Getting to the point that student led discussions flow smoothly requires work and feedback, but the payout is tremendous.

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Student groups began by reading the same novel. They are given a role document. In that document, I give them the book due date and as a group they decide how much to read prior to each class. They also assign their own roles. The expectation is that they do not repeat a role until everyone has been the discussion director.

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Student Example of Role Document

The roles I included are exactly the type of items that may be included/discussed in a book club meeting even if one never specifically writes it down. My students use the roles as a guide. They do not have to follow their roles during the discussion. However, if there are awkward pauses, this gives them ideas to bring up and continue the conversation.

Students then practice several times before the final. During one of the discussions I go around the room and sit with each group. I give them immediate feedback for what they need to do individually and as a group to make the discussion livelier.

One constant complaint is that they often don’t have enough time to discuss everything they want to discuss.

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During Discussion

Students often keep track of who is speaking by what I call a spider web discussion. I am sure there is a technical term used for it. My students know what I mean when I say don’t forget to do the spider web part of your discussion.

Even though I have students prepare or complete roles, I often allow them to have choices in when and how they complete their reading as long it is finished by the due date. They choose their own roles and ensure that they are rotating and not repeating until everyone has been a discussion director. The students often say that they enjoy the discussions. They get to talk and hear other’s ideas for the text which allows them to see from a different perspectives.

For their final, they have to video film their discussion and then reflect on their individual performance as part of the group. In order to not have their faces in the video, I blurred them.

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MYP Discussion Rubric

Here is the discussion rubric that I use. It allows students to choose to discuss freely, but also helps give guidelines about HOW to discuss.