggestions to warm up a "cold" class.

1) Know your group. Pick up any book on teaching or preaching and more than likely the first rule will be to know your audience. Interaction is always stronger when students feel comfortable with you. Also, your discussion can be more effective when you hit topics they deal with regularly. Both of these can only come from knowing your students well. 2) Is your classroom full of new faces each week? Great! Just make sure your students know each other’s names. Common sense tells us that the better your students know each other, the more they will share. Few students will open up and share if they don’t know the people who are listening. 3) Don’t put up with sarcasm. It’s a no-brainer—if you make fun of my answer, I’ll stop answering. The quickest way to kill discussion is by allowing students’ snide comments to continue.

Do you have a game plan?

Interaction rarely just happens. Your preparation time should include setting aside class time for interaction and finding topics for discussion. A good game plan will include multiple five to ten-minute blocks designed for discussion. You should also find some topics that will get your group talking. Do your research on your discussion topics so you can add pertinent information, correct myths, and keep the discussion moving.

On the flip side of this issue, you also need to be sensitive enough to know when to throw your game plan out the window. Have you ever been in a class where the teacher shut down a powerful discussion to make sure he or she finished teaching through the notes? Unbelievable! Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, understanding that He may have something else planned. There is a time to get back on track and a time to let them chase (and catch) a rabbit.

What kind of questions do you ask?

There is a popular theory out there that says "Jesus" or "Pray and read your Bible" will correctly answer 95% of all Sunday school questions. If those are common answers in your classroom, you are asking close-ended questions. You can reduce all questions into two categories: close-ended and open-ended. A close-ended question can be answered with "yes," "no," or another short answer. Too often we ask this type of question, thinking we’re going to get a discussion. Why doesn’t that work? Simple—this type of question aims for one answer, and interaction shuts down when that answer is found. Open-ended questions fuel discussions, since there is not only one answer. This kind of question goes beyond rote memory to facilitate thinking and discussion. Find topics that there is not a clear-cut answer. Aim for disagreement, debate, and various perspectives. That kind of discussion will get and keep them thinking.

One more thing: Have you ever sat in on a class where the teacher would dismiss the students’ answers since he or she had the "correct answer"? What happens? After two or three "wrong answers" the students will stop responding. Open-ended questions, by definition, have more than one answer. Don’t dismiss an answer to a question unless it is blatantly unbiblical or ignorant.

Who answers your questions?

We all know the feeling of tossing out a question only to hear silence from the group. One second can feel like an entire minute. Some teachers fix that problem easily; they just answer the question themselves. Learn to enjoy those moments. Assuming you’ve asked an understandable question, give students enough time to think through the possibilities. A good rule of thumb is to give ten seconds of silence to allow students to respond. But believe me; it’s easier said than done.

We all love to have teacher’s pets who quickly answer any question that we can throw at them, ranging from teenage life to Mesopotamia. However, do they dominate discussions? Two researchers found that in most classes, four or five students made up 75% of the total interaction ("The One or Two Who Talk Too Much," Karp and Yoels, 1988). This Sunday, count how many answer your questions. Be careful not to let a select few dominate.

Personally, I rarely speak up in class. There are usually plenty of others who can barely hold their tongues. Think over the faces in your class. Do you know which students need to be encouraged to add or maybe even called on? Are there good students with something to add that don’t have a chance to? Get to know your group and find new people to add to the interaction. Get and keep them talking.

By Chris Graves, InQuest Ministries, 800.776.1893. If you would like further reading on this topic visit the Pew Faculty Teaching & Learning Center’s site at http://www4.gvsu.edu/ftlc/discussion.htm for several articles on effective discussions.