Which is better for the student- forced discussion or true dialogue? The answer is obvious. But how can an online discussion board foster true dialogue?
Instead of dictating, online instructors should simply facilitate, or manage, discussions. First and foremost, it is best that a teacher not respond to every post. Teachers always have something to say, but should not allow the focus of the course to be on them. (One of the worst things about education in America, I believe, is that many students reduce their educations to silliness--silliness in the form of pandering to a teacher. They are not interested in developing their own minds as much as pleasing a teacher for a grade. I do not want to encourage this.) I am trying to encourage genuine dialogue among real people, and nothing messes that up more than a typical online discussion forum.
Think about how an effective online discussion works. Given a prompt, students begin to think and wonder about what others think. Something exciting is happening! True dialogue is beginning and the process is working ... at least in some way ... for some people. Do not underestimate a little thing like this. It is big! We learn not only from creating, but from seeing what others create. We also learn from exploring the creative process. Have you ever found yourself arguing something and realized that you had changed sides during the argument?
The value of dialogue is to better understand each other, to better understand the opinions of others, and to better understand ourselves. Through dialogue, we truly can learn what we think--not just tell others what we think. We do not write and talk to say what we think, but we, instead, write and talk to figure out what we think--to discover, to explore! The better we can discuss, listening and responding, the more potential we have to improve our lives and the lives of others.To do that effectively requires dialogue.
2 comments:
Great post Mark. You made me think about how I talk to others, in my personal life and in my professional life. Conversation is an important aspect in teaching and learning. It's true that when in a class and if you're asked to discus a topic, we all begin to get off topic at some point. It's very easy to do. I know I have done this many times, even in my own classroom with my kindergartners. The key is knowing when to stop the discussion and bring the students back to the topic. You made many important points in your blog. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks!
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