Why invest the time in teaching students academic discussion skills?

It prepares students for the world they are going to go into in the 21st century.

Using academic discussions puts the 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility, and social skills into practice. Through academic discussions, students can grow into someone who is more willing to be a diverse thinker and open to global perspectives. Students learn how to appreciate multiple points of view in the classroom and outside the classroom. Frequent practice in quality conversations helps students develop an open mindset. When students realize they learn from others during these discussions, they are so much more willing to have an open mindset in future conversations.

The skills involved in productive, quality conversations

• Taking turns
• Listening to and respecting others’ points of view and opinions
• Listen effectively in order to agree, disagree, add on, Recall and summarize
• Communicate orally thoughts and feelings and experiences
• Speak fluently and with confidence
• Build new understandings by listening to others’ opinions and ideas
• Respect and valuing others’ contributions
• Accept and provide feedback

Investing time up front to teach students how to have effective discussions will pay off with more productive classroom time!

Learning how to have effective discussions isn’t easy. It requires many skills that students have not yet developed. The time and effort that you invest into teaching and practicing discussion skills will pay great dividends. Students will grow into their ability to discuss gradually and over time productive conversations becomes a classroom norm. You will find yourself spending less time teaching the skills and more time observing, guiding and helping students hone their skills through academic conversations in all content areas. Students grow into independent learners as they begin to apply the skills learned through discussions to support their own learning.

It builds classroom community.

The biggest barrier to students getting along is lack of communication. Learning how to have effective conversations teaches empathy and the ability to listen to others’ points of view. It requires students to put their thoughts, feelings, and experiences into words that others can understand. Academic discussions helps to create a safe learning environment where they learn to share, listen, reflect, and care.

It develops executive function skills.

Effective discussions require students to apply and practice the following executive function skills

• Working memory
• Flexible thinking
• Paying attention
• Staying focused on task
• Understanding different points of view
• Regulating emotions

Are you ready to teach academic discussion skills?

We've created lessons to help you get started! 

Getting Started with Academic Discussions