32 Strategy: Preparing For and Participating in Classroom Discussions

Discussion can be a big part of college instruction. Most instructors use discussion in their class at least a few times during the semester, so it is important to understand the purpose of college discussions.

Many students have a negative opinion about discussion because they believe important information and learning can only come from the instructor, so what students have to say isn’t really that important.

Some students even get mad when their class has discussions—they believe that instructors have discussions when they want a “day off” and make the students do the work. Since an instructor’s attention cannot be everywhere, some students use discussion time as an opportunity to text their friends and family, have side conversations or do homework for another class. They also believe that, since their classmates are not experts, what difference does it make what they have to say? However, your instructor has discussions for specific purposes. Usually, an instructor will use a discussion to engage in your own learning. Discussion is also an important life skill. Lastly, instructors might use discussion to find out if you really know the material.

Preparing for a Discussion:

You have probably heard the saying “You get out of it what you put into it.” This is true to discussions. You need to participate in discussions to get anything out of them. Discussions take the same kind of preparation that lectures do.

In order to get the most out of a discussion make sure you read all materials and do all assignments ahead of time.