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In Chapter 8 of our textbook The Skillful Teacher by Stephen Brookfield, he addresses the pitfalls of classroom dialogue and provides a proactive approach to setting the tone early on.
“Many problems that typically plague discussions, such as people talking too much, discussions going off track, or discomfort with prolonged silence, can be partly alleviated if the group has generated some ground rules to govern how it functions.” (Brookfield, 85)
My takeaways:
1. The best way to ensure each student has their ideal learning situation which includes a safe space in which to learn is to create ground rules with the students at the outset of class.
2. This practical idea empowers the instructor to practice guiding appropriate exchanges in the classroom.
3. This technique reduces anxiety for both the instructor and the students by addressing varied needs from the start of class and establishes guidelines that will serve students well both in the classroom and in other situations where similar cooperative and diplomacy are needed.
4. It ultimately comes down, in large part, to good planning. A planned lesson not only reassures the students in terms of what is coming next in terms of content, but also ensures that even the parameters of the class and its components such as groupwork and discussion are not unanticipated.
References
Brookfield, S (2015) The skillful teacher On technique, trust, and responsiveness in the classroom San Francisco Jossey-Bass
Blog post image my own. Original found here