It is a commonly held criticism of discussion that, as a teaching device, it lacks the all-important ability to capture progress.
Someone coming into a classroom in which discussion has been used, it is argued, will be unable to tell from looking at learner books what progress has been made.
Therefore, whatever benefits there might be in using discussion are negated by the fact that little or no record of learner work will exist.
Two inferences are often drawn from this: (i) because there is nothing to show, discussion itself is not work and (ii) because there is no means by which to check what learners have done, they can easily avoid doing any work if they so wish.
There are many ways in which the progress made in a discussion can be captured and we will look at these below.
Before we do, however, it is worth unpacking some of the assumptions in the anti-discussion view we have outlined above.
What constitutes progress?
Learning, certainly, but how does this manifest itself?
A common answer is in the form of increased knowledge or a better understanding.
That these two things intertwine goes without saying.
Capturing progress is a different matter from trying to define what it is.
The notion is predicated on the idea that progress can be captured and that it ought to be captured.
The language stems from the assessment of teachers through statutory and in-school frameworks.
The driving purpose is to make judgements about effectiveness.
To make a judgement, you need criteria.
In an administrative sense, particularly one that is top-down and hierarchical, specific measures are preferable as they help to create a sense of uniformity across a large sample.
This means that two types of judgement can be made:
- Judgements of individuals in relation to a set of criteria.
- Judgements of how individuals compare across various levels (local, regional, national, international).
The assumption that because there is nothing to show therefore discussion does not involve any work is false.
True, some discussions may have nothing to show and involve little progress being made, but having nothing to show does not by itself mean that learning hasn’t happened.
All of us have engaged in strenuous thinking with seemingly nothing to show for it. Thinking that has enhanced our knowledge and understanding.
Consider:
- Wrestling with a major life decision such as whether to relocate, have another child, or file for a divorce.
- Analysing a new situation in detail before deciding how to act.
- Coming up with good responses while under pressure in a job interview.
In each of these cases no tangible product is created.
The first results in changed circumstances but the thinking behind these would only become known if the individual chose to reveal it.
Many people would look at the situation from the outside and simply assume a decision had been made and no more.
The fact is that many of the things we do in our lives are not recorded or made evident, yet they are still premised on thinking that is in-depth and often difficult.
The contrast with writing – which forms a large part of the work done in the classroom – can sometimes result in ‘unseen’ thinking being devalued.
Writing is fixed by nature – that is one of its major benefits (it coheres over time; once it is recorded it remains as it is).
Therefore, any task that involves writing will logically include a tangible product; unless the learner chooses not to write, nothing else can be the case.
In a sense then, writing can come to be placed at the top of a hierarchy, its position claimed because it can speak for itself across space and time (something that many other means of communication cannot do).
If a discussion creates no product, then some assume that learners can choose not to do anything and that they will get away with this.
Such an argument is not exclusive to discussion activities.
Learners have the means to avoid doing work no matter what the activity is.
They can down tools surreptitiously or with great ostentation and then refuse to work at any point in any lesson.
There is only so much the teacher can do.
Invariably, however, this is not the case.
Most learners tend to do what is asked of them and the teacher has various means at their disposal by which to encourage or compel recalcitrant learners back on track.
In a high-quality discussion there will always be something for every learner to be doing.
Listening, speaking, thinking and making notes are some of the most common examples.
This means that if any learner does try to avoid doing work, the teacher will know that this is the case.
In addition, the use of discussion techniques and activity structures helps to keep learners focussed and engaged.
Capturing progress can be a useful part of any discussion.
Moulded to complement the main task, rather than tacked on as an added extra, it can help learners to get more out of a debate.
The teacher will always need to exercise their professional judgement to assess whether, during a discussion, it will be useful to capture progress made by learners or whether it may prove a hindrance.
To put it another way, you do not have to capture progress during a discussion, but you can if you want to, or if you feel it will benefit your learners.
And here are some different ways you can do it:
Precede discussion with a written activity
- Follow the discussion with an assessment or redrafting of the written work. The changes learners make are evidence of the impact of the discussion.
Follow a discussion activity with a written task
- When you do this, the content and quality of the writing will be a direct consequence of the thinking and learning that has taken place during the discussion.
Include some sort of written element in the discussion activity
- This could involve notetaking, one learner taking on the role of ‘scribe’, or a switch during the activity from talking to writing (‘OK, take two minutes to write down your thoughts on what you have heard so far’).
Assign roles to learners in paired, group or whole-class discussions
- Hand out roles that encourage a learner to capture the progress made during a discussion. The role of ‘scribe’ has already been mentioned. Other roles include ‘summariser’ (who writes a summary of the key learning points at the end of a discussion), ‘learning observer’ (who writes during the discussion, but only writes what they think is new learning demonstrated by the group) and ‘assessor’ (who is given a sheet they must fill in, assessing the discussion as it goes along).
Record the discussion using a camera
- This captures the discussion verbatim. What you do with it afterwards is another question. But if someone is asking you for evidence of learning and you want them to see the quality discussion that is happening in your classroom, this is a good option.
At the end of a discussion, ask learners to do an assessment
- This could be of the discussion as a whole, of the contribution they made, or of the learning they feel they have gained from the discussion. Assessments can be done in books, or you can create a handout that learners fill in.
