The activities in this book follow and build upon the strategic
conversation skills of the Kehes' book, Conversation Strategies.
Discussion Strategies develops discussion skills at high levels of
communicative interaction, especially communication in academic
settings. Students, in step-by-step procedures, are given extensive
practice in a variety of strategies for leading and participating in a
discussion.
Discussion Strategies provides focused practice with the following
discussion techniques: using rejoinders, asking follow-up questions,
seeking and giving clarification, using comprehension checks, answering
with details, soliciting more details from others, interrupting others
during a discussion, recounting something they have heard, volunteering
an answer, helping the leader of a discussion, expressing an opinion,
referring to a source when giving an opinion, and leading a discussion.
Each unit builds on and recycles the previous units. The first
twenty-eight units provide controlled practice of the discussion and are
for pair groups or triads. Units 29-38 give the students an opportunity
to use their new strategies in less structured discussions; they involve
large groups or the whole class in open discussion of the articles
provided.
