Resource 4: Some possible formats for organising a discussion

• Organising statements: Organise students into pairs or groups. Provide them with a list of statements to organise into an order of priority. An example might be as follows:

  It is important to:

  • consume fruit and vegetables
  • drink tea
  • take a vitamin supplement
  • consume fatty foods
  • consume protein
  • consume carbohydrates
  • drink clean water.

  Students can then compare and contrast their list with those of other groups.

• Snowballing: In pairs, students discuss a question such as ‘Do boys need more food than girls?’ Then they join another pair to make a group of four and share their views with one another. The group of four then joins another group of four to make a group of eight, and repeats the process. The teacher then asks each group of eight to summarise the discussion they had.
• Listening triads: Working in groups of three, each student takes on a specific role in the discussion, namely the ‘talker’, the ‘questioner’ or the ‘recorder’. The talker will explain their ideas and justify their opinions, the questioner will seek clarification, and the recorder will write down the ideas discussed. The recorders can then feed back the key points of their discussion to the whole class.
• Envoys: Divide the class into groups of four, giving each group a specific research task. For example, one group might investigate the importance of protein in the diet, while another might find out about the effects of limited calcium intake on the body. The students may need access to sources of information to assist them with their research. They will need sufficient time for this preparation. One person (the envoy) should volunteer or be selected from each group to speak to another group and summarise what they have found out. When they have finished, they should then listen carefully to their counterpart’s research summary. The envoy then returns to their original group to discuss what the other group said.
• Debate: Divide the class into groups of four. Half of the groups must argue for a given proposal (also known as a ‘motion’), and half against it. An example of a proposal might be ‘Students must eat vegetables as part of their school lunch.’ Allow time for students to prepare their arguments and research evidence that supports their point of view. They may need a whole lesson and perhaps homework to do this preparation. Allow each group to present their arguments in turn. When they have finished, conclude the discussion with a vote by a show of hands.
• A balloon debate: This involves a group of students, each being given a different viewpoint (not necessarily their own) on a topic, which they have to defend in order to ensure that the object or issue they have been given is not ‘thrown out’ of the hot air balloon. These students may need additional information to help them plan their argument before speaking. The rest of the students listen to each viewpoint and then a class vote is taken as to which item or view should be discarded.