Group discussions occur in many different formats –
from very informal ones between friends to highly structured and challenging
discussions included as part of a selection process.
In both cases, there are a number of specific skills
that we can help our students develop to become better able to contribute
effectively to group discussions.
·
Why
teach group discussion skills?
·
Types
of discussion
·
Useful
sub-skills for students
·
Setting
up group discussions
·
Giving
and encouraging feedback
·
Conclusion
Why teach group discussion skills?
Developing group discussion skills is useful for everyday life as we regularly
find ourselves having discussions amongst friends, family and colleagues. These
may vary from very informal chats about day-to-day things, to more serious
topics, for example a discussion about a recent news story or a problem that
needs to be solved.
·
Additionally,
group discussions are increasingly being used in the job market during
interviews and selection procedures. These can take a variety of formats, but
the key skills remain very similar.
·
Last
but not least, group discussions offer an opportunity for extended speaking
(and listening!) practice by all of the contributors. Group discussion practice
and skill development is therefore useful for all students.
Types of discussion
There are a variety of different types of discussions that occurNATURALLY
and
which we can recreate in the classroom. These include discussions where the
participants have to:
and
which we can recreate in the classroom. These include discussions where the
participants have to:
·
Make decisions (e.g. decide who to invite to a party and where
to seat them)
· Give and / or share their opinions on a given topic (e.g. discussing beliefs about the
effectiveness of capital punishment)
·
Create something (e.g. plan and make a poster as a medium for
feedback on a language course)
·
Solve a problem (e.g. discussing the situations behind a series
of logic problems)
Some discussion topics may fall into more than one of
these categories, but it is useful to consider a variety of formats to which
the students can apply the skills they are learning.
Useful sub-skills for students
There are a number of different sub-skills which students will need to be able
to successfully and effectively participate in a group discussion. Students
need to develop the ability to:
Analyse
This skill can be developed by giving students the topic individually and
asking them to brainstorm or mind-map all of the possible sub-topics they could
speak about. The students can then swap their notes and assess or analyse the
relevance of each of the sub-topics their partner has included. Together, the
students then draw up a fresh list or mind-map and discuss how the sub-topics
might be linked together, along with examples or reasons for any arguments they
might have.
Persuade
This skill comes in useful when students need to make decisions on how to do
something (e.g. which candidate should get a job). A fun activity to develop
this skill is to give groups of students this topic and ask them to decide on
the profile of the perfect candidate, creating a list of 7 adjectives. The
students are then re-grouped and asked to persuade the other members of the
group that their selection is the best while compiling a second, negotiated
list. The group members who retain the most from their original lists are the
winners. Note down useful phrases that you hear the students using while doing
this task and discuss these at the end for future reference.
Control emotions
This can be practised by giving the students a fairly controversial topic, such
as ‘Friends are moreIMPORTANT than
family’ and asking the students to decide whether they agree, disagree or have
no opinion, making notes on their main arguments to support their viewpoint.
Divide the students into groups ensuring that there is a mix of views within
each group. Explain that for this discussion, the aim is to keep their voices
low and try to control their emotions as far as possible. Monitor and give
feedback on these areas.
than
family’ and asking the students to decide whether they agree, disagree or have
no opinion, making notes on their main arguments to support their viewpoint.
Divide the students into groups ensuring that there is a mix of views within
each group. Explain that for this discussion, the aim is to keep their voices
low and try to control their emotions as far as possible. Monitor and give
feedback on these areas.
Support
One of the most important things for this skill is for students to learn when
it is and isn’t appropriate to interrupt and how to do it. Very often students
will talk over each other in an effort to get their point across and forget to
listen.
To practise this, you can get your students to make a list in small groups of
when it is and isn’t appropriate to interrupt other speakers. They should
include things like ‘not appropriate during the middle of a point, ifTHE
SPEAKER has
not said very much previously, or when you are feeling angry and liable to say
something you’ll regret’. It is appropriate when the speaker has been
dominating the discussion for too long, what the speaker is saying is
completely irrelevant to the topic, or you don’t understand the point he / she
has made’.
has
not said very much previously, or when you are feeling angry and liable to say
something you’ll regret’. It is appropriate when the speaker has been
dominating the discussion for too long, what the speaker is saying is
completely irrelevant to the topic, or you don’t understand the point he / she
has made’.
You can then give them or elicit a list of phrases which they might use to
interrupt politely (e.g. ‘Can i just add something here?’, ‘Sorry I’d just like
to clarify something,’ etc.) The students then write five of these on slips of
paper (one per slip) and have a group discussion on a given topic. The aim is
to use all of the language on their slips. When they have used a phrase, they
put the slip in the middle of theTABLE.
The other students in the group judge whether the interruption was appropriate
/ polite. If not, they take the slip back and try again.
.
The other students in the group judge whether the interruption was appropriate
/ polite. If not, they take the slip back and try again.
Use functional language
Depending on the types of group discussions that you plan to do with your
class, it is useful to draw up a list of useful functional language for the
students to refer to. This could include phrases for functions such as ‘Giving
reasons’, ‘Giving your opinion’, ‘Agreeing and disagreeing’, etc. You can
either make up the list yourself and distribute it or get the students to do
this. For each group discussion, you can then refer them to the appropriateSECTION of
the list and give them a few moments to consider the language before beginning
the discussion.
of
the list and give them a few moments to consider the language before beginning
the discussion.
Setting up group discussions
There are several key things to consider when setting up group discussions in
the classroom to ensure that they run successfully.
·
Give
the students some planning time either individually or in
small groups. Don’t just give them the topic and say ‘go’! It is often useful
to discuss some associated vocabulary or functional language that they might
find useful
·
Choose topics which you are confident your students will find
interesting.
·
Get
them to brainstorm some ideas for discussions they would like to do and use
this as a starting point
·
Ensure a balance between input and practice
·
Use a variety
of styles / types
·
Vary group size and procedure
Some companies do selection group discussions with very large groups of people
– over ten in some cases. If your students will be facing these types of group
discussions in the future make sure they get some practice doing them. It can
also be useful to mix classes of students so they have practice doing
discussions with people they don’t already know.
·
Encourage group
discussions outside class time
Give students some extra feedback forms to use to give each other input on how
they perform in group discussions outside of class.
Giving and encouraging feedback
Feedback can take several forms and it is a good idea to vary the way it is
given. Students can observe each other doing group discussions and give each
other feedback on the specific areas of input that you have covered (ideally
using a feedback form that you have created).
·
Additionally,
students can do a ‘Reflective group feedback exercise’ where at the end of the
group discussion they discuss how effective each of the participants was during
the discussion. Again, giving them some focused questions to guide this stage
will help them.
·
You
could also try video-taping the group discussions and playing SECTIONS of
these back to the class to analyse. Some students find this extremely useful.
of
these back to the class to analyse. Some students find this extremely useful.
·
Finally,
monitor the groups yourself and make notes for feedback on whole groups or
individual performances. Keeping a record of these will help you and the
students to see where they have improved.
Conclusion
As we have seen, group discussions can take a variety of formats and are useful
for all types of students. They can be done in preparation for job interviews
or as extended speaking practice simply to increase fluency.
It isIMPORTANT to
consider the different sub-skills that are involved in participating in a group
discussion and ensure that you do activities that address each of these.
Additionally, structuring and varying the way that feedback is given will help
the students to identify areas for improvement.
to
consider the different sub-skills that are involved in participating in a group
discussion and ensure that you do activities that address each of these.
Additionally, structuring and varying the way that feedback is given will help
the students to identify areas for improvement.
Amy Lightfoot, British Council, India
