Discussion Techniques

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After starting up a discussion, the next challenge is to maintain it and keep it moving in a focused direction. The teacher's role should be that of a facilitator, encouraging full participation and helping to promote understanding of the issue.

 

Choosing the right technique helps to provide a secure framework for a discussion so students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and exploring the topic. This can be as simple as getting your students to crystallise their opinions by holding a vote, or some of the more complex techniques described in the videos below.

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Marketplace

by admin [added 05/03/2009]
Prep time - 1 hour

Marketplace is an excellent technique to use when you want students to explore several different angles...

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  • Human barometer

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    by Sue [added 24/03/2009]

    A human barometer is a great way to capture a broad range of opinions and to allow small changes of view to be measured during a discussion. The barometer is a patricularly good technique to use if an issue is not clearly black and white. Set up the room

  • Role play

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    by admin [added 06/03/2009]

    Role play is a great way to add variety to a lesson and to cover multiple angles of an issue-based topic. In this short film, Beth Hickey, a teacher from Westminster Academy, and Andrew Davids, a teacher from Thomas Tallis School, explain how they use

  • Games

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    by admin [added 06/03/2009]

    Games are fun, and fun is a big part of learning. Students get caught up in playing the game, so learning and key information are put across by stealth. Games can be used at the start of the lesson to introduce key ideas or vocabulary prior to a discussion

  • Socratic seminar

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    by admin [added 06/03/2009]

    A Socratic seminar is a good way to involve the whole class in a discussion. In this short film, Beth Hickey, a teacher from Westminster Academy, explains how to run a Socratic Seminar. This technique is based on Socrates' theory that it is more important

  • Snowball

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    by admin [added 06/03/2009]

    Snowball allows students to voice their opinions in smaller groups first and build up in stages to a whole-class discussion. This is a great way to encourage less confident students to participate. In this short film Andrew Davids, a teacher from Thomas

  • Marketplace

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    by admin [added 05/03/2009]

    Marketplace is an excellent technique to use when you want students to explore several different angles or ideas relating to a topic. In this short film, Andrew Davids, a teacher from Thomas Tallis School, explains how to run a Marketplace activity. This

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  1. re: Market place