I do the same; I just do not tell them good posting!!! and move on. Instead, I try to ask them questions regarding their postings; that in turn, would make them think about it.
Marshall,
This is careful, but guided facilitation or inquiry. Nice job. Thanks for sharing.
Virginia and Ellen,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. Open-ended questions and being the "devil's advocate" can stir things that students may not have thought of before. We have to probe them into action at times. Thanks for your input.
Right, I keep them guessing over the course of the allotted time, if the discussion is for two weeks I will wait until the end to give the actual or best response, constantly steering them toward the best answer.
I do the same thing, Ellen! I think that when responding to students it is important that we strive for critical thinking in the student's response. One thing I'm a big fan of is the Socratic method of questioning. Leave an open-ended question (I'm guilty of sometimes being the "Devil's Advocate") that will spark their imagination and cause them to really think!
Ellen,
Yes, facilitating a discussion is different than leading a discipussion. Thanks for bring that up.
