ACADEMIC DISCUSSION 101

ACADEMIC DISCUSSION 101

UHB20102

What is an Academic Discussion?

An organized "conversation" about a specific topic that all the participants have been studying

What is the Purpose of an Academic Discussion?

• discuss different views of the topic

• learn to see the topic from different angles

• find out what other people think about the topic

• explain and develop their own ideas about the topic

• discover the strong and weak points of different people's interpretations (including their own)

• form conclusions about particular questions

Multiple Select

Q2 The advantages of participating in an academic discussion are

• clarify different ideas

• develop conclusion

• solve problems

• respect different opinions

• defend your own opinion

Multiple Choice

Q3 In academic discussion, participants can work on differences in interpretations.

• True

• False

Road to Effective Academic Discussion

• prepare for the discussion by reading, thinking, and making notes of important points that you might want to make

• listen to what other people say and ask them (politely) to explain more clearly if you do not understand

Contd.

• explain your ideas clearly and concisely, giving reasons and examples

• remain calm and polite even when you are expressing disagreement

• make sure that everyone has an equal chance to speak, and that the discussion is not monopolised by one or two people

Multiple Choice

Q5 You are allowed to express disagreement in harsh way.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Q6 Explain your ideas...

• directly

• clearly

• concisely

• giving reasons and excuses

• giving reasons and examples

Useful Expressions for Discussions

Tips

To begin/initiate discussion/conclude

• The purpose of our discussion is....

• First, we need to...

• Who would like to begin?

• Can you explain your point a little more clearly?

• Can we see what other people think about this?

• Who has not had a chance to speak yet?

Contd.

• Is there any last comment on this point before we move on to the next one?

• So we have two opposing arguments here. On the one hand... On the other hand...

• In other words, most of us think that...

• Can we draw any conclusions from what we have been saying?

Giving Opinion

• I think that...

• In my view/opinion...

• If you ask me...

• As far as I'm concerned...

• If you want my honest opinion....

• The way I see it...

• The best way of explaining my opinion, is to give an example...

Asking for an opinion:

• What's your idea?

• What do you think?

• How do you feel about that?

• What are your thoughts on all of this?

• Do you have anything to say about this?

Multiple Select

Q7 These expressions signal initiating a discussion

• Who would like to begin?

• In other words, most of us think that...

• Who has not had a chance to speak yet?

• Can you explain your point a little more clearly?

Multiple Choice

Q8 In other words, most of us think that...

This expression is to ____ a discussion

• start

• end

• conclude

• disagree

Asking questions about someone else's opinion:

• Do you mean that...?

• What do you mean when you say...?

• I don't fully understand. Can you give some examples?

Expressing agreement

• I couldn't agree with you more.

• That's exactly how I feel.

• No doubt about it.

• That's so true.

• Absolutely.

• Exactly.

Expressing disagreement

• I'm afraid I disagree.

• I beg to differ.

• I don't think so.

• Not necessarily.

• That's not always the case.

• No, I'm not so sure about that.

Multiple Choice

Q9 Do you mean that...?

The above expression is to

• express agreement

• express disagree

• ask for clarification

• ask for examples

Multiple Choice

No doubt about it.

Me neither.

Tell me about it!

Q10 These are expressions for

• initiating discussion

• agreement

• disagreement

• conclusion

• asking opinion

Interruptions

• Sorry to interrupt, but...

• If I might add something...

• Can I add something here?

• Is it okay if I jump in for a second?

• Can I throw my two cents in?

Keeping the discussion going

• Let's get back to ...

• As we just heard ...

• Where were we?

Reference

1. https://www.englishclub.com/speaking/agreeing-disagreeing-expressions.htm

2. https://student.unsw.edu.au/skills