1. Strategies for Involving Students in Discussions of Assigned Readings
Pace Faculty Institute
September 19, 2017
Pleasantville Campus
Strategies for Involving Students in Discussions of Assigned Readings

2. Jennifer Pankowski, Betsy Smith, Peter McDermott
School of Education
Jennifer Pankowski, Betsy Smith, Peter McDermott

3. What teaching strategies work best for you?

4. Allowing Students to Select the Readings
Allow students to research a topic or prompt and use these articles and book chapters to create a class text.
Students will present on how they determined a specific reading and the process in which they used to select it.
This allows students to use skills of research and critical thinking to develop a discussion around why they selected a reading for the given prompt.

5. Book Club Model
Rather than a formal written response to the reading, have groups of students read 3-5 different readings on the same topic for class and share out their take aways in the form of a book club style discussion

6. Poll Them
Use poll everywhere in the anonymous setting to have students answer questions about the reading when they enter class.
This let’s the instructor know if the general take away is why you need it to be or if you need to redirect the conversation
Also using the word wall function allows students to response in real time to a prompt about the reading.

7. The Fish Bowl: Addressing Misconceptions and Misunderstandings
“Fish Bowl”: (Student or groups) Write questions you have or points that are still unclear about today’s readings onto index cards. Place in bowl in the front of the classroom. Instructor and/or students will pull questions to answer individually or as a class.
“Parking Lot”: (Student or groups) Write questions or unclear reading points on post-its and place on provided chart paper or whiteboard space. Use review and discussion of questions to close lesson.
“1 Minute Paper”: What was the most unclear point in today’s readings?

8. “Wait Time”
Amount of time between when an instructor asks a question and calls on a student to answer (or answers herself).
Benefits of longer “wait time”:
Length of student response increased
More arguments given based on evidence
More student-student interaction
More student questions
More time for instructor to listen & think

9. Evaluating Two Sides of a Debate: Read, Discuss, Debate – Evaluating Arguments

10. Low-staking testing/quizzes
The process of info retrieval improves learning.
Active retrieval improves retention.
Feedback to students’ quiz attempts improves learning and retention

11. Discussion Webs

12. Community Meetings (Everyone contributes, Talking Stick, Face-to-face communication)

13. Bibliography
Alvermann, D. [1991]. The discussion Web: a graphic aid for learning across the curriculum. The Reading Teacher, 45, )
Resnick. L., Asterhan,C., & Clarke. S. (Eds.)(2015). Socializing intelligence through academic talk and dialogue. Washington, D.C. AERA
Roediger, H. (2014). How Tests Make Us Smarter. NYTimes (July 13). Available at
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006b). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17,
The Chronicle Focus. (2017). Best ideas for teaching, Chronicle of Higher Education. Available at