Discussion Method

Introduction

Discussion method of teaching has been employed for many years and with considerable success in the humanities, business, educational, legal, and medical fields. Practitioners of the art point to numerous studies that indicate students are more motivated, and internalize material more effectively when they participate actively as learners in the classroom. While the more student-passive, lecture style of teaching

may be of greater efficiency in transmitting large amounts of information or in elaborating complex and detailed arguments, the cost of this teacher-centered approach is often an uncomfortably high percentage of students who are left unmotivated, unable to reason for themselves, and for whom the material covered by the teacher remains obscure and undigested. It usually is only through homework assignments or

examinations that teachers discover that they are the only ones for whom the material

has been covered.

In this method the effective participation of students, is made possible, in the teaching-learning situation. In this method both the teacher and the students discuss the pros and cons of the problem and then arrive at some tangible conclusion. Thus "Discussion is a thoughtful consideration of relationships involved in the topic or the problem under study. These relations are to be analysed, compared, evaluated and conclusions are drawn. The discussion requires a statement or enumeration of the facts to be analysed. In discussion mere allegations un-supported by evidence are of little value."

Advantages of Discussion Method

·         It follows a spiral of learning principles.

·         It is found to work well to the related content courses.

·         It helps in motivating the students through their participation in discussion.

·         It helps in developing students ability to express himself orally.

·         It helps to develop the powers of thinking and reasoning in the students.

·         It helps the students in analysing critically and drawing conclusion judiciouly.

·         It helps in creating a healthy rapport between the teacher and the taught.

Disadvantages of Discussion Method

(i) In this method there is a chance that only a few students may dominate the whole discussion.

(ii) It is possible that discussion is initiated on those aspects of the problem with which few prominent students of the class are concerned.

(iii) In this method there are chances that the students may be

(iv) This method is time consuming.

(v) This method is not adaptable to all teaching-learning situations.

(vi) In this method it is very difficult to assess all the students in terms of learning outcomes.