Roles and rules for seminar discussion

Speaker

• Discuss ideas in the inner circle
• Invite others to share ideas
• Ask questions
• Bring all reading and preparation materials to inner circle
• Follow norms and use transitions

 Coach

• Sit behind your assigned peer from the inner circle
• Evaluate your assigned peer’s contributions for entire seminar
• Evaluate strengths and growth areas
• Share specific feedback during half-time
• Encourage your peer to become an even more skilled speaker
  
  

General evaluator (GE)

After each half, you will report the following:

·         Major strengths and growth areas

·         Most in-depth inferences and connections you heard

Example: An in-depth inference/connection I heard was when [name student] said…I liked this inference/connection because…

·         Specific questions or comments that were undeveloped

 [Student’s] question/comment about ____________ was undeveloped/ unanswered.  I think we should explore this question further because…

·         Misreadings of quotes and comments/questions that were unclear/not logical

I’m not sure if we understand [author’s] argument clearly yet.  I think we need to define what [author] means when he/she says… I think we’re still trying to understand…

           

Big Board (BB)

Bullet point major ideas in Google docs.  Summarize what the major topics of discussion are after each half.

Transition Tracker (TT) 

Keep track in Google docs of which transitions are used, by whom, how many times.  Encourage group to use more advanced transitions.  Select specific ones you want the group to use.  Give report after each half.

Quote Tracker (QT) 

Keep track in Google docs of which quotes are used from each text, by whom, how many times.  Point out which articles or sources we have not examined in depth.

Discussion Norms

1.   One person speaks at a time.

2.   Everyone contributes ideas.  No one dominates or withdraws.

3.   Use transitions to connect comments.

4.   Invite others into the discussion artfully.

5.   Agree/disagree with ideas, not people.

6.   Ask clarifying questions.

7.   Support a point with evidence from the text.

8.   Use body language and eye contact to communicate active listening.

9.   Stay in a posture of humility, intellectual flexibility, and curiosity.