Having a discussion like this serves numerous purposes for a skilled teacher. By having a genuine discussion, the teacher can: * get an immediate assessment of

Having a discussion like this serves numerous purposes for a skilled teacher. By having a genuine discussion, the teacher can: * get an immediate assessment of students' understanding * provoke deep processing by the students who participate * Draw out students who are otherwise passive and disengaged * Learn what subtopics are particularly interesting to the class, and adapt the schedule accordingly * Allow students to experience the process of active learning rather than having everything handed to them * Other things... It's not an either/or situation, it's a tactic. A good teacher will use open-ended discussion for all of those things and more, but it isn't the only thing going on in a typical class. Ultimately, the teacher is still there imparting knowledge. The discussion is just one of the ways that's done, and a high quality discussion can be extremely valuable.