Similarly, a discussion section is very much a collaborative enterprise. Although discussions are often delegated to the least experienced instructors, leading a consistently lively discussion section is probably one of the most difficult challenges for a teacher. And by that I mean that if something bubbles out of the discussion, even if it's not directly related to the main agenda, you have the ability to go with that idea, to send off sparks if they fly.
Attendance is erratic, and many students appear to be unprepared.
When students do talk, they invariably address their remarks to you rather than to each other, and there is no genuine dialogue. Fortunately, good planning can restore some measure of your control over the success of class discussions. The most important thing to do at the beginning for the section, as a whole as well as for each session, is to establish your objectives. These goals are not mutually exclusive, but they require different types of leadership on your part and different responses on the part of your students. Whichever you choose, and each has its advantages, the important thing is to be consistent.