Thanks to all who responded to my post about facilitating discussions. I ended up creating a second application exercise with the original incorrect answer as one of the choices. A couple of teams chose the incorrect option and the rest chose other options. There was a nice discussion and an opportunity for clarification that followed. I like Mike's suggestion, too, though, and will keep it in mind as a good spur-of-the-moment strategy. Karla
-----Original Message-----
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sweet, Michael S
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 11:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Leading Discussions
Perhaps the best discussion facilitator I have ever seen uses this strategy a lot (when students get something obviously wrong):
"Oh! I can see how it makes sense to think that: for your reasons A, B, and C. But *actually* that's not the case--weird right? I know! Here's why:"
It's kind of a Columbo move (gently playing a little dumb, generating a feeling of "togetherness" with the students before correcting them.)
In my experience it validated the students as good THINKERS, it's just that they happened to take a "completely understandable" wrong turn somewhere.
-M
-----Original Message-----
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gersich, Frank
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 9:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Leading Discussions
This needs to be structured as a "teaching moment" because it was verbalized in class and apparently was no challenge to the logic presented. Unless there is further class discussion, the other students in the class will accept it as fact which could become more difficult to reverse in the future. Some options:
==> Structure another team application activity to address the issue from a slightly different perspective. This should cause discussion in the debriefing period to connect back to the original debriefing and allow correction. If the discussion does not make this connection, you could ask the connection question "how does this reconcile with the discussion ...?"
==> If the next class period has not occurred yet, you could announce via email that the discussion period for the last team application period is being extended as some important points were not brought out in the previous class period.
==> You could schedule a day for a critical review / reflection on recent debriefing discussions. The prompt for the teams would be: "What information/rationales during recent debriefing sessions seems inconsistent with your understanding of the material?" This would also introduce critical reflection and signal to students that this is an important part of the TBL process. Also, you could alert students that this component could be a part of future debriefing sessions -- you have this prompt to use when an error is not challenged by other teams in the debriefing sessions.
Frank
Teaching and Learning Resources Coordinator
Associate Dean
Professor, Department of Accounting
Monmouth College
700 E. Broadway Ave.
Momouth, IL 61462
(309) 457-2119
-----Original Message-----
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kubitz, Karla
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 8:00 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Leading Discussions
Hi all,
In class the other day, I asked my teams to discuss a video clip we'd just watched and choose which of four different theories of motivation seemed to offer the best explanation for why the weight loss program in the clip 'worked'. My teams are still new and a bit shy about the process of discussing/ defending their ideas. One of the teams verbalized an explanation for their particular choice and there was an obvious (to me) error in their thinking. I want to correct it, but I don't want the individual/ team who verbalized it to feel humiliated in front of the whole class and consequently stop taking the risk of speaking out. Feedback/ suggestions? Karla
Karla Kubitz, Ph.D., FACSM
Department of Kinesiology
Towson University
8000 York Rd
Towson, MD 21252
410-704-3168 (ph)
410-704-3912 (fax)
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