Activity: Discussion strategies

In this activity I developed a summary about three discussion strategies to use in my classes, and also I created 3 activities using these strategies through the topic that I developed in my planner 'Living in society':

The three discussion strategies that I have choosen are: Rotating stations, structured silence strategy and Hatful of sayings.

First of all, regarding rotating stations, it refers to having different stations around the class, they can be related to different topics and same type of activities or different activities around the same topic, but it is important to have something in common. Also, the disposition of the stations can be different (desks situated in different order in each station). After that, the class has to be devided in small groups of students (4-6 students), each group start working in one of the stations,they discuss the issue that it is in that station and write their ideas/results on the chalkboard. After a period of time (around 10 minutes), each group turn to the next station where the continue the discussion that the previous group recorded in the papper. Rotation continue until each group has been in all the stations and return to the start point.

One example that I have done in my english classes about this type of strategy was to practise writing. It was with a secondary class, but it could be possible to do it in primary as well if the topics are more simple. Firstly, they had to decide who would be the representative of the group (it is the spokenperson) and the secretary (the person who writes)

After that, I gave to each station a topic and a sentence to start. Each group had to write a paragraph of a story about its specific topic (even if they are different topics, they are related to a general one. Ex: feelings: love, hate, sadness, happiness and fear) When they changed to the next one they would have to correct the grammar, punctuation and stylistic mistakes that they could find from the previous group, and after that, they had to write the following part of the story.

At the end of the class, each representative of the group readed a story and we commented it all together.

It was an interesting way to practise writing, since it is a difficult activity to practise in class and also It is usually something boring for students, so in that way, they are not just practising writing, but also grammar and vocabulary.

Regarding the structured silence strategy. It consists on using writing and silence to explore an specific topic. In this method there are also groups and stages. In each stage there is a big papper in which a question, text or imagen is written on. Its aim is to write comments around this material but in complete silence, all communication will be just writing, so each student has to use a pen of different a colour. In a while, each group will rotate to the next stage to collaborate in their classmates' comments. After writing in each papper, each group of students return to the first one. In that point the can start to talk, so they can comment with the members of their groups about what thecomments written on the papper. At the end, the whole class discuss together about the pappers, for this reason it is essential that all pappers have something in common, such as the topic. It is important that students have the rules clear before starting. In this method, the teacher has to act as a observator and guide during most of the activity, but in the class discussion, she/he has to act as a moderator, guiding the conversation efficiently.

One activity that can be interesting using this method could be to work on poetry. Each papper will have a poem of different authors, but with the same topic, for example, freedom. The student of each group will write individually any comments, thoughts or ideas that this poem makes them think and after 10 minutes, they will go to the next stage and write in the comments of their classmates. When they finish each stage, they will talk in each group their conclussions about what it is written in their papper and their impressions about what this poem mean. At the end, we will talk together about some of the comments that the teacher will read as a way to open the discussion. This is an activity that I find more recommendable to do with high-school students, but it can be done with primary pupils if the poems are adapted to their level and capacity.

Finally, the last method that is called 'hatful of quotes' consists on selecting several quotes or sayings about a topic that it is being worked in class. The teacher have to print several copies of each, so there must be one for each students. After that, the quotes will be put in a bowl and each student will take one. They will have some minutes to write some of their thoughts about it and after that, each one will read the saying and express her/his feelings about it to the rest of the class. All the students will read their ideas and collaborate in the others' comments. In this type of activity, the teacher will act as a guide/moderator. I consider that this activity is interesting to provide students with different points of view about the same topics.

The activity that I propose for this method would be for primary 3 students in which I will give them some questions related to the topic that I am developing this course that is 'living in society'. I will write several questions related to why we are social individuals, why we need to live in society, differences between cultures, people, men/women... all of them basic and adapted to this level. Each student will take one from the bowl and write their answers. At the end, each one will read the question and answer and we will debate about it together, specially the students that have the same question.

In conclusion, I think that these strategies are a fun way to learn about a topic in deep or to explore a material as an interdisciplinary way, so students can achieve a significant learning thanks to these activities allow them to be active in their learning process.