In my last post, I shared some thoughts on why I think asynchronous discussions are a power tool for online teaching. Today, I want to address the biggest complaint I hear from instructors about online discussions: the fact that they usually aren't "discussions." What I mean is, often times instructors default to the "post once, respond twice" formula that turns a rich learning opportunity into a formulaic task for students to check off of their to-do list. So, how can we shift this task-oriented mindset toward conversation?
I want to be clear: students need a level of buy-in to make this work. In future posts, I'll share some ideas I've found successful related to how we can set a foundation for this kind of learning community. But the things I'm going to suggest in this post are also important parts of helping students develop as a community of learners. Let's first think about the prompt, and then some ideas for getting students to respond to each other, then a bit about right-sizing the groups for discussion, and finally some encouragement about how to move the discussion towards real conversation.
Start off with a strong prompt
As I suggested in my last post, starting with an engaging hook is a key part of starting a real discussion. Giving students something provocative to read/watch/create before the discussion can help. So can a compelling prompt. And I think one of the best strategies is to ask a divergent question. A divergent question is one with multiple "right" answers, one that demands evidence and justification, one that demands more than just looking up a response in their text or via Google. This isn't foolproof, of course, but if you start with something students will find personally relevant and meaningful you're much more likely to have a compelling start to the discussion.
I have a few other ideas listed in my previous post that might be worth considering as well as you're giving students the nudge for how to begin the discussion.
Teach students how to respond
I think there are many things we instructors just assume students will be able to do. Sometimes we assume that students already have the background knowledge and skills needed to do the work we are asking them to do. This can be a tricky dance! We don't want to assume too much...but we also don't want to assume too little, that students are incapable of figuring things out on their own. That said, giving students a framework to use, and some explanation of your expectations can bring clarity for how a true discussion works.
Thus, I want to suggest that taking time to teach students how to respond to each other makes all the difference in getting a real discussion to unfold. Depending on the prompt you use, there are probably a variety of different kinds of appropriate responses. If you want a general purpose strategy for how students can respond to make it a real discussion, consider the "FY3" strategy. I first encountered this strategy years ago in a newsletter from ASCD. I used FY3 in my face-to-face Methods of Teaching Science course, and somewhere along the way I realized it might be an excellent approach for strengthening online discussions. I adapted it slightly from the original newsletter article, and I have regularly made use of FY3 for almost every online course I've taught in the past five years. In my experience, once students learn to use this approach, the quality of discussions improves dramatically.
Here's how I explain FY3 to my students:
As you respond to your classmates, I encourage you to use the "FY3" approach for making this discussion a true discussion. In response to a classmate's post you might:
- Amplify - Give a further example to support the point being made and move the conversation forward.
- Clarify - Ask a probing question to ensure you clearly understand the point being made.
- Diversify - Respectfully offer an alternative perspective to enrich the conversation.
The hope is that this approach pushes students to get beyond the basic, "Great post! I agree!" sort of response that drives me bonkers. And, in my experience, most students get the hang of moving the discussion forward when I encourage them to use FY3 in their responses. Is this a bombproof, can't-miss strategy? No...but I would encourage you to give it a whirl in your own online discussions. I think you'll find it a promising practice!
Get with the group
Just a side note here, about the size of the group. There are times when it makes the most sense to have a whole-class discussion. There are other times when it makes more sense to arrange your students into smaller groups for the discussion.
I think of whole-class discussions more like a cocktail party--you move through the room, catching snippets of conversation, and not getting too deeply involved with hearing from everyone in the room. This has its benefits! Sometimes I use this approach when I have a group of 20ish students, and I want them to all tell a bit about themselves, or share a story, or participate in some other whole-class learning experience. But it's hard to have a deep conversation in a cocktail party...
I like to use smaller groups for deeper conversations in online discussions. Most learning management systems (LMSs) have a feature that allow you to separate your class into smaller groups for discussions. In my experience, placing students into groups of 4-6 seems to make it more likely that they will engage deeply in conversation. The downside to this approach is that they only engage with a handful of their classmates this way, but the upside is the richness of the discussion, so I think overall this is a benefit.
When I'm using smaller discussion groups, I usually make the groups. Early in the course they might be randomly assigned, but as the course unfolds I usually rearrange the groups and I might make them more intentionally devised. I like the idea of getting students into several small groups with different classmates so they can engage with more of their colleagues throughout the course. I do usually keep discussion groups together for several weeks though. My hope is that this helps to further develop the relationships and the trust between the members of a group, so they start to have deeper conversations over time.
Shift towards real conversation
Using the "post once, respond twice" formula sometimes feels like the only way to ensure students will respond to a discussion prompt. (I've been there too!) But something I've been trying in the online courses I teach is to trust my students. I know, I know...maybe you feel like you've extended trust to your students before and been burned when they betrayed your trust. (I've been there too.) I know that my reaction when I've extended trust and had it broken is to become more protectionist...and maybe even more punitive (ugh.) toward students when this happens. And sometimes this feeling carries through beyond just one class into other courses, or other semesters. If you've been in this spot, I feel you. It stinks.
But I want to challenge you to try extending some trust to your students in what I hope is a low-risk way. If you're going to try some of the other things I'm suggesting, consider this a progression, okay? Start by using strong prompts to get the discussion rolling. Then maybe incorporate FY3 to encourage better responses to their classmates' posts. And then, once you have this cooking, maybe take a further step, and try to encourage students to take more ownership of the discussion, and form a more substantial learning community.
Here's how I have explained this to my students:
You've probably figured me out by now: I place a high value on true conversation and collaboration. So rather than prescribe a certain number of posts for this discussion, I will just say this: make it a conversation, and be an active participant! Think about how a conversation unfolds naturally: one person says something, someone else responds, a third person adds on, another asks a question...there isn't a particular formula to be followed, but people hear each other, and respond to the ideas being shared. That's what I'm hoping you'll practice in this discussion.
Ideally, I'd love to see you collectively--as a group--respond to the prompts below, but that doesn't mean each of you must start new threads for each prompt. You might start a new thread. You might respond to someone else by agreeing--or disagreeing! (kindly)--with their thoughts. You might raise questions, or answer questions. Carry the conversation forward, interact, and learn from each other through the discourse.
I hope the prompts below will get some conversation started, but if you have other burning questions, or if you make different kinds of connections, or if you just want to put your own spin on things, please feel free to do so. That's the joy of being an authentic learner! :-)
I should note that I don't do this for the first few weeks of the course. I use a more structured post-and-respond approach that incorporates FY3. But by a few weeks in, if I can see that a learning community is starting to develop, I trust my students to try this approach. I figure that I can always go back to a more structured approach for future discussions if this approach falls flat. That said, I cannot remember a time that this approach did not work, once we had done a little work to learn how to respond to each other. I think that's the key: taking our time, and me being intentional about teaching students how to engage in an online discussion.
I hope that the ideas in this post spark you to incorporate more online discussions in your distance teaching practice! If you have other ideas and strategies, or if you have questions in response, please leave a comment below.
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(This post is part of a series offering tips on distance teaching. You can read more about this project here: Distance Teaching Tips. You can also read all of the posts in this series here: Distance Teaching Tips Series.)
