Description: The Discussion Model, or Discussion Debate model, is an instructional strategy that involves sharing ideas about a common topic.
Reflection on in-class presentation: The Discussion model was presented in class in an elementary Reading/Language Arts class. This class began by the teachers instructing the students to read a page that was presented to them and then discuss it aloud. The students were allowed to speak about the topic they read about freely, but only if they were holding the ball the teachers were passing around to students who were raising their hand. The teachers began the discussion by asking the students about the topic of the book in order for them to better relate to it. In this case, the students were asked if they ever played, or knew anything about baseball. This began an excellent class discussion that the teachers drove toward the understanding of the text the students had read at the beginning of class. While the discussion was ongoing the teachers provided the students with handouts that they would fill out about what they had read and what they learned during the discussion. These handouts were necessary because it helped keep the discussion flowing and on topic. The students were assessed by their amount of participation in the discussion and the facts on their handouts.