Getting the Most from a Class Discussion Group

When you work with other students in a group, you’re becoming more responsible for your own learning because your voice is being heard, not just the instructor’s.. To get ready for such

G ETTING THE

In small discussion groups,

everyone takes turns

giving their impressions

and opinions about a

chosen subject Members

listen to each other, think

about how they agree and

disagree with others’

comments, and, depending

upon the assignment,

complete a project or come

to a consensus

S mall discussion groups are a popular

way of getting students actively involved in the study topic Usually you’ll break into groups of three to eight people Often, you wind up in a group with those sitting near you, but sometimes a teacher wants to arrange the groups in a specific way He might group people who have something in common, such as interests, or age, or both Or he may intentionally combine people of different interests and ages so that each group represents the overall mix of the class Usually the

groups are given a specific assignment They might, for instance, be asked

to answer questions, debate an issue, work on an experiment, or prepare a short class presentation Everyone is encouraged to participate

WHY WORK IN GROUPS?

When you work with other students in a group, you’re becoming more

responsible for your own learning because your voice is being heard, not just

the instructor’s This is an easy and comfortable way to get to know students

in your class You’ll also see that not only are “two heads better than one,” but three or four contribute even more! To get ready for such interaction, you may want to review Chapter 16, “Working With a Study Buddy.”

TYPES OF GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Instructors set up groups and give group assignments for different reasons Your group may be asked to:

• Discuss something you recently learned, either through reading

or a lecture, to help you solidify what you know and find out what you still have questions about

• Do a kind of group pre-reading, exploring a topic you have not yet learned by finding connections with topics you’ve already learned

• Perform a specific task, like dissecting a frog in biology class

• Respond to a written or oral contribution by each group member For instance, in a writing class, each member of the group might read his or her essay aloud so that other group members can dis-cuss what’s good and what needs improvement

TYPES OF GROUP STRUCTURES

There are different ways for a group to be organized Yours might be structured along these lines:

• A leader or timekeeper makes sure each person speaks within a time limit

• A recorder or secretary writes down what each person says and reads back the notes to the group after everyone has spoken

• A reporter tells the class what the group discovered or decided in

its discussion

The instructor may have one person fulfill all these roles, rotating

the position with each class meeting

Other groups are much less formal Your instructor may not give

you any instructions at all about who should do what, as long as your

group accomplishes the work it’s assigned You’ll probably find in such

cases one or two students naturally take the role of leader Your group

may want to choose someone to take group notes It’s only fair to try to

pass these roles around rather than having one or two people do all the

work all the time

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GROUP WORK

As the group solves a problem or comes to a conclusion, every person

needs to know how each other member thinks and feels In order to

accomplish this, it’s important to follow some basic rules

GROUP ETIQUETTE

Be Prepared

Keep up with your assignments Your group relies on each member’s

opinions and interpretations

Speak When It’s Your Turn

If you’re nervous about speaking, take a deep breath Remind yourself

you’re with students who are very similar to you—and who are probably

as nervous as you are The more you speak, the less nervous you’ll be Go

back to Chapter 13, “Getting the Most from Class Participation,” for tips

on overcoming stage fright when you speak in your group

Keep Within the Time Limit

Stay within your time limit, if one is assigned If not, it’s simply good

man-ners to show consideration and only use your share of the discussion time

This is the only way everyone can get to speak Also, there has to be time

at the end of the discussion for the group to come to a conclusion If it’s

difficult for you to stop talking, try saying what’s most important first

Pay Attention

Listen carefully when it’s someone else’s turn It’s a good idea to take notes With so many different ideas being talked about, this will help you

to keep track of all ideas and comments

Help Your Group Get Going

Whether your instructor has students take turns leading each group or you’re all on your own, the group needs everyone to participate Be prepared to coax someone who’s shy If someone is reluctant to speak, ask, “How do you feel about this?” or, “Do you agree with ?” You might need to remind people to speak loud enough for everyone to hear

Take Notes

Some instructors have students take turns recording the discussion and reporting to the class Even if your group doesn’t have a recorder or secretary writing down what others say, take notes of what’s happening

It is also helpful to bring your own tape recorder These tactics will help you better remember what was discussed

TALKING IN A GROUP

Not everybody understands best by hearing Even those that do might be distracted by what they’re waiting to say, or by what they overhear other groups talking about

Try to keep people’s attention by speaking clearly Look at the faces

of your group members Does anybody look like they’re not understand-ing what you are sayunderstand-ing? Clues might include a wrinkled forehead or nose, or even a blank stare If you get such signals, try speaking more loudly If someone still looks like they don’t understand you, try repeat-ing what you said in a different way Ask someone, “Could you clearly hear what I said?” if there’s any doubt you were understood

LISTENING IN A GROUP

A good way to make sure you heard what the speaker wanted you to hear

is to repeat what you thought she said Since people think faster than they

speak, there’s a good chance she didn’t say quite what she thought she

said—or what she meant was different from what she said By telling

someone what you heard, you are helping avoid confusion

If you’re confused by what someone said, say what you thought you

heard and follow that up with, “Is that what you meant?” If you use the

exact word or phrase that your group-mate used, that will give him the

sense that you understood what he said Then you might try re-stating

what he said in your own words so that you’ll both know you mean the

same thing

COMING TO A CONCLUSION

After each person has spoken, the recorder reads back what each person

said and the group considers how they see the same thing differently, or

how they agree

In some cases, your group might be asked to argue the matter until

you come to an agreement This is called coming to a consensus This

occurs when each person in the group consents to a certain position.

Reaching consensus takes good communication skills, so be sure to listen

carefully and talk using the guidelines for group etiquette above

I N S HORT

Group discussion gets everyone involved But in order for it to work well,

each person needs to focus on the topic at hand, speak within time

limits, listen carefully, and respect others’ opinions Identify what you

agree with and why—and what you disagree with or are confused about

and why

Practice Tips

Polish your listening and speaking skills The next time you’re talking

with someone—at the dinner table, at the water cooler, or whatever—

tell her what you thought she said and then ask her if that was what she

meant As you are speaking, repeat a word or phrase that she used Pay close attention to her response as you speak If she shows signs of not hearing you or being confused, try saying what you just said in a different way Write in your notebook what seemed to work best: How did you speak so that she understood what you meant?

Have a mini group discussion Come up with a question from your

study matter that would get a group going, something that people have opinions about or are interested in A controversial subject is ideal here Ask a few classmates, perhaps shortly before or after class, the question you came up with Write in your notebook what you learned about the topic from that little discussion