Why Discussions Fail

Brookfield’s Why Discussions Fail

Brookfield, in Why Discussions Fail, describes the aims of discussion as being: to develop critical, informed understanding, to enhance self-critique, to foster appreciation for diverse views, and to help people take informed action. While these are great and noble goals, Brookfield understands that discussion easily fails in the classroom due to reasons such as a lack of student preparedness, unrealistic expectations, and no ground rules. To combat this epidemic of plagued discussion attempts, Brookfield offers a variety of strategies to help insure the success of a classroom discussion. While not every tactic may work for every teacher, it is important for a teacher to understand their strengths and weaknesses to better assess which strategies may be more viable for their teaching style.

            The discussion strategy that really stood out to me is one the Brookfield calls The Circle of Voices. Just like the circle of life, okay maybe not so existentialist or lion-king-esque… The circle of voices has students get into a circle formation where they then share their ideas about a topic, taking turns, most often following around the circle. One of the ground rules is that while someone is talking, no one else can be talking. This helps to create an atmosphere where students, who normally are quiet or don’t talk much in class, are able to express their views, due in part to the fact that discussion is happening automatic and not for the student to decide when or if to speak out. Once the initial circle of voices is completed, the students then begin an open, more informal discussion. The ground rule here is that students are only allowed to talk about another students ideas, and not their own. This is great because for one it foster the dialogue aspect of discussion, where students are participating in this back and forth, and it prevents students from doing what Brookfield calls “Grandstanding”, where a single student takes the stage and wreaks havoc with his ideas. The students participate in this open discussion for as long as needed. I would be interested to try this type of discussion strategy in my classroom and see if students respond to it well. I like the ways it can get students talking, and about others ideas, but I also worry about making anyone feel like to have to speak. Overall though, it seems like a fun, engaging discussion activity.