A classroom alive with debates is an enjoyable way to learn and a good environment
for promoting students’ understanding.
Talking helps students to gather their thoughts, process information and
remember it. However, we need to think carefully about how to structure our
debates with effective questions and keep students on track.
Use only open questions
Questions that provoke discussion and multiple answers. This strategy ensures that we can
begin the class with 100% participation. A well-posed question can turn the
lights on in students’ heads.
The free writing
Begin our lesson by giving students five minutes to write down
everything they know about a given topic. It offers a useful way of making
students confident, independent writers and bringing together previous
knowledge and understanding. Ask students to talk each other.
Divide the class into two groups
Get the class to physically divide into two or three groups: those in
favour, opposed or those who are undecided.
Give students time to think
When we pose a question, give pupils enough time to consider their
responses (the importance of Pause). Thinking time is important to allow them
to get to grips with new concepts and gather their thoughts.
Be positive
For student to talk in class, they must feel emotionally safe and
secure. Avoid negative comment, only positive ones. Students will try harder in
an atmosphere that is motivational.
Off-topic responses
When a student offers an incorrect or off-topic response, it is
important to steer them back to meaningful discussion always in a polite.
Keeping discussion at the heart of our lesson will ensure that our
classes build critical thinking skills (so scarce and so necessary nowadays) as
well as knowledge.
Through talking, we explain concepts and ideas building long-term
memorization.
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