A shared inquiry discussion leader not only prepares questions that form discussion, but also keeps the discussion flowing. Discussion leaders should challenge the unclear, inaccurate, or contradicting statements of the participants; follow up on answers given to questions; ask for evidence proving an answer; and help form further responses from the participants. If participants start to stray from the discussion’s main point, it’s the discussion leader’s responsibility to help redirect attention by asking a question. Discussion leaders should know when a question has been answered and then, by presenting a new question, direct the group’s efforts toward another problem. Interpretation is one of the main purposes of a shared inquiry discussion, because interpretations can …show more content…
It's helpful to encourage participants to bring pre-written questions to a discussion session, because this will help them learn, and to develop a stimulating session. A good interpretive question is one that has shown up from the reader’s response to the work, and his or her curiosity about it. Factual questions about a text help provide some kinds of evidence that are put forward to understand the text’s meaning. In shared inquiry, it's assumed that the participants will come to the discussion with some knowledge of the explicit elements in a text, such as the names and relations of fictional characters and chronological order of a narrative. This information can be helpful in making great responses to interpretive questions. However, facts about a selection should be used sparingly during the discussion, to keep focus on the text as much as possible. The goal in shared inquiry is to understand what the author has actually said. The “facts of the matter” are the author’s words, which everyone should have in front of