Educators often use small-group discussions to deepen students’ knowledge and gather diverse perspectives on a topic. However, an imbalance in participation can reduce their effectiveness. More vocal students may dominate discussions, leaving quieter participants with fewer opportunities to contribute.
A student’s willingness to participate in a group discussion may be influenced by how balanced a discussion is. To create an inclusive environment, I incorporate the following three strategies.
1. Pre-discussion: extended think-and-write time
Some students can form their responses in an instant, while others require more time to process questions and prepare their answers. Setting aside time for students to think and write notes before the beginning of a discussion helps create an equal starting point for all students. This strategy addresses individual differences and helps students feel more confident when contributing. Note that how well students prepare for discussions may vary due to factors such as confidence level and language proficiency.
Students in my English for academic purposes classes reported several benefits. Holding them accountable for their notes encouraged them to spend their preparation time more effectively. The notes not only helped keep students’ thoughts organised but also served as visual aids that enhanced their confidence. Having these notes to hand improved students’ fluency and coherence. Increased preparation time also allowed students more time to listen to others and helped develop the conversations further.
2. During the discussion: turn-taking protocol
I introduced turn-taking to group discussions in an attempt to equalise speaking opportunities, allowing everyone’s ideas to be heard at least once. This is important as exploring questions in-depth requires multiple perspectives to be shared and considered. When incorporating this strategy, I determined students’ speaking order with a set of playing cards. Students in a group would each get a card with the same number, and they speak in an order determined by the suit of their card. For example, the student with a spade would speak first and the one with a heart would go second. In addition, I displayed a virtual timer on a screen to remind students of the time left for the discussion. After a round of sharing, I would open up the floor for an unstructured discussion.
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This strategy gave all group members the chance to participate and reduced the likelihood of someone dominating the conversation. The addition of a timer facilitated better time management. Over time, an individual’s turn to speak became predictable. The result was reduced pressure and improved student performance. The conversations were dynamic and fruitful.
3. Post discussion: random name selection
This technique involves writing names on pieces of paper to be drawn out of a hat. When I ask questions, I invite students to volunteer to answer or to pick a name, removing it from the collection after the person has spoken. This randomisation absolves the educator of the responsibility of choosing speakers. I found students were more likely to volunteer to answer questions they felt confident about.
Knowing that everyone has a chance of being picked encourages students to prepare more thoroughly for discussions. Students also found the activity exciting – it helped them to learn each other’s names and build rapport.
Reflections
Implementing these three strategies significantly increased my students’ participation in group discussions. However, I noticed that some students tended to focus solely on sharing their ideas, paying little attention to other’s contributions, which prevented authentic peer interaction.
In this scenario, the onus is on the instructor to ensure students are listening actively and responding to others to foster dynamic discussions. Teaching students to ask follow-up questions and comment on each other’s thoughts can help them respond to others’ ideas and relate them to their own.
Yishi Lin is an associate language lecturer in the English Language Centre at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
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