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THE DISCUSSION TEACHING METHOD:
AN INTERACTIVE STRATEGY IN TERTIARY LEARNING
MRS. BRIDGET O.J. OMATSEYE (PH.D)
Institute of Education
University of Benin
I
The traditional known method of teaching in tertiary institutions
is the lecture tiiethod. In this method, the lecturer has a body of
knowledge to communicate to his students who are more or less
silent participants. In effect, there is an obvious gulf or barrier
between the lecturer and his students. However, the focus in this
article is to represent teaching in tertiary learning as one that
could be mere interactive and cooperative with students and
teachers as participants. Together, they share ideas, knowledge
and information. Significantly, this strategy creates a connection
between the students and the curriculum and provides opportu-
nity tor open discussions with students (student to student) as
well as the teacher. This helps to stimulate imaginative and con-
ceptual thinking, and sharpens logical reasoning among students.
It is a design that makes students more active and participatory
members of the teaching - leaming process, and not mere pas-
sive recipients of knowledge.
My first experience as a University quiet moments I renewed the aim of edu-
teacher may have started the way I was cation and appreciated more, the need to
taught. As a teacher-in-training I was make meaning to my learners. I had to go
taught via the traditional lecture method. more interactive in my teaching strategies.
A situation where the lecturer as solo per- I allowed myself to be drawn into a more
former communicated knowledge to his participatory world of learning, with hopes
students, who merely listened with rapt of making my teaching meaningful. My
attention. Between the lecturer and stu- focus since then has centred on teaching,
dents there was an obvious gulf or barrier. listening to students and together, discuss
As a student then, it was an ardous task lesson taught.
being a silent listener who could not ques-
tion, argue or share knowledge through Introduction
debates or conversations. There have been debates over time to
Having to go that route now as a uni- establish whether teaching is a skill or an
versity teacher. I did not feel too art. Some students believe in their teacher's
comfortable doing what gave me so much performance as quite brilliant, others get
academic pain in the past. I decided to motivated and excited with the presenta-
adopt a totally different teaching strategy. tion and teaching. For some others, their
I started by empathizing with my students. teachers bore them making the lesson dry.
This changed my attitude. I discovered hard and leaving them more confused. All
that with every passing day my beliefs and of these enthusiasms and opinions are even-
practices about teaching changed. In my tually translated into students' academic
87
88 / Education Vol. 128 No. 1
achievement. However, what is pertinent change of ideas. The teacher in his inter-
in teaching and learning is the ability to actions with his learners performs a variety
apply skills to the art of teaching with an of roles. He is firstly a teacher whose busi-
aim to motivate the learners. A blend of ness is to transmit knowledge, and in doing
skills and art in teaching is also manifest- this he specifies the objectives of his les-
ed in clearly structure lessons and manner son and examines the needs and
of presentation. A teacher who can effec- background of the students for relevance
tively do this is an active constructor of of the topic and its suitability. Important-
learning, who can, and should transmit ly too, in applying the discussion strategy
knowledge, but should allow students voic- to the teaching-learning process, the
es to be heard as contributing members of teacher plays the role of a manager, guide,
class. This is typical in a discussion class. initiator, referee and a summarizer.
The teacher teaches, asks questions, and in The discussion teaching method is a
doing so, he hears his voice. But he does design that provides opportunity for dis-
not stop at that. In hearing his own voice, cussion between teacher and students, and
he begins to appreciate the need to hear students to students. It is a strategy that
the voices of those he teaches. This elic- centres on shared conversations, discus-
its a more participatory teaching, which sions, and exchange of ideas in class. It
can stimulate imaginative and conceptual gives opportunity for all to sit and listen,
thinking amongst students. In this case, as well as talk and think, thus emphasiz-
students in tertiary institutions who had ing the process of "coming to know" as
hitherto been used to the lecture teaching valuable as "knowing the right answer".
method, where they are, but, passive lis- In other words, students in a discussion
teners. class are not passive listeners neither is the
teacher a sole performer. Students are
The Interactive Nature of the Discussion allowed to develop critical thinking abili-
Teaching Method ty, leam to evaluate ideas, concepts and
Most teachers of tertiary institutions principles, procedures and even pro-
tend to be more comfortable with the lec- grammes and policies on tbe basis of
ture method of teaching. As a teaching clearly set criteria. For instance, a student
method, lecturing in tertiary institutions is who participates in a discussion lesson
a tradition. The level of students' maturi- learns to support his views rationally, based
ty may be one of the reasons for using this on facts, too. He appreciates the need to
method at that stage of learning. Howev- argue logically, define clearly - concepts
er in this article, the argument is for a more and terms, and examine critically - rules,
interactive teaching strategy that crosses principles and constructs. Such a student
all barriers and gulf peculiar with the lec- learns to develop value processing skills in
ture method. The focus here is the relation to changes that occur in his soci-
discussion method. It is a teaching strat- ety.
egy in which the teacher brings students Essentially too, the discussion strategy
face to face as they engage in verbal inter- encourages cooperative team work
An Interactive Strategy / 89
between teacher and students and amongst listen to each other, resolve differences,
students. It emphasizes the need for all to make suggestions and critically examine
work cooperatively while developing soci- issues for the benefit of all. As students for-
etal relationships. Students see themselves mulate their own views in the act of give
as contributory members of the group, and take, they also learn to resist the influ-
instead of separate and odd. According to ences of their personal prejudices,
Bennett (1995), such cooperative learning commitments, stereotypes; likes and dis-
improves both academic achievement and likes, at the same time continue to focus
students' interpersonal relationship. He attention on the theme of problem at hand.
goes on to argue that in most cases all stu- Besides its emphasis on a high level of
dents (including high, average and low interaction for possible cooperative learn-
achievers) tend to benefit from coopera- ing, the discussion method is quite
tive learning and team work. In the same important in bringing about meaningful
vein, Johnson, Johnson and Holube (1988) increase in students* achievement. Basi-
have affirmed that such cooperative spirit cally, teaching strategies stem from
in learning help students work together to teacher's behaviour. This, in itself is fur-
complete a task successfully. This is a'so ther manifested in the teacher's effective
important in promoting students' inde- use of academic learning time. Sadker and
pendence. Sadker (1991) have argued that allocating
Generally, in appraising the interactive adequate time to academic content is not
nature of the discussion teaching method, enough. It is the teacher's ability to effec-
that cooperative spirit of learning inherent tively use allocated time in classroom
is quite crucial. It emphasizes (students) teaching that is the real key to student
individual and group accountability, with achievement. It is on this score that Berlin-
the teacher giving the feedback. Also, er (1984) looks at academic time as three
through such shared learning students major parts. First is the allocated time.
develop shared responsibilities for leader- This, he describes as the amount of time a
ship functions. Significantly too, teacher schedules for a topic or subject.
interaction in the discussion strategy There is also the engaged time. This is
encourages rational arguments and logi- actually that chunk of time in the whole of
cal reasoning. In doing this, the teacher the engaged time that students spend in
helps to develop in his learners skills in active involvement listening to lesson
conflict management and listening. John- taught, participation in class discussions,
son and Johnson (1987) have also question sessions, writing etc. Good and
suggested that such interactions in the Brophy (1994) have asserted that the more
classroom that promote cooperative learn- the engaged time spent within the allocat-
ing are successful strategy for reducing ed time, the better students' achievement.
stereotyping and social rejection across Finally, there is the academic learning time
disability, race and gender lines. In other which Berliner (1984) simply describes as
words, all see themselves as members of "engaged time with a high success rate".
a group as they participate in discussions. Looking at the above within the con-
90/Education Vol. 128 No. 1
text of the discussion teaching method, identified direct visual contact between
even though this teaching strategy may be members of the participating group as the
seen as a complex activity, it is quite engag- critical variable that leads to increase in
ing. Thus, a good teacher can exploit that communication and participation by stu-
engaging nature of this method to the dents. This has implication for increased
advantage of his student as well as his own learning achievement. In the same vein,
teaching. Such a teacher could employ an in a discussion class, the sitting arrange-
interactive discussion strategy, where he, ment, the frequency and depth of eye
as manager, guide and initiator creates contact are important variables that are
opportunities for his students to partici- determinants to students" level of partici-
pate actively, not stand on the sideline as pation and learning. It is in line with this
mere volunteers. that the teacher should pay attention to the
type of communication network in which
Ensuring Participation hy all in Ihe students are organised for a discussion
Discussion Teaching Strategy class. Importantly, the communication pat-
Just as the topic for discussion is impor- tern has its effect on the quality and
tant in this teaching strategy, so is the frequency counts of student participation,
seating plan and arrangement of partici- and by implication, the quality of learning
pants clear definition of teacher's roles, that occurs.
precise determination of students' role, all Generally, two major sitting patterns
with an aim to ensuring academic achieve- have been identified that can be adapted in
ment. Generally, the emphasis on seating a discussion class. They are the central-
arrangement in the teaching-learning ized sitting arrangement and the
process, is the need for students to partic- decentralized.
ipate actively. Sommer (1967) has further The centralized sitting network could
TEACHER
The Wheel Configuration
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