| Buzz groups | A small group technique to help broaden student participation in discussion.
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| Circle seating pattern | A seating arrangement used in discussion that places teacher and students in a circle; maximizes free interchange among participants.
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| Convergent questions | Type of question that focuses on relationships and analysis of cause and effect; calls for finding single best answer.
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| Debriefing | Way to access the effectiveness of a classroom discussion by asking students what they thought of the discussion.
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| Discourse | The larger patterns of verbal exchange and communication that occur in classrooms.
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| Discussion | A teaching method that relies on verbal exchange of ideas among students and the teacher.
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| Divergent questions | "What if" type of questions that allow multiple answers and solutions and promote creativity.
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| Interpersonal communication skills | Skills that promote honest communication and positive regard among students.
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| Level of difficulty | Refers to how difficult a question asked of students is to answer.
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| Recitation | An approach to teaching in which a teacher provides bits of information, asks questions, gets students to respond, and then provides feedback by praising or correcting.
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| Thinking matrix | A visual device to help students think about the types of questions and answers they provide during a discussion. Used to teach thinking skills.
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| Think-pair-share | A technique used by teachers to slow down the pace of discourse and to increase student participation.
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| U-shape seating pattern | A seating arrangement used for discussions in which students' chairs form a U and the teacher is seated in the front at the open end of the U.
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| Visual cueing | Use of visual devices, such as hand signals, to inform students about what they should be doing.
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| Wait-time | The time a teacher waits for a student to respond to a question and the time a teacher waits before responding back.
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