The Role of Class Discussion in the Learning-Centered Classroom. The Cross Papers.

According to Kasulis, a class discussion has three dimensions: content, process, and people. Though content is an obvious element that is usually thoroughly researched, process can be problematic for many teachers. Some students tend to dominate, while others disengage, and the discussion often wanders. These problems can be alleviated with planning and structure. The article suggests creating a structure that is flexible enough to take advantage of unexpected events, but structured enough to accomplish the goals. By taking the personalities, strengths, and needs of the people in the course into consideration, the teacher can personalize the classroom discussion. This article uses basketball as a metaphor for developing learning-centered classroom discussion. It also refers to recent research findings that indicate the brain is developed through the constant activity of making neural connections and eliminating connections that are seldom or never used. The task of the educator is to provide the conditions conducive to brain growth and the building of learning capacity, in the same way an athletic coach helps students to build physical strength. The paper offers tips and techniques for promoting learning-centered discussion in the classroom. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)