Discussion Questions, are they necessary? If so, when??

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  • January 14, 2012 at 5:02 pm
    my3boys
    Participant

    Okay, I have a long question, or so I think it is.

    Do you use discussion questions??  Do you find them useful??  Do you use them if the program encourages it or provides them, but on your terms?? (Like the Study Guide questions in Apologia’s Gen. Science. Or would those be considered something else altogether?)  I understand using them on your terms to start conversation, but I don’t how much is necessary (depends on the child, I suppose).  Blah, blah, blah….I’m sure you all get point.

    I have 2 reasons for asking.  First off, I have a dear friend who is concerned that if she doesn’t provide discussion ques. then her dc my “miss” something meaningful in the book/text.  We have had great discussions about this (no arguing, lol), but, of course, don’t completely agree.  My dc are a bit older than her’s and I have experienced a like/hate relationship with them. That leads into my second reason for asking.

    My 12yo ds is in a class that provides discussion questions for the books read (history).  I have him do them, but I still have him narrate each chapter to me, usually.  I look over the discussion ques. with him before he turns them in and we do discuss them.  It is then that I realize (at least for this child) that if all he had to do was answer the ques. he would be satisfied with “being done” with the requirement.  When we discuss the questions more comes out of him than he would ever put on paper (possibly because he discusses these books with a small group of kids and doesn’t want to seem like he “cares” that much, I don’t know). 

    I am trying to find value in this but am finding it hard.  Am I nit-picking??  

    I know it’s only one class and he still narrates/discusses with me, and we’re not going to drop the class any time soon.  I guess I’m just wondering how CM direct “discussion” questions are and if this is a tool we should be introducing in some way for the future??  Normally our discussions are not prompted by pre determined discussion ques. but through narrations or direct questions my dc bring out themselves.

    OK, I think I’m done.  I don’t know if any of this makes sense or if I’m way off base but this has been bothering me.

    Thanks in advance. 

    January 14, 2012 at 11:07 pm
    my3boys
    Participant

    bump Laughing.  And I know this is long and boring, but I’m really curious as to what any of you think.

    January 15, 2012 at 12:09 am
    Tanya
    Participant

    My thoughts on this are as follows:  discussion questions are a misnomer in many situations.  The true purpose of discussion questions is to further discussion and create deeper thinking and awareness (what you are currently doing with your child). 

    However, most textbooks and teachers use them as a means of “checking off” the assignment, which leads kids to do the bare minimum to get by.  (Please note, I am making broad, sweeping, generalized statements!).

    So, are they beneficial?  I suppose to a point:  they can be used as a springboard to further thinking, or they can be used for basic fact info.  Would I depend solely on them?  No, because I think it is limiting to the child (“Oh, they only care if I know this thing, I don’t need to worry about anything else.”).  Should kids learn to use them?  Yes, because again they can be helpful for furthering your own thoughts, assisting with boiling information down to its basest form (which can be a useful research skill in other areas of life), seeing other perspectives they might not have noticed, etc. 

    So, I guess I’m not really answering your question!  Embarassed

    I guess bottom line for me is that I would rather leave discussion questions than take them, but there can be some value to some of them (they can be linked into the “Grand Conversation”).  I think the key is the actual questions themselves:  the open-ended ones are the most helpful. 

    just my vague, and probably unhelpful, thoughts…

     

    January 15, 2012 at 2:37 am
    botanicalbecky
    Member

    I agree with you and Tanya, but I can’t really speak to the “CM-ness” of them. I don’t really think they are useful in a homeschool situation, because I’m right there with my kids, listening to their narrations and then (probably) talking a bit more about the topic. Simply writing answers to discussion questions just seems to me a boring homework kind of thing. Though I suppose they might be useful in an essay writing context maybe? But again, I thought that’s where narrations lead anyway. Perhaps too, if you the parent haven’t read the material, it can give you a way to ask questions about the reading. Yeah, I’m probably not very helpful here either. lol 🙂

    January 15, 2012 at 3:41 pm
    my3boys
    Participant

    Thanks ladies.  I don’t want to “throw the baby out with the bath water” and will find value in the work my son is doing.  I will say, I’m glad to pieces that this isn’t the way we do all of our schooling!  I’m glad that we are still reading some of the books listed from SCM in Mod 6, narrating, and discussing these books at home, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss them.  And, I guess I’m glad that he’s learning how to look back in the book, find the answer, or have to think about what the teacher is asking and come to a conclusion.

    Okay, I’m better nowSmile.

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