What should instructors do if participants struggle during guided discussions?

Instructors guiding discussions should be attentive to participants who seem to be struggling, as this is an essential part of fostering a supportive learning environment. By prompting participants for answers when appropriate, instructors can help stimulate critical thinking and participation. This approach encourages learners to engage more deeply with the material, allowing them to articulate their thoughts and potentially overcome barriers to understanding.

Prompting can take various forms, such as asking open-ended questions, giving hints, or encouraging peers to share their input. This enables individuals to build confidence in their responses and supports a collaborative learning atmosphere. Moreover, this strategy helps maintain the flow of discussion and keeps participants actively involved, which is crucial for effective learning and skill development.

This approach is superior to other options, as providing answers directly can discourage independent thinking and problem-solving skills, while ignoring struggles undermines the learning experience. Similarly, encouraging participants to answer at a later time may not address the immediate concerns they have and could lead to disengagement from the discussion.