ABSTRACT
Some students like to serve as the resource person in a discussion. They always have their hands on the details of the evidence. When they prepare, they do so with a view to providing these details. They are less likely to offer synthesis. Integrating insights are the specialty of the evaluator. These students like to develop the big picture. They have a greater sense of context than their peers, and providing integration is their way of making a contribution. Some students like to play the role of critic, offering various ways of contesting the authority of the author or the validity of the evidence. Some students prefer the role of posing questions. These shapers hold back from participating until the instructor’s questions have played out and then offer their issues toward the end of the class. Finally, there will occasionally be the student who is always looking for new approaches and new strategies for dealing with questions. This is the innovator, for whom every discussion is an exercise in creativity. When all of these roles are operating in a group, the discussions are livelier and likely to reach their goals with higher levels of satisfaction. Encouraging students to selfconsciously play these roles is as simple a matter as describing them in a handout and suggesting that student try out different approaches until they find the one that feels the most comfortable.
