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Prepare for Discussion

Extend Your Discussion


Discussion questions - example from Extend Your Discussion

Dogs

1. What are your three favourite breeds of dog?

2. Have you ever been to a dog show? If so, describe some of the competition's categories e.g. best trick.

3. What are your attitudes towards dog breeding: (a) pedigree breeding based on physical appearance (b) selective breeding to reinforce certain traits to make dogs better at their jobs?

4. If you had to choose between owning a dog or a cat, which would you get? Give your reasons.

5. Allowing your dog to foul in a public place may mean that you face a fine of up to £80. Has the law got it right?

6. What restriction if any would you place on the number of dogs walked by one person at any one time?

7. Would you advise dog owners to take out insurance in case their pets bite a person or cause a road accident?

8. Should farmers have the right to shoot dogs which chase or attack cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or poultry on agricultural land?

Suggestions for managing open discussion sessions

The discussion questions are designed to ensure wide coverage of each topic. They are to be used flexibly since students may have better questions of their own.

If you need more questions, one option is to use an artificial intelligence (AI Chatbot) such as ChatGPT, though the language used in these questions can be somewhat highbrow. A sample request could be: list seven questions on dogs for discussion by a class of English language students at the intermediate level.

By being this specific, you can obtain a set of questions in reasonably direct English:

  1. Do you have a dog, or have you ever had one? What do you enjoy most about having a dog?
  2. What are some important responsibilities of being a dog owner?
  3. How do dogs help people in everyday life? Can you think of examples where dogs assist humans?
  4. Why do you think dogs are often called "man's best friend"? Do you agree with this saying?
  5. What are some differences between raising a dog in a city compared to the countryside?
  6. How can dogs improve a person's mental and physical health?
  7. If you could have any breed of dog, which one would you choose and why?

It is recommended that some or all of the other components of Prepare for Discussion or Extend Your Discussion should be used before the students are required to hold the discussion. Explain that the groundwork is important to ensure that everybody in the class can participate.

There is no need to attempt all the questions. It is better if students select the questions which interest them most (they should aim to cover at least three questions). There is no need to choose consecutive questions unless they complement one another.

The teacher should decide whether the discussion should be conducted in pairs or small groups ( ideally four students of different nationalities including both men & women).

Pair work may be inadvisable if the class includes very weak students who are unforthcoming. However, some students may feel more confident speaking to one other person. A mixture of pairs and groups is another option.

Tell students how much time they have. It is best to require pairs and/or groups to report back. Different tasks can be assigned to group members e.g. chairing the discussion, interviewing, taking minutes, reporting back on different questions.

Do not require individuals to report back on every single word that has been said. It is better to ask different people to report back on what interested them most or what they feel the other members of the class would like to hear about.


| UK | US | DE | FR | ES | IT | NL | PL | SE | JP | CA | AU |

This book contains 28 sets of discussion questions on the following topics: alternative beliefs, animal welfare, the arts, crime and punishment, cultural differences, economics, education, environment, fashion, health, holidays, language learning, male & female roles, marriage, the media, political systems, religion, rich world : poor world, science and technology, society, sport, traditions, transport, travel, violence, work and youth & old age.

The material should prove especially useful to learners intending to study in UK universities where they would be expected to participate in discussions covering a wide range of themes.


| UK | US | DE | FR | ES | IT | NL | PL | SE | JP | CA | AU |

This book contains 14 sets of discussion questions on the following topics: art versus graffiti, climate change, community events, controlled parking zones, cost of living crisis, dogs, homes or open spaces, local history, neighbourhood disputes, the planning system, policing, refuse & recycling, residents associations and wildlife gardening.

The material is intended for learners of English at the upper-intermediate level and above who wish to improve their participation and performance in discussion of topics relevant to living in UK towns and cities.

Please take the links below for examples of the exercise types you will find in the books as well as my thoughts on the value of these exercises in teaching discussion