Many students have difficulty expressing themselves. I have an activity I call a Socratic Seminar, and I'm sure I stole it from someone, so please understand that I don't take any credit. On the other hand, maybe I have tweaked it from its original format, so maybe I can take a little credit.
I've included the list of rules in the link below. Basically, students must generate a group discussion that they lead and they are responsible for. There are three components - courteous listener, productive contributor, and the length of the seminar. There are times that I have required total participation from everyone, which could add another dimension to the activity.
The hard part of the exercise is for the teacher to stay out, and this is very difficult for me. I'm not really a control freak, but I struggle to avoid joining in to just pick their brains and see where something may take the discussion. So if you are going to try this, TRY VERY HARD to be an observer only.
The toughest part of the activity is for students to remember the 3-before-me-rule. On the other hand, this is the best means to make sure that the discussion doesn't digress into an argument. Arguments are okay, but the focus of this activity is for students to find a way to contribute to an academic discussion.
Have fun!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lR2m3bPkPpQxPV5pRs3eQhHt23G3lcc6_AtNXWk9BY/edit
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