BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH A DISCUSSION-BASEDACTIVITY
Crystal Rose-Wainstock
Kanda University of International Studies
INTRODUCTION
With coursework being online this semester due to the global pandemic, a discussion activity
was implemented in a foundational reading and writing course in order to give first-year
students a place to build a supportive community of learners and discuss issues they may face
while learning online.
The discussion activity was designed based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), specifically asub-theory called the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) which states that only whenbasic needs are satisfied can individuals achieve their highest potential with regard todevelopment and well-being (Deci & Ryan, 1987; Ryan & Deci, 2017). Three integral parts ofBPNT are: competence, the sense an individual has of being capable of doing something;relatedness, the feeling of being connected to others within a community; and autonomy, acting
in a manner that is fully-informed, self-endorsed, and congruent with internal values andinterests (Ryan & Brown, 2003).
In a previous iteration of this activity in a traditional face-to-face context, there was evidence
that suggested this type of activity could help students foster peer communities which
promoted self-awareness and feelings of competence in speaking and reflective abilities(Yarwood et al., 2019). Since students would be unable to make connections with their peers ina face-to-face classroom, creating opportunities for them to do so in synchronous meetings
seemed really important to building an autonomy-supportive classroom environment in which
students would feel confident and comfortable enough to share their learning with peers. Withcoursework online for the Spring 2020 term, building peer relationships and learner autonomy
seemed even more crucial than in a more traditional semester.
While initially designed to bridge the gap between classroom interaction and English use in theSelf-Access Learning Center (SALC), the following discussion-based activity was integrated into
the online reading and writing course in the hopes of fostering a supportive and self-aware
community of learners among students.
THE ACTIVITY
Prior to the start of the term, discussion prompts related to situations and issues students may
encounter in an online language class environment were developed. Some prompts asked
students to consider aspects of their language learning while others asked them to reflect on thechallenges and issues that arise with learning online. The prompts included a situation or generalquestion followed by a few additional questions to encourage discussion and deeper
8.	  Building	  Community	  with	  a	  Discussion-­‐Based	  Activity.	  Crystal	  Rose-­‐Wainstock.	  Pages	  37-­‐40.	  Literacies	  &	  Language	  Education:	  Research	  &	  Practice,	  2020	  Special	  Section:	  Teaching	  During	  a	  Pandemic.	  English	  Language	  Institute,	  KUIS.

engagement with the topics. Figure 1 includes two example prompts students were asked todiscuss.
Fig. 1
Do you fear making mistakes in English? Why or why not?
• When other people make mistakes, how do you feel/react?
• Who do you fear making mistakes in front of the most? Why?
• What can you say to yourself to reduce the fear? (E.g. I’m still learning. It is normal
to make mistakes.)
You want to book a 15 minute meeting with an ELI teacher. How can you prepare?
• What’s the scariest thing about speaking to a new person? How can you make it lessscary?
• What topics do you feel comfortable talking about? Why?
• What do you want to achieve during the conversation?
At the beginning of the semester, students engaged in an activity to explore useful phrases andlanguage for English interactions in the classroom. They compiled a discussion language
resource that they could reference throughout the term as needed, and I then provided themwith my own list (Appendix A) to complement their own. Students also participated in a practice
discussion to get used to this type of interaction in breakout rooms in Zoom.
Next, students were asked to participate in small group discussions at the beginning or end ofeach synchronous online class meeting. The small groups remained the same for three to fourweeks at a time in order to encourage greater connectedness among students. The discussions
were held during 15 class periods over about eight weeks during the semester.
In addition to the discussions, students were asked to reflect on their interactions during theactivity using a Google Form immediately following the discussions. The purpose of this was toencourage further engagement with the topic and give students a space to express ideas they
may not have been able to express during the activity.
DISCUSSION
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the time set aside for these discussions allows students tointeract and engage with each other in meaningful ways. Students have remarked that thediscussions are one of the most useful parts of the course. Through the discussion activity,
students can get to know each other, learn about resources available to them, and perhaps
validate their understanding of how to deal with various situations that may arise during thesemester.
Possible variations of this activity might include: asking students to develop discussion
questions related to various prompts to better align with topics covered in your course, asking
students to record short reflection videos instead of doing the written reflections in the form, orincorporating extended engagement with the topics through individual research or explorationof facilities such as the Academic Support Center and other available resources.
CONCLUSION
The discussion activity described here offers students an opportunity to build relationships with
their peers and learn and reflect about the ways in which they and their peers deal withchallenges related to learning English online. By creating a space for students to interact in thisway, we hope that students feel supported and take steps to grow in their abilities to reflect andbecome autonomous learners.
REFERENCES
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1987). The support of autonomy and the control of behavior. Journalof Personality and Social Psychology, 53(6), 1024-1037.
Ryan, R., & Brown, K, W. (2003). Why we don’t need self-esteem: On fundamental needs,
contingent love and mindfulness. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), 27-82.
Ryan, E. L., & Deci, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs inmotivation, development and wellness. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Yarwood, A., Rose-Wainstock, C., & Lees, M. (2019). Fostering English-use in a SALC through a
discussion-based classroom intervention. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 10(4), 256378. https://sisaljournal.org/archives/dec19/yarwood_et_al/APPENDIX A
You are having a group discussion with your classmates.
What can you say/do to…
Listen actively
Nod your head
Say things like:• “Oh, interesting.”• “Good point”• “I see what you mean.”Share your opinion
I think...because…
For me,…
In my opinion,...

Ask for clarification when you don’t Change the topic of the discussion
understand something
Ok, let’s talk about the next question.
What do you mean?
Let’s move on to the next topic.
Can you explain what you mean?
Could you repeat what you said about…?
I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that.
Agree with your classmate
I agree with you. I think…
Good point. I also think…

Politely disagree with your classmate
I like your idea, but I disagree. I think…
Good point, but I don’t agree. I think…because

Interrupt politely to share your opinion
Excuse me. I think…
Wait a minute. Can I say my opinion? Ithink...
Type in the chat

Give an example to support your idea
For example…
For instance…
One example is...

Get back on topic if the discussion is off Encourage your classmates to participate/share
topic
their ideas
Let’s get back to the topic of our assignment. I’m curious what _____ thinks. What do you think?
What do you think, ______?
Start a conversation
Ok, let’s get started. We need to…
Let’s begin our discussion.
Alright, let’s start.

End a conversation
Ok, we’re out of time. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
Alright, that’s the end of our discussion. Thank you,everyone.

Manage time
We only have ___ minutes left to talk about
this.
How much time do we have to work on this?

Show that you understand what your classmate issaying
Good point. Good idea. I see what you mean.
Show a thumbs up. Nod your head.