Discussion Questions

An example from Extend Your Discussion.

The questions are designed to provide a wide range of starting points for open discussion. They can be used flexibly: learners can select the questions which interest them most and develop the discussion in their own direction.

Example: 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

Choose rather than complete

The questions are designed to ensure wide coverage of each topic, but they are intended to be used flexibly. Students may have better questions of their own.

There is no need to attempt all the questions. It is better for students to select the questions which interest them most. They should aim to cover at least three questions, but there is no need to choose consecutive questions unless they complement one another.

Prepare before discussing

Some or all of the other components of Prepare for Discussion or Extend Your Discussion can be used before students are required to hold the discussion.

The groundwork is important because it helps ensure that everybody in the class has the vocabulary and ideas needed to participate.

Generating additional questions

If you need more questions, an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT can be used to generate additional material. The language produced may sometimes be more sophisticated than appropriate for the class, so it is useful to specify the topic and the learners' level.

For example, you could ask for:

"List seven questions on dogs for discussion by a class of English language students at intermediate level."

A specific request of this kind can produce questions in reasonably direct English.

Pairs or groups?

The teacher should decide whether the discussion should be conducted in pairs or small groups. Groups of around four students can work well, particularly when students have different backgrounds and experiences.

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.

Give the discussion a structure

Tell students how much time they have. It is useful to require pairs or groups to report back afterwards.

Different tasks can be assigned to group members, such as chairing the discussion, interviewing, taking minutes or reporting back on particular questions.

There is no need to require individuals to report back on every word that has been said. It is often more interesting to ask different people to report on what interested them most or what they think the other members of the class would like to hear about.

These discussion questions are one of the exercise types used in Extend Your Discussion.

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