Morphing
Textbook ~ Rhetoric Tools
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The readings selected for student-led discussion in the Rhetorics of Portraits unit have composition, style, and argument that students tend to find accessible and interesting. In addition to choosing appropriate readings, keep in mind that "student-led" can mean many different things. It might mean that students generate topics or questions for discussion and you facilitate, or that a few students act as facilitators using questions you generate, or that students have a discussion without you participating. Be clear about what you expect from students, and stick to the guidelines you establish for the activity—in other words, don’t rush in to bail them out if you feel the discussion isn’t going well or if there are awkward silences. This will be easiest if you don’t have students lead discussions on days when you feel it is crucial for a particular question to be answered or topic to be covered. 1) Students Generate Questions:Have each student write down one relevant question (or more) at the beginning of hour and turn it in anonymously. You can organize these thematically while students engage in another activity(a quick pair share or small groups activity works well), setting aside basic clarification questions you may want to address up front. You can write their questions (or a composite of several related questions) on the board and use them to guide large group discussion. You can act as a facilitator, or you can have students volunteer for the role. 2) Rotating Chair:You can combine this with student-generated questions, or you can prepare a list of questions and topics of your own. You might begin the discussion by asking students to respond to a question or a selection from the reading. Call on the first student to respond; each student then selects the next until everyone has spoken on this topic. Nametags can help early in the semester; you can also have students pass a toy like a Frisbee or a Nerf ball. Once a topic or question is exhausted, pose another, then call on the first student to respond. Alternately, have the last student to speak pose the next question and call on the next speaker. 3) Put Your Two Cents In:Bring enough pennies (or poker chips) to class with you to give each student two. The goal will be for each student to put their two cents in, literally, by tossing a coin or chip to the floor in the center of the room when they speak. Once a student has put her two cents in, she cannot contribute further until every student has participated (though you may want to allow students to ask questions). Coins/chips can be redistributed once every student has participated. This activity can be nuanced in several ways. One approach is to conduct discussion in the same way you typically do, except that student participation is structured by the coins/chips. A second approach is to hand out a list of questions and topics for students to cover, and have them move through the guide at their own pace. Quiet students will appreciate the opportunity to toss in a coin by proposing a shift to the next topic or question. A third approach is to simply tell students to discuss the reading they have prepared for that day, allowing them to generate their own topics and questions for discussion. This strategy works best if they can reach back to make connections with previous readings or issues. |