Response to "Discussion as a Way of Teaching"

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I've always liked having classes that used discussion as a way of teaching. For instance, I personally enjoy hearing other people's perspectives on varying subjects. By hearing different perspectives, I'm able to learn something new while also being more open-minded to different viewpoints, regardless if I agree with them. I feel that using discussion as a way of teaching can be really helpful in teaching how to speak effectively to a group of peers. However, using discussion as a way of teaching can have its shortcomings. I've been in situations where someone may monopolize the conversation, and students may feel that they are unable to share their perspectives. Moreover, some people may not understand how to respectfully disagree and making someone feel ashamed for their opinion. After reading Discussion as a Way of Teaching, I learned that there are many other ways for a discussion or be successful, but also fail.
I agree that one of the more apparent reasons a discussion can fail is the lack of ground rules. If you are holding a class discussion, and there are no rules regarding behavior, conversation, or modeling,  the discussion is not going to turn out the way that the teacher may have intended, and student learning will not be supported properly. After reading this section of the article, I'll make it a priority to have very clear, structured ground rules in my classroom to make sure student learning is embraced correctly. I thought an interesting take to classroom discussions is to assign conversation roles. For instance, one student is designated as the textual focuser, while another has the duty of a reflective analyst. By assigning roles to each student, everyone can stay engaged in the conversation, while also having the opportunity to contribute sources, questions, reveal unchecked biases, or keep track of conversation development. After reading this article, I would really like to incorporate conversational roles in my classroom. 

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