A Plus Writer - WMNST DISCUSSION QUESTION
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guidelines_for_discussion_questions.docxWMNST 382: Gender, Science and Technology
Spring 2015
Guidelines for readings and discussion questions
Reading:
1. Outline the main arguments. Hint – Authors will often explicitly state their goal. They will say what they plan to argue, then make their arguments and then summarize what it is that they argued. If there are places where an author writes ‘I will…’ or names a number of points that they are going to make then underline that and try to find where they do what they say they are going to do.
2. Identify passages that are most difficult for you. If there are specific words that you do not know in the passage, look them up in a dictionary. Go back to these passages after reading the whole article/chapter and see if they make more sense. If you still have trouble with a passage, feel free to talk to our Teaching Assistant or me during our office hours or make an appointment.
3. Engage with interesting points. Highlight and make notes about sections that you find most interesting. Make notes if you disagree with a claim or agree with it and why. Make notes if a point makes you think of an example from your life, another reading or another class.
Read additional tips on active reading at: http://www.studyskills.soton.ac.uk/studytips/reading_skills.htm
Writing discussion questions:
Your questions should be based on #2 and #3 of the reading guidelines above. Write questions that address a part of the text that is difficult for you to understand (#2) or something about the article that stimulated more questions for you (#3). You may also make a comment instead of posing a question. Your comments should follow similar guidelines. Here are some modified guidelines from SDSU’s Honor 113 syllabus:
It should be evident from the questions you write that you have read the assigned material, and the questions should invoke discussion and facilitate greater depth and breadth of understanding of the article topic. You are required to note the exact article, and the section of the article that has informed your question (by citing the article title, and the page number or page numbers on the template).
Note: You must address each reading assigned. This may be done by writing a separate question for each reading or developing a WELL CRAFTED question that brings multiple readings into conversation. You cannot use the same question more than once, so no ‘generic’ questions are permitted.
1) Good discussion questions are not answered by "yes" or "no." Instead they lead to higher order thinking (analysis, synthesis, comparison, evaluation) about the work and the issues it raises. When developing your questions, think of OPEN question starters, like what, why, and how. You will lose points for any CLOSED questions you develop. A closed question is a question that can be answered with a single word, or very short, factual answer (like “yes” or “no”).
2) Good discussion questions call for more than simply recalling facts or guessing what the teacher already wants to know, but are open-ended, leading to a variety of responses. Good questions recognize that readers will have different perspectives and interpretations and such questions attempt to engage readers in dialogue with each other.
3) Good discussion questions depend on a careful reading of the text. They often cite particular scenes or passages and ask people to look at them closely and draw connections between these passages and the rest of the work.
4) Good discussion questions are simply and clearly stated. They do not need to be repeated or reworded to be understood.
6) Good discussion questions make (and challenge) connections between the text at issue and other works, and the themes and issues of the course.
7) Good discussion questions do not merely repeating something from the reading material. The question ‘What are the three points that the author made concerning science?’ does not lead to an interactive discussion. A better question for the confirmation of knowledge acquisition would be ‘The author made three points concerning science. Although the first two seem evident, I wanted to discuss the third point {explain point} in light of the point made by our author {state Author’s name and work} last week. That author made the point that {explain point}. To me these appear to be conflicting because {say why}. How can we reconcile these authors’ points together?’
Your postings should advance the group’s negotiation of ideas and meanings about the material; that is, your contributions should go beyond a “ditto.” Some ways you can further the discussion include:
A) Expressing opinions or observations. These should be offered in depth and supported by more than personal opinion
B) Making a connection between the current discussion and previous discussions, a personal experience, or concepts from the readings
C) Commenting on or asking for clarification of another student’s statement
D) Synthesizing other students’ responses
E) Posing a substantive question aimed at furthering the group’s understanding
** borrowed from SUNY Cortland Geology course guidelines for discussion groups
