When contributing to a case discussion, you have to accept the following responsibilities.
Be Prepared
Good class participation starts with good preparation. In the case method, it really does matter that you do your homework. There is no way to catch up or benefi t from the learning opportunities of the case classroom after the class is over. You not only should read the case but also should take time to think about it.
In part V, you’ll fi nd three Study Guides corresponding to the three types of case scenarios we’ve identifi ed. They’re intended to help you organize your note taking and thinking about a case. (To understand how to use the guides, you need to read chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6.) In Part V, there are instructions for using the guides, as well as information on how to download blank versions of them. They have two advantages: they’re organized according to case scenarios, and they will make your note tak- ing much more focused and effi cient.
Your professor may organize study groups to discuss cases before class.
If she doesn’t, organize one of your own. Study groups have many of the same advantages as a full class, but they can also be a venue for testing your thinking that feels less risky. If you fi nd it hard to arrange physical meetings, use technology for virtual meetings.
Take Part in the Discussion
Case discussion depends on two variables: your preparation and your will- ingness to raise your hand. Good preparation should give you confi dence that you’re ready to participate.
Raise your hand when you have something relevant to say. Sharing your insights about the case is the foundation for good class participation.
In addition, you should bring your real- world experience to bear on the case. No one in the class is going to have experience identical to yours, despite similarities to you such as age, ethnicity, and country of origin.
You and your classmates have a brief time together. Be generous and add your unique perspective to case discussion.
Respond to the question asked, not the question you might want to answer. Answers to questions that were not asked disrupt the fl ow of a class. Don’t get into the habit of rehearsing an answer in your head when a question is asked. By the time you raise your hand, the professor will likely have called on someone else. Trust that you’ll be able to compose your response on the fl y.
Remember that your responsibility to your peers and the instructor is to move the discussion in a productive direction. Students take turns building a foundation for understanding a case. No one person builds that foundation alone. You and your peers lay it down brick by brick.
Students can slide into roles in a discussion class, sometimes without realizing it. To keep the discussion honest, a student might appoint him- self to the role of contrarian, always opposing the consensus developing in the discussion. The opposite role is the conciliator, an individual who tries to bridge diff erences of opinion and avoid confl ict. A student raises his hand in response to virtually every question the professor asks, which may discourage other students from raising their hands. Another common role is the student who conveys intense concentration through body language but rarely raises her hand to speak. Be aware of your ten- dencies in a discussion class. Try to avoid a single role in the classroom.
You don’t have to speak in every class, but you should strive to be a reg- ular participant.
Finally, don’t assume that you learn a lot by staying silent and taking copious notes. You learn by engaging your thought process with those of the other people in the room and expressing the specifi cs of your agree- ment, your disagreement, or your qualifi cations to what others have said.
Without skin in the game, you won’t learn from the game.
Extend Respect and Expect It in Return
Google found that the single most important characteristic of its highest- functioning teams was psychological safety. Members of these teams felt that the team wanted to hear their ideas and were confi dent that the other members would take their ideas seriously. In other words, these teams had managed to make respect for each other a fundamental norm.
That is also true of high- functioning case classrooms. Respect fl ows from the following:
• You take seriously what your peers say.
• When you disagree with your peers or the instructor, you do so constructively. Your interest is in understanding an issue better, not proving that you are smarter than everyone else.
• When someone disagrees with you, you regard it not as a per- sonal threat, but as an opportunity to examine your thinking from another point of view.
• You don’t try to dominate the discussion.
• You listen attentively to other students and the instructor.
You deserve the same respect you extend to others. Let your peers know that you appreciate their respect for you.
Accept Confl ict as a Natural Part of Collaboration
An idealized picture of case discussion has students progressively building on each other’s views. Everyone chips in with a comment that adds to the emerging view of an issue.
However, collaboration doesn’t imply that everyone agrees about every- thing. Confl ict is essential to collaboration because it opens up possibilities that wouldn’t exist without it. It needs to be managed so that the confl ict is constructive rather than destructive and personal. Assuming it is, a stu- dent who disagrees with the evolving view of a subject creates a learning opportunity for everyone.
Confl ict itself isn’t the crucial issue; it’s what people do with confl ict.
They can defend their point of view unconditionally. Or they can talk about the substance of the confl ict. In case discussion, it isn’t always nec- essary to resolve the diff erences of opinion. The important objective is that everyone in the room understands the basis for the diff erent points of view.
I hope that you never experience the eff ects of a peer who violates the norms of trust in the classroom. Speaking from experience, I can say that despite being vigilant, professors sometimes miss unconstructive behavior.
For example, a student might say something off ensive to another student that the professor doesn’t hear or while the professor is looking at another part of the room. An incident can occur outside the classroom that aff ects
what happens inside it. Let the professor know. She can’t fi x something if she doesn’t know there’s a problem.
I want to emphasize that these types of incidents are very rare in my experience. The key point is that if you encounter disrespect in a class- room, you have many options for remedying the situation, but you need to have the courage to reach out to individuals who can help you.