Group Discussion with Nominal Brainstorming: An Interactive Method to Facilitate A Classroom or Small Group Discussion

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly our mentees should know about the Classroom Discussion Model of Teaching.

One interactive method to facilitate a classroom or small group discussion is Group Discussion with Nominal Brainstorming. An explanation of the rules for engagement follows:

Group Discussion with Nominal Brainstorming

Note: This form of brainstorming does not require a time limit; however, a class recorder is needed.

· The teacher poses a question, and each student spends a short period of time, e.g. 60 seconds, thinking of and recording solutions to the problem posed.

· In a round robin fashion each student shares one new or different solution to the problem.

· Students may pass if they have no new or different solution to offer.

· When all the students pass three times, nominal brainstorming ends.

On the next post we will share another small group or whole class discussion procedure called Group Discussion with a Timer.