Teaching by Discussion - Research Paper Example

ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT 1 OF THE RESEARCH A study of the causes why some are reluctant to participate in group discussions 2 INTRODUCTION There are different methods of classroom teaching like Demonstration, Narration, Explanation, Lecture Method etc. One method which is fast gaining importance and popularity on account of its nature and relative advantages over other methods is the Discussion method. The most commonly followed teaching method in classrooms throughout several centuries is the Lecture method. In the lecture method, the teacher or instructor is pivotal in that he gives a lecture in the classroom and the students listen to him. During the lecture, he may adopt various techniques like skill of narration, explanation, giving examples or illustrations, sometimes using certain charts, pictures, objects or other teaching aids. This is mostly a one-way process. Information is passed on to he students by the lecturer through his lecture. The students play a passive role of listening to the lecture with maximum possible attention and grasping the concepts, ideas and information that is presented. During a lecture, the lecturer sometimes asks questions to secure the attention of the students or to keep them involved in the topic. Discussion is a modified form of the classroom lecture where the focus is shared between the teacher and the students for transfer of information. Discussion differs from the question-answer method. Its main purpose is to make students think through the issues rather than reproduce memorized data and repeat answers verbally. This kind of verbal participation does not ensure direct, mental and total involvement of students. Discussion method utilizes one of the best principles of the learning process, namely, the involvement of students and their active participation in the learning process. 1.3 DISCUSSION METHOD Discussion is an attempt to interact with others for arriving at a solution based on thoughts and ideas which are expressed by members of the group. Any group discussion has to be monitored by an instructor, or a teacher in a classroom situation. He states a problem or question/questions before the students. It is necessary to create a congenial atmosphere for a healthy discussion to take place. The teacher urges the students to answer some questions and initiates the discussion. He may brief the students about the topic before beginning. The students express their own views, listen to others, react, share thoughts and ideas, and finally, the solutions or answers to the problem are reached. The teacher takes care that the discussion is not interrupted or does not go off the track. 1.4 NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC Discussion method has a number of advantages which are as follows – It is a motivational technique. It aims at pooling ideas of the whole group. One idea sparks off another. The teacher poses a challenge before the participants. The effect is that of brainstorming, leading to creativity and original ideas. Students get an opportunity to express themselves. Discussions promote articulate speech. Good communication skills are developed e.g. listening carefully, speaking persuasively, co-operating readily. They learn to argue patiently and convince others. As the discussion proceeds, students crystallize their own thinking in conjunction with others and develop a tolerance for those with whom they disagree. A spirit of congeniality is thus developed. Informality allows the members to understand how others feel. Students internalize the information and concepts more effectively. Their participation is active and alert so hazy concepts become clear. Students also learn to think critically. They develop cognitive skills like developing a hypothesis, evaluating evidence etc. Last but not the least, discussion sessions serve as learning laboratories for democratic principles that pay off in later life as adults, when students participate in society at large. Considering all these advantages, one can conclude that developing spirited classroom discussions are valuable and teachers should willingly invest time to train students in discussion techniques. 1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Participation in discussions and discussion techniques are finally important in preparing students as worthy citizens in a democracy. But a discussion session may be ineffective and unsuccessful on account of a number of reasons. It is necessary that students should actively participate in discussions. But quire often it is found that students do not take any interest in the discussions. They remain passive witnesses to what goes on in the class. They avoid answering questions even those that are directly and pointedly addressed to them. The teacher cannot allow the discussion to discontinue for the sake of one or two students. If majority of the students refuse to get involved in the discussion, it can degenerate into a pooling of ignorance. A lot of time as well as effort are wasted on the part of teachers as well as students. The negative and passive attitude of a few students can affect the behaviour of others. What they observe is that whether some students do or do not care about the discussion, the others make up for their silence. The discussion takes place, howsoever, and some solution is reached. Then why waste energy? It is more comfortable to sit back and listen. Of course, there can be several reasons why these students are reluctant to participate in discussions. They may lack knowledge about the subject. They may be suffering from pain or illness. They may be worried or mentally disturbed. They are diffident by nature and do not like to be the centre of attraction. They know the answers to the questions, they have opinions or worthy contributions to make, but they lack power of expression. They feel nervous and have little or no confidence. They have a low comprehension level and cannot keep pace with the discussion. They may have hearing problems or speech problems like stammering. 1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. To investigate the causes of non-participation of students in classroom situations. 2. To suggest ways to encourage students to increase their participation. 3. To train teachers to handle discussions and increase participation level. 4. To develop Discussion method as an important method of information transfer in a classroom. 5. To implement discussion method and ensure 100% participation of members. 1.6 ASSUMPTIONS Teachers who monitor classroom discussions are competent and well-versed in discussion techniques. Students have background knowledge about the subject. Students have referred to or read material relevant to the topic of discussion. Students are intimated well in advance about the time, venue, duration and topic of discussion. Participants, members form a more or less homogenous group with respect to age, experience, knowledge, qualification etc. 1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY Discussion method is gaining popularity day by day and has wide scope in the present day classroom context. The study of the reasons for non-participation is applicable to discussion on all kinds of subjects, to large and small groups and to any age-group. 1.8 LIMITATIONS The present study is limited to non-participant students of --------level in -----school, in --------- city. The study is limited only to non-participation as one of the causes of unsuccessful discussion sessions. 1.9 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 1. ERIC identifier – ED 327453 Date – 1990-9-00 Author – Harwood, Angela M. &Hahn, Carole L. Source – ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, Bloomington I.N. www.ericdigests.org/pre/issues.htm The study lists the numerous advantages of the discussion method. Students at the high school level were taken as the sample. On the basis of the study, the researchers concluded that – Discussion method is important because – 1. It prepares citizens for their roles as citizens in a democracy. 2. It develops critical thinking skills 3. It develops inter-personal skills. They stated their observation that well managed groups promote tolerance of different viewpoints on a single issue. According to them, teachers and students should co-operatively determine guidelines for interaction. Both should realize that to establish a rhythm and a flow for discussion, will take a lot of time and practice. 2. “ Ethical Reasoning and the Art of Classroom Dialogue” – by David Elkind and Freddy Sweet, PhD, as published in the Jan./Feb. 1998 issue of NASSP’s The High School Magazine. These two authors were dissatisfied with the lecture method that they had experienced in their own childhood. They realized the importance of active participation of students. They chalked out a systematic plan of the discussion method and described what is to be done before, during and after a discussion session. They interviewed 200 students and arrived at the following conclusions on the basis of their study – Kids love to engage in conversations if they feel secure and have the sense that other kids will respect their views. Virtually, anyone can learn to facilitate a classroom discussion, but teachers need to learn some techniques and practice them with the students. These techniques work especially well for character education and teaching ethical choices, but they are also marvellous for teaching humanities, social science and literature. They go on to describe which methods they followed, what they did before, during and after discussion sessions etc. 1.10 METHOD OF STUDY The nature of this research is descriptive in that it is concerned with the analysis of the relationships between non-manipulated variables and the development of generalizations, extending its conclusions beyond the sample observed. The method selected for this research is Survey Method. Survey Method is not concerned with the characteristics of individuals as individuals. It is concerned with the statistics that results when data are abstracted from a number of individual cases. It is a cross-sectional study. It does not consist merely of gathering information and tabulating it. It involves a clearly defined problem and definite objectives. It requires careful analysis and interpretation of the data gathered, and logical and skilful reporting of the findings. 1.11 POPULATION All students who are non-participans in classroom discussions. 1.12 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE Multi-Stage sampling technique – 20 discussion sessions of 10 different secondary schools to be attended. Non-participant students to be identified. Random selection of 30 students from those identified as non-participants 1 13 TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION 1. Observation ( of students ) 2. Questionnaire ( for students ) 3. Interview ( for teachers/instructors ) 1. 14 DATA ANALYSIS 1. Consistently non-participant students to be observed on the basis of a 5 point rating scale – a. Never participates b. Rarely contributes c. Speaks quite often d. Constant participation e. Active and enthusiastic Yes/No questions to be prepared for each identified non-participant student. Interview of teachers/instructors to understand their opinions about non-participants, possible causes for non-participation and efforts made by them to increase participation. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Best, John W. & Kahn, James V., Research in Education, 10th Edition, Published by Dorling Kindersley ( India ) Ltd. 2008. 2. Gangel, Kenneth O. Teaching by Discussion/ Bible.org/Home of NET Bible online, Bible Study Tools. Read More