The Q Newsletter
Jan. 7, 2015

Knowing how to plan and facilitate a class discussion can help students stay engaged all semester long. Here are two essential techniques to consider as the new term nears! Read more at The Q Blog. 

The 'Hatful of Quotes' activity aims to make contributing to the discussion as stress free as possible for all students. 

1. Create slips of paper with five or six key sentences or quotes from the text prior to a discussion.
2. Have students select a slip of paper at random from a pile (hats, buckets, jars all work). 
3. Give students time to think about their specific quote, then ask them to comment on it.  

1. Ask students to complete a thought-provoking sentence related to the discussion topic. (Visit The Q for examples)
2. Have students share their responses with one another and jot down responses they'd like to hear more about. 
3. Have students begin the discussion by asking about the responses they wanted to hear more about.

Visit The Q Blog for more techniques for Planning and Facilitating Discussions. 

Last year's top higher education stories focused on student tumult over racial and cultural issues on campuses across the country. (Washington Post)