My Thoughts on... Brookfield's “Discussion as a Way of Teaching”

This read was a particularly interesting one for me in several ways. I first thought that the reading would be more than a bunch of strategies to use for discussion based teaching. I initially thought that the text would display the problem and how to solve it using a more student lead discussion base model. This however, was a pleasant surprise because of the lack in filler content and a straight to the point model of helping the reader. I was able to spend more time looking at the models and less time reading extra thoughts and ideas on why discussion is better using the argument of "because I like it best". This text had step by step instruction and variation for a reader to choose what technique works best in his/her classroom. For me personally, I did not find any techniques that worked for my style of teaching exactly. I found some techniques that could work for me if I edited them to fit the interactive style that I possess, but as of the strategies being the way they are, I would have to say that I personally would not use them. I liked rotating stations, which the text explains is a great idea, but I would modify the model to fit a more fun theme. With the blanket model that the book suggests however, I would be able to modify it and still stay true to the original model. Overall, this text was not the most useful for me personally, but I could see it being very helpful for other types of teaching methods. I would recommend this text to anyone looking for ideas for student centered discussion that is used in an interesting way that keeps students engaged. After all, these models are used to create more engaging discussion among students.