The Art of Discussion-Based Teaching

The Art of Discussion-Based Teaching

The Art of Discussion-Based Teaching

At the dawn of the twentieth century, visitors in an urban high school would have noted
that large classrooms of around fifty students were typical. had they asked, they would
have learned the desks were bolted to the floor to promote a quieter and more orderly
atmosphere. They would have also seen that interactions between teacher and student
followed a highly predictable pattern. At the rate of two or three per minute, students
would be called upon to stand and recite the answer to a question. After each student
finished giving an answer, the teacher would pronounce it right or wrong, and then ask
a question of another student (Cuban, 1984).
Since these early descriptions of teacher and student interactions, many changes have
occurred in American education. Desks are no longer bolted to the floor, class sizes
are smaller, and students are rarely, if ever, called upon to stand when they answer. Yet
despite repeated criticism and the introduction of numerous innovations, the recitation
of memorized facts continues to dominate the classroom interactions between teachers
and students. (See “For Further Reading” at the end of the book for specific references.)

John E. hEnning