Discussant Moves

As we all know, it is important that we develop the ability and willingness to ask questions of each other or try to build on each others’ ideas. ‘Discussant Moves’ is an exercise in which students are asked to practice these skills in very specific ways. The idea behind all of the following moves is that they are designed to strengthen connections among group members and to reinforce the notion that discussion is a collaborative process.
  1. DM.1: Use body language (i.e. eye contact, head nodding, taking notes) to show that you are engaged and interested in the discussion.
  2. DM.2: Reference the text when sharing an idea, be sure to share a page number.
  3. DM.3: When responding to someone, use that person’s name.
  4. DM.4: Make a comment indicating that you found another person’s ideas interesting, educational or useful. Try to explain to them why you found their comment interesting, educational or useful.
  5. DM.5: Contribute something that builds on from what someone else has said; be explicit about the way you are building on the other person’s thoughts.
  6. DM.6: Paraphrase someone’s point to clarify their original idea.
  7. DM.7: Push someone to share more by asking a question about an idea that they shared.
  8. DM.8: Disagree with someone in a respectful, constructive way; try to do this without using the word “disagree”.
  9. DM.9: Make a comment that highlights the link between two or more peoples’ comments; make this link explicit in and be as clear as you can when you explain the link.
  10. DM.10: Begin a new thread in the discussion by sharing a new idea or asking a question.
  11. DM.11: At an appropriate moment, ask the group to take a minute to silently reread a section of the text; when you ask for this pause in the discussion be sure to provide an explanation around why you want the class to focus on this section of the text.
  12. DM.12: Make a summary observation that takes into account several peoples’ contributions and that touches on a recurring theme in the thread or overall discussion. Use this to end a thread or close-out the discussion.
  13. DM.13: Express appreciation for something you gained from the discussion. Be specific about what it was and how it happened (a peer’s comment, a thread of the conversation, an idea, etc).