- What do I do if everyone's agreeing?
- What do I do if handful of children are dominating?
- What do I do if they aren't giving good reasons?
...are just three of the problems teachers face when holding a discussion or debate. We've listed 16 of these below, and provided two practical solutions for each. The full system for using these activities and techniques is described in The Discussion Dashboard.
On the left is a Community Builder - games that you can play to zoom in on using particular skills
In the middle is the problem
On the right is a Facilitation Move - these are choices you can make during a discussion to address the issue
Managing Who Speaks
What if one person dominates the discussion?
What if a handful dominate the discussion?
What if some are too shy to share their ideas?
What if they're settling on their first choice?
Managing Classroom Energy
What if the discussion lacks energy?
What if some talk in pairs but not in front of everyone?
What if everyone is agreeing?
What if pupils answers' aren't specific?
Deepening Their Thinking
What if they aren't responding to each other?
"You Said, I think" (left) is so good, it can also be used spontaneously during a discussion. Just take the current question and use that as the prompt.
What if they get stuck on an example and don't talk about wider principles?
What if their answers are shallow and avoiding the big concepts?
What if pupils are waffling vaguely?
If Everyone's Agreeing...
What if there's a lack of empathy/narrow perspectives?
What if they don't support their answers with reasons?
What if their points are samey and predictable?
What if their points are detached and impersonal?