Discussion Process and Principles

Discussion Process and Principles brings discussion to the classroom in a new and fun way that is ideal for the Asian classroom. It is not only about what to discuss (the topic), but how to discuss it effectively (the approach). It is also an excellent addition to the authors’ other titles: “Speaking of Speech” and “Discover Debate” and has an appealing format with an easy to follow structure and the same cartoon-like illustrations their books are famous for (and which made their previous books best sellers in Japan).

The book is clearly broken into 3 sections entitled “Discussion and Sharing”, “Discussion as Exploring”, and “Discussion as Decision making”. Section One encourages students to share ideas and value each other’s input; Section Two focuses on stating positions and understanding other’s views as well as your own and the last section encourages students to think both inside and outside of the box and define their criteria for constructing good arguments as well as uncovering assumptions. Within these sections, students are also exposed to the 7 principles which are integrally linked to the 3 sections above and reinforce the progression that good discussions follow. Students who are taught and use these principles effectively will ultimately understand the essentials of critical thinking and discussion as well as argumentation much better.

Obviously, students with only one discussion strategy approach every discussion the same way. Discussion Process and Principles identifies several different approaches to discussion, each having its own language and clearly tied to the pertinent discussion principle or principles. This book not only exposes students to authentic language resources, but also offers topic-centered activities that facilitate the use of particular language structures. With meaning making as its core, it helps engage students in an easy to understand and well constructed format which leads them to be critical of both their own and other’s arguments and points of view. It also provides EFL teachers with a practical resource to empower students to use the language for authentic context-based communications. My only criticism is that both the edition I have (and the ones offered for sale on Amazon, for example) do not include the tape scripts or the audio CD. The website offers downloadable scripts, sample syllabuses, an overview of the teacher’s book, scripts and other useful resources, but I personally prefer books that do not require teachers to buy a separate CD, Teacher’s book, etc in order to teach them effectively or even use them in class. Having said that, if you can get an edition with the CD and scripts included, this would be another great addition to your teaching library as well as giving you a much more useful approach to encouraging students to discuss than simply handing them a list of conversation questions or trying to get them to “free talk”.

Authors: Charles LeBeau and David Harrington
Publisher: Language Solutions Inc
Components: Textbook and CD (not included)