Is this you?  “I find myself lobbing questions that land on the room like a wet tennis ball and realize my lesson plan has just been shot.”

Is THIS you?  Do you find yourself asking questions that you think are great but that no one wants to answer? YES!  Do you hear your students complain that there aren’t enough “activities” in your class? YES!  Do you want to learn how to harness that gift of gab? YES!

 Gilmore Discussion Methods Speaking Volumes

Method #1: Lines  Line exercises require:  Controversial statements  Students to make decisions (i.e., THINK!)  Surveys  Students rate controversial statements from 1-5 criteria  Get Off the Fence  Students must choose a yes/no type answer on an issue  The Grids  Students choose between four possible positions in response to a question (you are asking them to think about an issue on two different planes at once)

Get Off the Fence!  So…let’s play! Everyone will line up in the middle of the room I’ll say a statement You have to choose a side, and NO—you can’t stay on the fence! (That’s why it’s called get OFF the fence) When everyone has picked a side, we’ll take a look around and hear some opinions Remember to keep things cordial—you can criticize the beliefs, but not the person who holds them

 Okay, everybody line up!  Ready?

Statement #1 Love is worth dying for.

Statement #2 Stem cell research is ethical and necessary to save future lives.

Statement #3 The square root of 400 is an even number.

Statement #4 The good of society is more important than the rights of any one citizen.

Method #2: Circles  Circle exercises require:  Controversial statements  Students to collaborate  Fishbowl  Students sit in two concentric circles—only those in the inner circle may speak.  Students tap in to sit in the inner circle.  Brainstorming Groups  Students participate in groups to brainstorm ideas.  Idea Pass-Arounds  Students think of a single aspect of the topic that they think is important.  They write the topic on top of a sheet of paper and pass it to the next person.  Each person adds a thought or two on each paper.

Method #3: Big Paper  Big Paper exercises require:  Big sheets of paper  Jigsaw  Students divide into groups—each group makes a poster and other groups travel around to see the work.  Points of the Compass  Students divide into 4 groups (NSEW). Each sheet is a diff. category and students write to fit each category.  Advertisements  Students make creative responses to the topic—can be movie posters, fliers, warning labels, etc.

Ta-Da!  For more ideas (and there are many more), see the book itself!