Building my Discussion according to Cooper

 I was so set on how I wanted to construct my discussion and was so excited, but then I read chapter 6 of Cooper. Don't get me wrong it's not that I am no longer excited, I just feel overwhelmed with more information to be included. Lesson planning takes more than coming up with an essential question, objectives, and a "fun activity." There are so many types of questions to look into that should be implemented in a discussion; for example, Cooper provides us with an "Inventory of Questions," which are questions that are:

- Exploratory

- Challenge

- Relational

-Diagnostic

-Action

-Cause-and-effect

-Extension

-Hypothetical

-Priority

-Summary 

 In my discussion I plan on FOCUSING on Cause-and-effect, Extension, and Hypothetical. I will definitely touch base on the others, but I really want to do more with those three because I plan on applying what I know about adolescents development with what I know about the decisions made by the characters in Romeo and Juliet. What I find fascinating with planning my lesson is how I can follow the guidelines or frameworks provided in different method books, or follow bloom's taxonomy, but that doesn't guarantee a successful discussion. What guarantees a successful discussion is having all students participate with meaningful information and, as a teacher, having a reaction to almost every student response. Cooper didn't fail to point out 12 responses to make along with multiple bullets within a few. Yes, this is extremely helpful, but I feel as a teacher you cannot only rely on that, many responses have to be more  relative to your personality and style as a teacher. The discussion should, for the lack of a better word, "flow" and seem natural not choppy. This can all be done using Cooper's suggestions I just feel like it can easily be taken as a "how-to" and not necessarily put any of the teacher's personality into it, and then it just seems so universal that it's not personal with the students. 

 Currently, I am in between two ideas for my discussion and am trying to coordinate doing both into one discussion. Until I can do that, I will continue to read Cooper and other method books and see what "clicks" because in reality it can look great on paper, but it has to feel right and click for not just the teacher, but the students. This is why teachers have such a hard job because we are required to be flexible and be quick on our feet.