Reading Module

English for Teaching 2
Module 2: In your opinion

Coursebook
Using a mind map with a reading text
Reading: Using a mind map with a reading text
Read the text and transfer the information into a mind map.
1) Why teach group discussion skills?

Developing group discussion skills is useful for everyday life, as we regularly find
ourselves having discussions among 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 usefulfor all students.
2) Types of discussion
There are a variety of different types of discussions that occur naturally and which we can
recreate in theclassroom. 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 avariety of formats to which the students can apply the skills they are learning.
Coursebook
3) Useful sub-skills for students
Students need to develop the ability to:
●
Analyse You can develop this skill by giving students the topic individually and asking
them to brainstorm or mind-map possible sub-topics they could speak about. They
then exchange their notes and assess the relevance of each of the sub-topics. Then,
the students draw up a fresh list or mind- map and discuss how to link the sub-topic
with examples for reasons for any arguments they have.
●
Persuade This skill comes in useful in making decisions on how to do something. A
fun activity to develop this skill is to give groups of students a topic to discuss and
make notes about. You then re-group the students and ask them to persuade the
other members of the group, using their notes.The group members who have the
most from their original lists are the winners.
●
Control emotions Give the students a controversial topic, such as ‘Friends are more
important than family’ and ask them to decide whether they agree or have no opinion.
They make notes on their arguments to support their view. Divide the students into
mixed groups. Explain that the aim is to keep their voices low and try to control their
emotions. Monitor and give feedback on these areas.
●
Support Students need to learn when it is and isn’t appropriate to interrupt and how to do it.
4) Setting up group discussions

There are several key things to consider when setting up group discussions in the
classroom to ensurethat 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 that 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 undertake 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 surethey 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.
Coursebook
●
Encourage group discussions outside class time.
Give students some extra feedback forms to use to give each other input on how they
perform ingroup discussions outside of class.
5) 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 youhave 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 this 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 is important 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.
Module 2: In your opinion Coursebook
B. Types of discussion
 Make decisions
 Give and/or share
their opinions on a
given topic
 Create something
 Solve a problem
A. Why teach group

discussion skills? C. Useful sub-skills for
useful for everyday students
life, as we regularly  Analyse
find ourselves  Persuade
having discussions
 Control
among friends,
family and emotions
colleagues. Group  Support
discussions
E. Giving and D. Setting up group

encouraging feedback discussions
 Reflective group  planning time
feedback exercise  Choose suitable topics
 video-taping  variety of styles /types.
 make notes  Vary group size and
procedure.

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English for Teaching 2

Module 2: In your opinion

Reading: Using a mind map with a reading text

1) Why teach group discussion skills?

4) Setting up group discussions

5) Giving and encouraging feedback

A. Why teach group

E. Giving and D. Setting up group

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