Every student has a voice, however, for any number of reasons some students find it easier than others to share their voice in a group setting or on the spot. Some students just need the opportunity to ponder their thoughts a bit before broadcasting them to the group. As a result, sometimes these students take a back seat in class discussions. How can we make discussions more accessible?
One solution is to use discussion boards to facilitate some online discussions in addition to regular classroom discussions. Discussion boards give everyone a chance to speak, and they give everyone the opportunity to be heard. With more time to prepare a response and with more students responding, this can yield a more thoughtful and powerful discussion.
Discussion boards can be used for simple conversations responding to a question, or students may be asked to post projects or scholarly writing that require feedback from peers. Video discussions are another possibility, with students creating videos and providing feedback to each other. Blackboard’s discussion board is easy to set up and easy for students to use. In addition, there are some free apps such as Flipgrid that are also nice for video discussion and can easily be embedded in Blackboard.
As we begin making plans for next fall, the first classroom activity that comes to mind is usually class introductions. Discussion boards provide time and space for everyone to share and to begin building a learning community. There are many ways to use discussion boards in our classrooms and online classes. For more discussion on discussion boards, read here.
Catalyst 