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Leading a Good
Discussion
Of course not all people like to perform in front of groups, but there
are a few things to keep in mind while planning your discussion week that
might make it more effective, smoother and even fun.
1) Start Preparing Early! Give yourself time to read and digest
the assigned readings for that week, along with any supplementary and
contextualizing materials you might want to add.
- Read required readings
very carefully, take notes.
- Check out the supplementing
links for that week on the website (further reading/films, links).
- Make sure your
understanding of the theorists' arguments is well-situated in time and
space (i.e., when was he or she writing? where did they do fieldwork?
what part of the world and/or group is their main body of data based
on? what other theorists are they most indebted to? What historical
situations might be influencing his/her stances?).
- Sit down and
ponder. This step is crucial, for out of it will come interesting
and to the point discussion questions for the class. Make a time to
meet with your discussion co-leader and brainstorm together. What do
particular terms mean, anyway? How does their use of these terms compare
with others we've read? How do we assess this argument? It's implications
for that time? for us now? What are the writer's methods? What does
an ethnographic case help us understand about sex and gender?
2) Come up with
six discussion questions for the class. To make this more than just
a rote exercise, give some thought to how people read and respond to questions.
- Start Basic! At the intro level, many students will be reading this stuff for the
first time. Devise one or two openers that encourage people to consider
the basic contexts and structures of the arguments.
- Stay Brief! On email people tend to tune out after a few sentences. Your questions
should be no more than 3 lines long.
- Be a Balanced
Critic. Devise one or two questions that get people to the heart
of the theorists' arguments and their implications. Good critique considers
both the strong points (i.e., contributions to the field, strong evidence,
amazing logic, excellent writing) and weaknesses (i.e., weak evidence,
faulty logic, racist assumptions)
- Be Provocative.
Acting responsibly of course, devise one or two questions that might
stir up debate. Try a devil's advocate position, or a thought experiment.
3) Send your discussion
questions to the class via the Course Moodle Page. Give people time
to consider them and possible responses.
- Send Your Questions
on Time! Your questions should get to the class by Sunday night
for Tuesday's class, and by Wednesday morning for Thursday's class.
4) Be Prepared
for Class! Arrive on time. Usually, I begin the class period with
announcements and contextualizing comments, then I turn the discussion
leadership over to you.
- Bring extra copies
of your printed out discussion questions (not necessary to bring one
for everyone).
- Devise a short
speil that you and your co-leader deliver together in which you tell
us such things as your general impressions, how the process went, how
and why you came up with the questions, important contexts for the material.
- Optionally, construct
a brief thought exercise to generate discussion. Divide into groups,
ask the class to write responses to a question, show an image, etc.
5) Be an Attentive
Facilitator. Good facilitators open the discussion to everyone and
yet find ways to keep the discussion on track. You won't be completely
on your own! Consider me a co-facilitator.
- Bring the discussion
back on topic if it drifts
- Refer the class
to specific questions on the list
- Refer back to a
comment someone said earlier
- Address people
by name
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Reed College + Dept. of Anthropology + 3203 S.E. Woodstock Blvd. + Portland
+ OR + 97202
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