UWA SPOT/SET Project

218)          class discussion has been kept relevant

Identifying relevance of is a part of constructing interconnected knowledge. Guidance may be needed to keep a class discussion relevant to topic.

·         Biggs (1999), Teaching for Quality Learning at University ( p. 90), cites King who found that asking generic questions, such as “What is the main …?”, “But how is that different from …?” and “How does this affect …?”, could generate focussed discussions.

·         Bertola and Murphy in Tutoring at University (1994) look at a few common problems of group dynamics and provide some possible solutions that may keep the discussion on track (pp. 19-28).

·         Some types of questions, including probing and higher order questions, are provided by the Teaching & Learning Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (n.d.)

·         Ladyshewsky (1995) outlines the importance of emphasising the relevance of information/ tasks to adult learners (p. 8).

Bertola, B., & Murphy, E. (1994). Tutoring at University: A Beginner's Practical Guide. Perth, Australia: Curtin University.

Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university : What the student does. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education : Open University Press.

Ladyshewsky, R. (1995). Clinical Teaching, HERDSA Gold Guide No.1. ACT: Higher Education and Research Development Society of Australasia.

Teaching & Learning Center - University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (n.d.). Question Types [World Wide Web]. Author. Retrieved 20 October, 2002, from the World Wide Web: http://www.unl.edu/teaching/teachquestions.html