Blog # 10

This topic means a lot to me because I have always had problems talking in a classroom setting; well, for as long as I have been in college since I was home schooled previous to that. It is not that I am too shy or scared to add to discussion in class, it is just that it is hard for me to think of something that is worth saying. I felt like most of the ideas suggested in this chapter to get students to engage in intelligent discussions are all things that would make me shut down in a classroom setting. When I am in a small group discussion setting, it is hard for me to focus on the questions at hand. Usually, there is a short amount of time in group discussions so I tend to give up before I even try to engage in discussion. This is obviously a fault of my own, but I do feel like small group discussions is not the surefire answer like the chapter seems to imply. However, I think that the discussion book idea would be more beneficial to my learning style. Whenever I am asked to create something from my own ideas, I am more apt to want to share and talk about it. I think many students with my learning style would benefit from the discussion book while many other students would benefit from the other options presented in the chapter. That being said, I think it would be wise for me to try all of the things for each of my classes in the future to see what works best for different groups of students.