December 8, 2021 Think About…11 Topics on Course Design for Collaborative Discussions I wrote a "Think About" series of messages that were designed for educators who want to engage students in more active learning using collaborative class discussions. These messages have been...
August 11, 2021 Questions–and Critical Thinking in Discussions George Winston taught an upper-level economics course on current issues. The course had a major discussion component and today’s class was the first session with students in their small-group discussion...
August 4, 2021 Making Creative Connections Dr. Jeffrey Swank was fed up with his class. He taught a Problems in Social Science class in which students were asked to explore current issues confronting society. The in-class...
July 28, 2021 Metaphorically Speaking Caroline Janosik began her class by saying, “I need your help. I’ve developed a new course to prepare students for the soft skills that employers are looking for in college...
July 14, 2021 Facilitating Curiosity Jordan Carper began her class by asking students to write down on a sheet of paper three things they were curious about. She asked this question because she believed that...
June 23, 2021 Values in Context Greg Andrews was a contingent instructor in the Information Technology program. With 30 years of experience in designing IT systems, he had seen the good and bad uses of technology....
June 16, 2021 When Disagreement is Good Dr. Gretchen Whitmore was in her first year of teaching an upper-level social science course. She had decided to use a student-centered discussion approach as her primary teaching strategy. She believed...
May 13, 2021 Apply to Become a Collaborative Discussion Coach–Announcing IF’s Summer Training Applications are still open for the Interactivity Foundation's online training for educators and practitioners interested in becoming Collaborative Discussion Coaches. The training offers a deep dive into the Collaborative Discussion...
May 12, 2021 Collaborative Bonds On the first day of class Professor Alan Nelson was going over the syllabus. “One of the unique things about this class is the discussion groups you will be in...