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Language is what unites people. Whether it is through brief interactions or deep conversations, communication comes in many forms. In this module, you will explore how discussions and debates can strengthen students’ language proficiency and confidence. These are two forms of communication that also encourage critical thinking and build intercultural competence.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• describe the benefits of communicative language teaching through discussions and debates and how to use them in the EFL classroom

• explore various cooperative learning and interactive language tasks and strategies that build language proficiency and a classroom discourse community

• develop higher order thinking questions that encourage critical thinking in the classroom

• design ways you plan to integrate and manage learning activities that support a communicative approach for language learning in your classroom

Click here to download the Module 9 Packet.

9.1 Watch

Explore ideas for facilitating discussions and debates by watching three videos.

9.2 Read

Explore ideas for facilitating discussions and debates by reading at least two articles.

Articles

Article 1: Navigating Discussions and Debates in the EFL Classroom by Kelley Webb 

This article describes the purpose of discussions and debates in the English language classroom. Strategies for successful implementation are included.

Source: Webb, K. (2021). Navigating discussions and debates in the EFL Classroom. Teaching English through English: English Speaking Nation for Uzbekistan Program.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uEuXBHagpDB0pNxAtZtZspryKfELm7Gf/view?usp=sharing

Article 2: Critiquing Questions by Lynn W. Zimmerman 

This article describes the teaching technique of developing stimulating discussion questions for the language classroom. Step-by-step instructions and a copy of the activity worksheet is included.

Source: Zimmerman, L.W. (2015). Critiquing questions. English Teaching Forum, 53(3), 32-34. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/06_etf_53-3_6_tt_zimmerman.pdf

Article 3: Bring it On: How to Get Students Fired Up about English with ESL Debates by Vicky Papadopoulou 

This blog post shares practical information about using debates in the English language classroom.

Source: Papadopoulou, V. (n.d.). Bring it on: How to get students fired up about English with ESL debates. FluentU English Educator Blog. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-debates/  (Click here to view a PDF of this blog post.)

Additional Resources 

The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies  (This reading is a post on the Cult of Pedagogy website; however, there is an option to listen to it as a podcast or I have downloaded the post as a PDF file.) by Jennifer Gonzalez   

Source: Source: Gonzalez, J. (2015, October 15). The big class discussion strategies. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/ 

Literature Circles as Support for Language Development (This activity may be best suited for intermediate-advanced language learners.) by Mohamed Elhess and Joy Egbert 

Source: Elhess, M., & Egbert, J.  (2015). Literature circles as support for language development. English Teaching Forum, 53(3), 13-21. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/03_etf_53-3_3_elhess_egbert.pdf 

The Circle of Viewpoints thinking routine by Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Zero. (2015). The circle of viewpoints thinking routine. http://pz.harvard.edu/resources/circle-of-viewpoints 

9.3 Search

Explore more teaching resources about facilitating discussions and debates by searching these websites:

• American English Resources page 

• STAR TALK: Classroom Activities Collection  

• Cult of Pedagogy Click on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the website to type your keywords to search.

(Hint: Try using these keywords: discussions, debates, conversations, engagement)

9.4 Think

Consider the ways you already use or would like to integrate and manage learning activities that support a communicative approach for language learning in your classroom. Think about the following questions and write down some thoughts in your journal.

• What do “discussions” and “debates” look like for you? How about in your classroom instruction?

• How do you usually get students interested in discussing a new topic in your class?

• How do you generally select the topics of discussion for class? Do students have any choice or input in selecting topics?

• What are your challenges and possible solutions for facilitating discussions and debates in your language classroom?

9.5 Create

This module introduced several ideas for integrating discussion activities and debates in your language classroom. Based on your preference, choose one of the following tasks:

After reading “Critiquing Questions”, create a question bank with 3-5 question starters you can use in a discussion or debate activity.

OR

Select an image that connects to one of your lessons or units. Create Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Questions to engage students in discussion on that image. Post in your portfolio.

OR

Create a list of debate topics that align with your curricula. Post a “Bucket of Prompts” in your portfolio. 

Use the template below when creating your activity:

Activity/Lesson Name:

Grade level / Unit (if applicable):

Activity Description:

• The purpose of this activity is to…

• These activity will be effective for this lesson/unit because…

• Here are some steps to help you use this activity in your classroom…

           Step 1:

                Step 2:

  Step 3:

Note: This will be added to your Portfolio. 

9.6 Share

Share the discussion or debate activity you created in the group chat. Be sure you post an activity that you have not seen already in the group chat. Please post a brief message and attach a Word document, PDF, or PPT slides with your activity description.

Example

Hello, Colleagues! The discussion or debate activity I want to share  is called ___________________________________ (activity  title).  The purpose of this activity is to ____________________________________________________. This activity is effective because_______________________________________________________________________________________. See the attached file  for an example on how I use this activity in my classroom. (Be sure to attach your activity  file.)

9.7 Apply

After you share an activity in the group chat, read through your colleagues' activities. Find at least one or two new activities in the group chat that you can use in your next class. Apply a new activity from this module in your next class. If it was a success, be sure to send a message and tell your colleague "Thank you!" and why it was effective.

9.8 Reflect

Write 1-2 paragraphs to reflect on Module 9 (300-500 words). You may use what you have created, shared, and applied in the previous tasks.

Note: This will be added to your Portfolio.