Students participating in the BioScann curriculum must collaborate to make data-based decisions. For some students, coming to consensus through discussion with their peers may be a novel or challenging experience. To help make the process easier, we’ve developed discussion norms and discussion roles that teachers can implement in their classroom.
Discussion Norms
Discussion norms serve as guidelines for students to have productive and respectful discussions. Establishing norms can be done together as a class or can be determined ahead of time and shared by the teacher. The discussions as part of the BioScann curriculum may differ slightly from group discussions students typically have because the goal is for a group to come to a consensus. Examples of discussion norms:
- One person speaks at a time
- Be an active participant (listen, ask questions, respond)
- Refer to evidence (quotes from your character, numbers/data, etc.)
- Disagree with ideas, not people
- Be open to learning and changing your mind
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers, just arguments that are well-supported with evidence and reasoning and those that are not.
Discussion Roles
Discussion roles serve to help every student participate in a group discussion and to help the conversation move forward to a consensus. During the discussion, teachers should circulate to make sure students understand and are adhering to their role. Example discussion roles:
- Facilitator
- Collaborator
- Consensus Checker/Timekeeper
- Notetaker
- Challenger
Facilitator
Opens the discussion and keeps the discussion on track.
Questions to ask:
- To open the discussion ask: “Can everyone share in one sentence what they are thinking about what we should do?”
- If the discussion seems to be getting off track remind the group of the question and ask: “Are we still answering the question?”
- Periodically ask the group, “Does anyone have any questions about what has been said so far?”