motivating students
group proyects, to motivate class discussions
Open-ended questions are definitely more of my classroom style, because it does encourage students to be opinionated. However, when we are discussing a "hot" issue I must remind my students to be respectful of other's opinions and ideas.
Yes, group projects are effective in motivating students. I also found that during the very first class the best way to promote discussion is to begin by giving an overview of the course and ask relatively simple questions that invoke personal experiences from students.
I like to use open-ended questions, instead of yes or no, true or false. Open-ended questions allows to ask more questions but also to get into discussion.
I start the class with the following:
I write questions and terms on the board and then give groups of students time to go and turn the term(s) into a question or answer the question(s).
Asking clear and simple questions is the best way to keep the students focused and motivated.
