By Jake Ha

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — With many Silver Creek teachers, there are many different teaching styles, yet I find discussion-based teaching helps students understand the material the most.

In a survey of 24 Silver Creek students, many of them mentioned assignment quality, general subject enjoyability and nontraditional teaching methods as reasons for learning the most. Only one student mentioned discussion, yet it is discussion that encompasses all of these reasons.

A discussion-based teaching style means having students bring up their own interpretations while working together to create a higher understanding, with some guidance by a teacher. Instead of stating answers or holding lectures, teachers would provide a foundation of the concept and guide students who are stuck or moving towards an incorrect answer. 

Response is found as students talk out the question. When figuring out answers themselves, that answer becomes more memorable than if it was told to them. 

Although the most obvious forms of discussion are through seminars, I would also consider peer reviewing, checking and explaining answers with a group and having students teach concepts to each other as forms of discussion if done properly. 

Through discussion, multiple viewpoints are brought up instead of a single one by a teacher. These differing interpretations are needed to fully understand a text. What one person missed is explained by another. 

For less interpretive problems, multiple strategies can be brought up, allowing students to choose the one they’re most comfortable with instead of being forced to follow a specific process.  

Students are also more familiar with each other than with teachers. They know each other‘s strengths and struggles and can adjust their explanations to be more clear. Having experienced the content themself, a student can focus on the content that they, and many other students, have struggled with.

The simple act of telling another student about a topic in a discussion helps both parties learn the content. To explain, one must summarize and teach the content in an understandable way, which also benefits their own understanding. Any mistakes or faulty reasoning become more obvious when told out-loud, so errors can be corrected.

One such example of this is in Todd Seal’s classroom, as students read their essay drafts aloud to each other. Promoting interaction between students, Seal said, “I want students to have a larger audience than just me.” Reading a draft aloud to another person makes their own mishaps in writing easier to find, while the other student can point out points of improvement. 

I believe that the main reason teachers may avoid a discussion-based teaching style is because they believe that their subject cannot be taught via discussion and that some students are reluctant to talk amongst themselves. Both can be avoided.

While discussion is most easily done in humanities subjects like English and History, it is possible to use this teaching style in science and math via collaboration. Complex multi-step problems are best solved when multiple minds are put together. Difficult concepts are best understood when told by a fellow student. Mistakes are best avoided when students are able to warn each other individually.

In my experience, students don’t talk when they feel uncomfortable with speaking. Teachers must create a comfortable environment where mistakes aren’t made fun of and all responses are considered. Embracing humor and casual conversation when teaching encourages students to speak to each other. 

To teachers and students, let’s build an education where discussion helps everybody learn.