Discussion In A Democratic Society

            This chapter made me think about the many classes I’ve taken that have been discussion based and how those classes helped me understand different viewpoints and made learning more fun and interesting for me.  The classes that I’ve taken that have been mainly lecture based have been some of the most boring classes for me, and I don’t feel that I have taken as much from those classes as I have from the more discussion based ones.  I have been witness to many times where a student brings up an important point that the instructor has missed, and without the opportunity for students to express their thoughts, the class would have missed a valuable piece of information.  I do think that the discussion method is one of the best teaching methods and learning styles.  It is important to discuss things that you may think are set in stone, because one day you could be listening to someone’s differing opinion and suddenly realize that you may have been wrong all along.  I think it’s a great idea to keep in mind that maybe nothing is really set in stone.

            I liked the part in the chapter where it says we practice discussion because it’s so enjoyable and exciting.  I really enjoyed the line that states, “It is the pedagogical and educational equivalent of scaling a mountain or shooting dangerous rapids.”  It is risky because you never know what ideas are going to come up and change your world.  I also liked how the chapter brought up the fact that some students will be too afraid to speak up in front of the whole class during discussions, but they will suddenly become lively and involved in discussions when the class breaks up into smaller groups.  I think this is important to keep in mind as a teacher because it is inevitable that you will have students who are quiet and unwilling to participate if they have to speak with a whole classroom full of eyes on them.  Sometimes a discussion based lesson is best when students are broken up into groups to discuss a topic and then the class gets together as a whole to discuss what the groups have come up with.