Tag: discussion

Question Formulation Technique for Deeper Inquiry
Best Practices, Collaboration, Innovative Instruction

Using the Question Formulation Technique to Get Students to Dig Deeper

Mendi Benigni

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We all want our students to ask “good” questions and to dig deeper but we also know that this isn’t a skill they often come by naturally.  When faced with a statement or a problem you may hear,

I don’t even know where to start… 
OK, but now tell me what to do…. 

The Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, can help students get past the “I don’t know” roadblock.

 

WHAT IS QTF?

According to the Right Question Institute, “The Question Formulation Technique (QFT), created by the Right Question Institute, helps all people create, work with, and use their own questions — building skills for lifelong learning, self-advocacy, and democratic action.”

Basically, it’s a questioning technique that removes hesitation and allows your students to dive right in to the questioning process.

The Benefits are many:

  • All students are heard.
  • There truly is no dumb question, all questions are recorded.
  • Encourages students to think of a question then work with the question later to improve it.
  • Encourages deeper thinking and questioning.
  • Gives a structured, guided way for students to participate and learn.

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If you are interested in talking to a faculty member that is using this in their CofC classroom, just let me know.

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THE PROCESS

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INSTRUCTOR:

  1. Create one or more focus statements (NOT questions).  Here’s an example, “The only way to motivate students if through grades.”
  2. Determine time limit for each Round (see below).
  3. Divide into groups of 3-4 people. – Identify one person as your note taker.   
  4. Give the students the rules for producing questions
  5. Ask as many questions as you can.
    • Do not stop to answer, judge, or discuss the questions.
    • Write down every question exactly as it is stated.
    • Change every statement into a question.

STUDENTS:

  1. Round 1: Produce Your Questions
    • Within a specified time (10 min), students in each group start saying questions (following the rules above).
    • Notetaker writes down every question as it’s said (if it’s a statement the notetaker must remind the team to state it as a question.)
    • You can use a notetaker strategy but you can also use Padlet or Google Docs to allow students to type in their own questions.  If you use this method, still have the students say the questions out loud.
  2. Round 2:  Improve Questions
    • Students work with the questions they produced. This step helps students do high level work with their questions and identify how different types of questions elicit
      different types of information and answers.
    • Questions can be open- or closed-ended: Closed-ended questions can be answered
      with yes, no, or with one word. Open-ended questions require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes, no, or with one word.
    • Categorize questions as closed or open-ended: Students find closed-ended questions and mark them with a “C”. Students find open-ended questions and mark them with an “O”.
    • Discuss the value of each type of question:
      • Students identify advantages & disadvantages of closed-ended questions.
      • Students identify advantages & disadvantages of open-ended questions.
      • Change questions from one type to another: Students change one closed-ended question to open-ended. Students change one open-ended question to closed-ended.
  3. Round 3: Prioritize Questions
    • Prioritization instructions should bring students back to teaching objectives and the plan for using student questions. This step helps students think convergently. The instructor should have select the number of questions they’d like the groups to settle on (example, top 5).
    • The students rank their questions, all of their questions, then select their top most important things they need to know.
  4. Round 4: Discuss Next Steps
    • How will questions be used? Next steps should align with priority instructions. For students, this further contextualizes how their questions will be used.
  5. Round 5: Reflection
    • Students should reflect: • What did you learn? • How can you use what you learned?
  •  

 

Steps of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

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people discussing
Collaboration, discussion

Online Discussion Guides for Instructor & Student Success

Mendi Benigni

As you’ve probably figured out by now, online discussions are not the same as discussions in your face-to-face class.  They don’t happen as organically and do require a bit of planning and work to be successful.  Below are two guides to help you, and your students, be more successful in this arena.

The Guide to Engaging Instructions in a Face-to-Face and Online Course offers professors tips and strategies to hold deeper discussions and to promote student response.

The Guide to Successful Student-Led Discussion Boards offers students tips on how to create an initial discussion prompt and manage the discussion board, encouraging deeper discussion.

Hopefully these two guides can help you get more out of your students in the discussion tool.

Don’t forget to browse or search the TLT Tutorials site to find even more resources to help you teach!

Image of students sitting around a table talking with the words Structured In-Class Discussion Formats Small Teaching Tip #16
Best Practices, discussion, Pedagogy, Small Teaching Tip, Teaching Advice

Small Teaching Tip #16: Structured Discussion Formats

Jessica Smith

“I’m tired of looking out at a sea of blank faces.”

“There’s nothing but crickets when I try to get a discussion going.”

“It’s like talking to a brick wall!”

How many times have you lamented the quality of discussions in your classes? Facilitating engaging conversations is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching.  Even the most brilliant lecturer can be stymied by an unresponsive class.

Often, class discussions fall flat because we fail to remember that students are academic novices. They are not subject matter experts and they are unfamiliar with academic discourse. When it comes to in-class discussions, students benefit from clearly stated instructions, explicit expectations, and structure. Here are a few popular structured discussion formats to try:

Think-pair-share
After lecturing, ask students to jot down their responses to a prompt you provide on scrap pieces of paper or in a Google Doc. After a few minutes, ask them to turn to their neighbors and share their ideas. Finally, bring the entire class together and have the pairs report what they discussed and use what arises as a jumping off point for an entire class discussion. This simple exercise gives students the chance to think and talk through their ideas before being put “on the spot” in front of the entire group. This is essential for students who struggle to participate in discussions because of introversion, social anxiety, or learning disabilities.

Fishbowl
In this exercise, instructors seat students in two concentric circles. The inner group of students discuss a topic while the outer group listens and take notes. Then, the groups switch roles and the outer group summarizes the inner group’s ideas and builds on them. This discussion format helps students practice active listening and argumentation. Another version of the fishbowl is problem-based, in which the central group is charged with solving a problem and the outer group listens and acts as researchers and advisors.

Gallery walk
Place large sheets of paper around the room each with a different prompt (e.g. question, problem, brainstorming task). Assign a few students to each sheet of paper.  Give the groups 5 minutes to respond to the prompt. The groups then rotate to a new sheet and build upon the previous group’s comments. After all the groups visit each sheet, everyone walks around the “gallery” to read all the responses. This can then serve as a springboard for a larger class discussion about conclusions and questions that arose.

Stand where you stand
This exercise works for discussions about questions that don’t have a single answer and, thus, can be debated. Assign a different theoretical or analytical perspective to each corner of the classroom. Ask students to stand in the corner of the room that represents their position on the issue.  As a small group, they should formulate evidence-based arguments to support their position that they think will convince others to agree with them. Each group then presents their arguments and students are given the opportunity to move to a different corner if they were convinced to change their mind. Students can articulate why the arguments did or did not change their opinion on the topic, which can lead to a discussion of effective argumentation and persuasion.

Jigsaw
This exercise is a great use of peer teaching. In preparation for class, each member of a small group completes a different reading on a particular topic (that they find themselves or that the instructor assigns). In class, each student shares a summary of their reading and his/her analysis with their team. During this “reporting out” and subsequent discussion, students become budding “experts” on a specific topic. After a period of time, each student then moves to a new group to teach their speciality to their classmates.

Instructors can also incorporate other sources of knowledge, such as student’s own experiences. For example, students could analyze how a recent experience aligns with or deviates from the theoretical perspective they examined or the results of the research they read.  Students could also complete a “webquest” by seeking examples online (e.g. memes, cartoons, quotes, video clips) and using them to supplement their small group discussion.

Collaborative autoethnography
Based on the qualitative research method designed by Heewon Chang, this exercise privileges students’ lived experiences and encourages significant self-reflection. Students use both their own stories and scholarly sources to analyze a larger societal context. This exercise could take multiple class periods, or could even become the overarching structure of a course. It involves 6 stages:

  1. Students collectively explore a particular phenomenon, problem, or question as a small research team. Based on research and their personal stories related to the phenomenon, students generate an initial set of questions to explore further.
  2. Students then individually reflect on these questions and write their own responses.
  3. They then share their reflections with their team, which collectively identifies commonalities, differences, and remaining questions.
  4. Those themes and questions are discussed in class, benefiting from the insights of classmates and instructor. What arises from those conversations becomes the next set of prompts for further research by the team.  
  5. This cycle of researching, reflecting, and sharing is repeated until no new discoveries occur (or the time allotted for the exercise runs out)
  6. The team then writes about their overall findings, often building models to explain the phenomenon explored.

These ideas are great for face-to-face classes and, with the help of technology and some creative thinking, a few could also be adapted for online courses. I also recommend the book Creating Engaging Discussions: Strategies for Avoiding Crickets in Any Size Classroom and Online by Jennifer Herman and Linda Nilson. And for more help improving discussions, check out these posts:

Do you have other suggestions for facilitating engaging class discussions?  Please share!

Screenshot of FlipGrid video grid
Collaboration, discussion, Video

#OneNewThing: FlipGrid – lots of new features and totally FREE!

Mendi Benigni

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.101″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#c60027″ custom_margin=”|||” custom_padding=”|4px||10px” padding_left_1=”10px” box_shadow_style=”preset4″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ padding_left=”10px” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.101″]FlipGrid is a video discussion platform that allows the professor or teacher to create a topic and the students to respond to that topic via video.  It can be used to:

  • hold online discussions,
  • practice languages or public speaking,
  • hold online debates,
  • create class community,
  • student introductions,
  • student reflection,
  • elevator pitches, and so much more.

You are just limited by your imagination!  It’s a wonderful way for students to verbalize their learning and share.

If you’ve tried FlipGrid in the past then now’s the time to try it again.  They have partnered with Microsoft so all the Premium features are now available for FREE!
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”https://blogs.charleston.edu/tlt/files/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-03-at-2.18.41-PM-19wln3z.png” _builder_version=”3.0.101″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”https://blogs.charleston.edu/tlt/files/2018/09/images-3-2ay7vwa.jpeg” _builder_version=”3.0.101″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.101″]

CHECK OUT THE COOL FEATURES OF FLIPGRID

  • The Recorder/Camera – allows the user to switch between horizontal and vertical while recording on a phone or tablet.
  • Works on a computer, phone, or tablet.
  • Can trim the beginning and/or end of a video recording.  Can also append to your recording.
  • Can add “Vibes” which are tags that you put on top of the video.
  • Can add an attachment (external link) to your video.  The teacher can use this to make a lesson in their initial prompt to give the students resources to inform their response.
  • GridPals – Link with other classrooms across the country or the world.  Great for cultural and language learning.
  • Emoji support in Topics and Grids.  This can help with blending images and text and for voting or giving a feeling about the grid.
  • Replies – when a student leaves a reply, other students can now reply back, making the grid a “threaded” video discussion.
  • Collaborative storytelling where Student 1 starts the story, then Student 2 adds a piece of the story via a reply, and it keeps going with all the students.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_button button_url=”https://twitter.com/search?q=%23flipgridfever%C2%A0&src=typd” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Learn more on Twitter #flipgridfever” _builder_version=”3.0.101″][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_button button_url=”https://flipgrid.com/1oaq8a” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Try out this FlipGrid – password is: FlipGridCofC” _builder_version=”3.0.101″][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Small Teaching Tip: get to class early and engage your students right away. Consider posting a class outline, a thought-provoking image, or play some music.
Small Teaching Tip, Teaching Advice

Small Teaching Tip #2: The Minutes Before Class Begins

Jessica Smith

Many of us arrive to our classrooms without time to spare.  We then concentrate on taking attendance, turning on the computer and projector, or reviewing our lecture notes. Meanwhile, our students sit silently, gazing at their phones.  We may not consider the minutes before class begins as consequential, but they offer a fertile opportunity to get to know your students better and build a more positive classroom environment.  So make it a goal to arrive to your classroom early and use those extra few minutes to chat with your students and set the stage for the rest of the class period.  Here are a few ideas:

Display a class agenda or outline.  This is a simple way to help students see how the class period will be organized and understand how the information they learn today relates to what they learned last week.  As an expert in your field, you have a clear understanding of the framework of your discipline and how concepts are interconnected.  But novice learners tend to see facts, concepts, and skills as discrete pieces of knowledge, without much awareness of the connections that join them.  Thus, a simple outline can help students to better organize information in their memories.

Display a thought-provoking image.  Encourage your students to start thinking about the class content, rather than staring at their phones, by displaying something that will pique their curiosity such as a political cartoon, quote, or video clip.  For example, Peter Newbury posts NASA’s “pic of the day” for his students to look at as they file into the classroom.  On each image, he types two questions:  “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”  This simple visual prompt serves multiple purposes: it grabs his students’ attention, serves as a conversation-starter, and provides an opportunity to discuss how the images connect to previous course material.

Play some music.  Playing music is a great way to “warm up” the room and create a less stuffy environment.  Music can be used strategically to establish a particular atmosphere, such as energizing your lethargic students or calming them before an exam.  Steve Volk creates playlists themed for each class and encourages students to bring their own music.  He then shares the playlists with his students at the end of the semester.  This strategy is not relevant only to those who teach in the arts.  Think creatively about how music might relate to your course content, such as playing protest songs, Renaissance madrigals, or Native Andean flute music.

If these ideas aren’t appealing, I challenge you to identify a strategy that works with your teaching style and course content.  Both instructors and students need a little transition time at the beginning of class to get mentally prepared to learn and engage.  So don’t waste those precious few minutes!

 

This post is part of a series which will present low risk, high reward teaching ideas.  Inspired by James Lang’s book Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, this series will inspire you to implement small but powerful changes to your teaching.

To read Tip #1 about encouraging student voice, click on this link: tlt.cofc.edu/2016/08/09/small-teaching-tips

 

Collaboration, Conferencing, discussion, Mobile, social networking, TLT, Web 2.0

App of the week: Blab

Laura Plotts

What is Blab?

From Blab’s site “a platform for publicly broadcasting live video conversations or talk shows.” Blab allows for live video conversations. In addition to a host you can have 3 other people talking live at once on a split screen.  All Blabs are public so an unlimited number of people could also just watch.

Use it for debates, discussions, or a podcast which you as the host have the option to record.  The recording can then be accessed via a url, but as host you will also be emailed a copy ( an MP3 & MP4). A Recording  or “Replays”cannot be deleted, but  as the host you can make your “Replay” public or hidden.

There is also a screen share and co-host option .

If you did not want to host a Blab then watch other live video conversations on topics or specific content that you are interested in.  Search by a keyword then choose a Blab that interest you by clicking the “Watch” button.

Things to be aware of:

You need a Twitter account in order to log in

Although you can choose which callers to let into your Blab and they are the ones then that can ask questions and you can screen share with, “Blabs” are always public.  I suggest you review the Privacy policy before you host a Blab: http://cdn.blab.im/blab-assets/privacy-policy.pdf

Price: Free
App – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/blab-live-video-conversations/id1023962293?mt=8

Desktop – https://blab.im/

Platform: Desktop ( using Chrome browser) or iPhone. On Android devices the Chrome browser works

More Information: https://blab.im/

Getting started with Blab at https://medium.com/blab-daily-digest/how-do-i-start-my-first-blab-5b862c5741e8#.g0qf431yb  and https://medium.com/blab-daily-digest/getting-started-on-blab-9606ec9566ac#.svi141ong

Blab tutorial at http://www.marc-levy.com/blab-im-tutorial/

Blab Daily Digest at https://medium.com/blab-daily-digest

Voicethread Commenting Features
Collaboration, instructional technology, TLT, Web 2.0

New VoiceThread Commenting Features

Jessica Smith

If you haven’t explored VoiceThread since last semester, you will be pleased to learn about the tool’s three new commenting features.  Direct replies and threaded conversations make interaction more interactive and dynamic, while private replies allow participants to engage one another more discreetly.

Direct Replies

Owners and editors of VoiceThreads are able to insert comments directly after someone else’s comment on a slide.  For example, students can reply directly to the feedback left by their classmates or questions asked by their instructor.  To do this, click on the direct reply icon inside a person’s comment window (it looks like an arrow).  Your reply will display directly beneath the original comment, but bumped in slightly.
Voicethread Direct Reply

Threaded Discussions

The threaded discussions feature makes VoiceThread more similar to an online discussion board, with comments branching off an original comment.  This helps to keep robust back-and-forth conversations more organized.

Voicethread Threaded Comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To use this feature, you must enable it in Playback Settings.

Voicethread Playback Settings

Voicethread Enable Threaded Commenting

Threaded comments are represented by a round identity image (as opposed to the usual square shape).  To start a new threaded conversation, click on the threaded comment button inside a person’s comment window.

Voicethread Create a New Thread

Threaded discussions would be particularly useful if you’d like to encourage multiple students to engage one another about a VoiceThread’s content.  In contrast, a direct reply is a dialog between two people (though the interaction can be seen by anyone who has access to the VoiceThread).  This would be best for asking a single question or offering praise.

Private Replies

The private reply feature allows you to start a private, two-way conversation with someone who has commented on a VoiceThread.  Private comments are represented by a round identity image with a padlock icon.  To start a new private conversation or add to an existing one, click on the private reply button inside a person’s comment window.

Voicethread Private Reply

The private reply option could be especially useful if an instructor would like to include an assessment in a VoiceThread.  For example, an instructor could leave a comment asking the students to reply to a question.  To prevent the students from seeing one another’s responses, the instructor could request students use the private reply option.  That would permit only the instructor to see the students’ comments and would allow him/her to respond directly to each student.

Let us know what you think about these new commenting features.  We’d love to hear your ideas!