Read the following short case study:

"David’s first language is Spanish. He is a confident speaker but finds he cannot keep up in group discussion during crits in the studio. This is confusing for him as he can normally contribute towards group discussion. He often understands a lot of what is being said but struggles to get an overall sense of what the discussion is about, and by the time he formulates a question, feels the debate has moved on."

Consider the following questions and propose some responses in relation to your own teaching practice:

What are the key issues the student is facing within this learning situation?
How as a teacher can you respond to support the student?
How could you adapt your teaching practice to pre-empt some of the challenges the student is facing?

Once you have thought through each question move on to the next page to explore some suggested actions from the literature.

Reflections

The following audio provides some reflections from the session leader and a colleague discussing particular aspects of the case study.

Drawing upon the wider research literature the following strategies have been identified as good practice examples for responding to the issues highlighted within the case study.

Suggested strategies before the discussion:

Ensure students understand the purpose, structure and aims of the activity, so that they are clear about what is expected from them. Make this information available in written format prior to the activity.
If the discussion is assessed, ensure students are aware of and understand the assessment criteria.
If the discussion is based on a students work, encourage students to view the work and prepare written questions. Could these written questions be available to the presenting student prior to the discussion, would all the student group benefit from reading these questions? If certain questions raised in group discussion, or in an activity such as a group crit become routine, could the written brief include information relevant to these more routine questions?
Offer and encourage all students to use a recognisable structure for presenting their ideas. Students can then prepare in advance.
Consider the format of crits and reviews. For example if the student group discuss the work prior to the student presenting the work, then there will be scope for more varied, and potentially more inclusive responses to the work. The presenter will also have the benefit of being reminded of some of the relevant vocabulary useful for presenting the work.
Offer and encourage students to appoint notetakers, pool written notes and make these available following the discussion, ideally on the VLE.

Suggested strategies during the discussion:

If the student group gives permission, encourage students to audio record discussions for further self-study. Could group discussions be routinely recorded and made available on VLE?
Restate and contextualise student questions to ensure that other students have heard, regularly summarise key points of discussion, establish the meanings of key terms.
Try not to correct second language students in group discussion. It may take second language students slightly longer to formulate questions, which may mean that they become slightly out of step with a fast moving discussion. Student attempts to engage in discussion should be encouraged. If any student appears to be struggling to understand important ideas, follow up with a short discussion 1-1.
Some students, especially second language students, may be reluctant to join in discussion, gently manage the discussion to include these students by introducing topics with which these students may have more confidence.
Give students time to respond to questions and engage with discussion, but be aware of any body language that may indicate the student is unable or unwilling to respond.

Suggested strategies after the discussion:

Summarise key points if applicable, in writing. This could be student or tutor led. A reflective journal approach might be useful.
Catch-up with any student who appeared to struggle with the discussion, to ensure the student has understood key content from the discussion and to answer any questions the student may have.

To return to the case studies please click: Exploring Your Practice