Getting the students to reply
I have found that it is imperative that instructors ask open ended questions linked to the weekly discussions, their experiences and readings. I like to leave the student with a question to "dig deeper" on the topic at hand. I also like to ask multiple students the same question to spur conversation and learning between them
Michael McGivern
Walt,
Personal experiences (instructor and students) add to the learning environment.
Thanks!
Yes I also try to get the student to share their interests or personal experiences. I often find we have things in commom that we can discuss. If its of interest to the class discussion, I encourge the student to share it with the class. Anytime you show personal intertest in the student, they are more likely to keep the communications going.
Patricia,
Helping students connect their beliefs/thoughts to research is a good thing. They need to know "life" is bigger than their thoughts. ;-) Thanks!
Bernard, good point - I find that my students tend to want to reply from a personal perspective while I am trying to develop in them an academic perspective.
Requiring the use of a citation to support an opinion is one way we have been able to get better compliance from students. It also helps when they see that real research endorses their perspective - and hopefully encourages in them a desire to check citations in real life too!
Bernard,
Sounds like this techniques of combining an open-ended question and a URL could make the students think more critically about the question. Nice job.
I also used open-ended questions, but I'll also often include a web-link to get them thinking on the right track.
David,
Yes, the probing questions are helpful in getting students to communication more and in more depth. Thanks for the reminder.
Michael,
Great points. I also like to ask questions that draw responses out of students. I'm finding that students don't do a whole lot of external research when responding to discussion boards...so drawing the out with other questions some times facilitates them doing that extra external research.
David Pittman
Kimberly and Michael,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. Sounds like you are trying to get to know your students and make them feel at ease. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Michael,
The other piece I like to do, specifically during the first week of instruction is engage them personally. I ask them about their family, what they like to do for fun and then make note of that so I can reference it in their feedback for the first week's assignments - that way they feel cared about and that I'm invested in them as a person. :)
william,
I also put students in charge of discussion boards and it's their job to make sure they facilitate the discussion and get all students to participate. Thanks!
Open ended questions are fine.....but to get a student to participate who normally does not, you must direct the question to that student specifically.
Michael and Christi,
It is good to know others are doing similar things in their classes. Thanks for sharing.
Dr. Tena B. Crews
Christi,
Yes, if you can relate the postings and discussion to their experiences and the real world, they are more engaged because they see how it relates to life. Keep it up!
Thanks for your input.
Christi, thanks and I do the same thing. They need to take their learnings and apply them in the real world
Michael
Hello:
I have found one of the effective ways to get students to reply is by sharing my life experiences and asking them to relate their learning to an experience in their lives. I often look for ways to ask more in depth questions when I see students responding to questions in the same manner. I look for common topics and subjects during discussion threads to ensure that I can expound on other topics that we may have covered during our reading through the week as well.
Christi Monk, MA
Michael,
Definitely. Open ended questions tend to stir more conversation and can lead the conversation in different directions. It is all good. Thanks for your input.
