Abstract:

Discussion Lead is a simple and profitable group technique for its application in teaching. It consists basically on the exchange of information and ideas on a particular topic carried out by the students under the direction of the teacher. The "Case Method" consists on providing real and polemic cases that represent diverse problematic situations of the current life so that they study and analyze. The union of both techniques fulfills the “Didactic Principles”, norms that should be considered in any method to direct the learning process, education and development of students’ personalities.
This combined strategy has been applied in the subject “Environmental Impact of the Hydraulic Engineering”, subject belonging to the last course of the Civil Engineering (20-30 students). This subject consists, in essence, of five didactic units: Introduction and basic concepts, Environmental Impact of dams and reservoirs, Environmental Impact of canalizations, Environmental Impact of Transfers and Mitigation Measures. And this strategy is applied on the didactic unit of Environmental Impact of Transfers. This topic is ideal for the discussion, because even in the current life it is a burning topic. Theoretical basic concepts are provided formerly in the two previous didactic units, because the transfer environmental impacts are the union of those of the dams-reservoirs and canalizations and his owns.
This didactic tool should not be subject to the improvisation. Students and teacher should have prepared it previously. The students are conscious from the beginning of the subject that this topic will not be explained theoretically by the teacher and that it will be evaluated by means of the Discussion Lead.
The teacher provides bibliographical information, press reports, etc., to students at the beginning of the subject. Some weeks before the debate, students are divided in two groups of about 10-15 students. A group represents the water surplus basin and the other one water deficit basins. The teacher supplies documentation of the particular case, where a possible transfer between two different basins is proposed. Environmental information of both basins and characteristics of the transfer are given too. Both groups have 2 weeks time for the preparation of the discussion.
The teacher will be the moderator, and he/she should prepare questions to stimulate and to drive the debate. The topic should be analyzed from both points of view (two basins) and therefore he/she should be able to foresee the development of the discussion for, if it is the case, to be able to redirect.
The time spend with this technique is superior to the one that would be spent with a typical lesson, but the reasoning, the ability of critical analysis, the intercommunication, the collective work, the understanding and the tolerance in the students are stimulated. The experience demonstrates that this learning technical allows deepening more in the knowledge, it is highly motivational and it satisfies the students.

Keywords:

Discussion Lead, Case Method, Didactic Tool.