Teacher and Student Roles in Different Types of Classroom Discussions

Different kinds of discussion methods have been developed to help students achieve different kinds of instructional objectives. The following discussion methods are analyzed from the perspective of the role demands that they make of students and teachers: (1) cooperative learning discussions; (2) the subject mastery discussion method; and (3) issues-oriented discussions. Developers of all three methods strongly recommend training students and teachers in their respective roles, and manuals have been prepared to specify role behaviors. In cooperative learning or in subject mastery discussions, the teacher is a resource expert and process observer, rather than a participant, but in issues-oriented discussion, the teacher participates as a moderator. When student discussions do not go well, there may be many explanations, such as role complexity, ambiguity about the nature of knowing, or ambiguity about the curriculum. Analysis of discussion methods indicates that they are most appropriate for helping students construct personal understandings of academic content. Three tables summarize teacher and student role behaviors in the three discussion types. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. 'e***** *: c******************************* ********************* ****** * *** *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Eaucatonat Research and improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION IC) CEER as document has been reproduced 24:5 orgarfizabon received from the person or ong.nafing .1 .prove improv C Moor changes have been made to reprod.cuon a.aht, docu view or opm.ons stated in Itus po.ntsos ()Moat ment do not necessarily represent OERI position or poircy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY