Clearly state how discussions are part of your course and share your expectations for how students should participate. Ensure that students follow your discussion guidelines in the first few classes and re-emphasize them throughout the quarter. Your discussion norms will soon become routine in your course. As part of your expectations, give guidance and feedback on:

• How much you expect students to volunteer and respond to other students’ comments.
• How you implement cold calls, warm calls, or role plays to foster meaningful discussions.
• How students should frame responses including:
  
  • How much you expect them to contribute from their own experiences, or debate a point.
  • How they should respond to other students’ comments.
  • When you wish them to focus on the facts from the case or readings and when you want them to transition to offering analysis.

Engaging all students in the classroom to join in discussion is an art that can seem challenging in the moment. Some students are naturally more inclined to participate while others are more reserved in the group setting. As a facilitator, think about the role you will play to create a welcoming atmosphere in the classroom for engaged and inclusive discussions. Consider these tips:

• Strive to cast open-ended questions that elicit analysis, reactions, or insights from the class instead of using questions that fish for specific answers.
• Consider waiting for a few students to raise their hands then beginning the discussion with the last person who raised their hand. This strategy can help shy students, who can be hesitant to respond, engage early without waiting nervously. Choosing later volunteers may shape the conversation in a different way than always choosing the first or quickest hand to raise.
• Invite students to respond to one another’s ideas instead of responding directly to you.
• Integrate brief pauses to give students time to reflect on your summaries or others’ comments before calling on the next person.
• When disagreements arise, ask students to further illustrate their position by drawing on insights from the course content.
• Invite students to review the main ideas and their conclusions toward the end of the discussion.
• Lower the stakes for making mistakes by acknowledging the challenging nature of the material and celebrating contributions especially when students are outside of their comfort zones.
• Maintain strategies for equitable discussion throughout the quarter, such as implementing warm calls, generating randomized lists, and checking in with students who seem reluctant.