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Engaging in Classroom Discussion


I have been very blessed in my online classrooms and in my face-to-face classrooms to have students who are excited about their education. How do I know they’re excited? They certainly aren’t dancing in the classroom aisles (Macarena, anyone?) or throwing after-class parties to celebrate education, but there are key signals instructors get from students who are truly engaged:

·         Enthusiastic students are those who get involved in classroom discussions. Now this doesn’t exclude all my favorite introverted or quiet students from being passionate students; I know all my strong, silent students are eager to learn because they are actively listening (sitting upright, making eye contact, maybe nodding their heads). My not-so-shy participants, meanwhile, pelt me with relevant but lateral questions and discussion points (no really, could aquatic life survive if ice didn’t float? What about the frozen koi?). All this lateral discussion gives students anecdotes and examples by which to understand and remember topics they would otherwise have to rotely memorize (ugh).

·         Students who are keen to learn let me know what’s going on (whether I need to know or not). I often have students who wander into class a few minutes late – it’s part of being an adult and having a life other than school. But my students who are truly interested and engaged in the class always let me know what’s going on (a text that says they’re going to be late, an email letting me know that a family emergency caused them to miss class and wanting to know what they missed). None of this is required of any student, but it’s a clear indicator that the student is committed to the class.

·         Coming to class with completed assignments and having read/previewed the lecture material is a sure sign that students are taking massive action to succeed. I LOVE when students have read ahead and have some idea of what we’ll be talking about – it makes lecture less like spoon-feeding and more like a great academic conversation. Not having a textbook, handing in incomplete work or poor work, or showing up to class not prepared to listen and take notes are signs that a student has other more important commitments and class is not a priority.

And if you want to really make your mark in a class? Teach your teacher something new! Most teachers love when students add “something they heard” or “something they read somewhere” that is relevant to the discussion. We love teaching because we also love learning! The othe
r day, my students taught me what a “fatberg” is (look it up – it’s disgusting and amazing!) – completely relevant to our discussion on lipids and super-entertaining at the same time! And if you bring up something I haven’t heard of or don’t know about? We’ll look it up together because discovery is part of learning!

If you haven’t been engaged in your classroom as a student, now’s your chance! Jump right in: share, listen, discover, and learn! It’s why we’re here together in the classroom…be your best student!

Kelley

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