Using AI for Structured Discussion
Let's get them talking!
What you’ll read in this post
3 types of structured discussion (with instructions)
An AI prompt for generating discussion starters
A prompt for controversial conversation starters
Tips on how to run structured discussions
Introduction
In 1976, British educator James Britton argued that “literacy floats on a sea of talk”.
Douglas Barnes later expanded on the idea, arguing that it was learning that was floating on a sea of talk.
But here’s what I used to get during my class discussions:
Complete silence.
Twiddling of thumbs.
Eyes shifting uneasily around the room.
Two boys up the back start talking about basketball.
It not the rich pedagogical experience I had hoped for…
I wonder if you’ve ever had this experience after asking students to ‘turn and talk’ with a partner. The conversation might slowly get going, but more as spot fires of engagement, not a roaring discussion.
As I lamented with my mentor, he asked me a simple question:
“have you taught them how to have a discussion?”
Here’s the harsh truth: for the hours modelling, scaffolding, and guiding writing, I’d spent about three minutes on discussion.
But reading and writing develop and thrive on a foundation of oral language.
Structured discussions require students to think deeply, process information, and actively engage with ideas. They’re called to interpret, reflect, defend, and listen.
If we want students to become great readers and writers, then teaching structured discussion is crucial.
Here’s a simple guide for you
3 types of structured discussions (with simple instructions)
I recently went to some that touched on the importance of discussions. They gave us two categories: teacher led and student led discussion.
Way. Too. Broad.
Let’s get more specific.
Here are the five types of structured discussion I use most in my classroom:
Think/Pair/Share
After students are given a stimulus, they are given a period of time to think about their response and jot down notes. Then, in the ‘pair’ phase, they engage one other person in discussion. Finally, the ‘share’ phase involves a whole-class discussion on the topic.
Conver-stations
Groups of two to four students discuss a stimulus. After a set time, students rotate to new groups and share learnings from their prior conversations, building on that content with the new group. This rotation can continue multiple times.
Snow-ball discussion
Students start in pairs and discuss a stimulus. After a time, two groups of two join together and discuss the stimulus in a group of four. Then, after a time, two groups of four can be combined to create a group of eight where the discussion continues. This can keep going as long as it is mathematically possible.
Where AI can help ( AI prompt to try)
As you can see, nearly every method of structuring a discussion requires a prompt or a stimulus. This is where AI comes in. AI is great at creating lists of conversational prompts.
Sometimes you will want to limit the scope of your prompts to a particular text. To make sure the prompts are specific to a text, you will need to paste or upload the text into your AI tool. This will give AI the context it needs to create prompts based on that specific text.
Role: Act as an expert [YEAR/SUBJECT] teacher.
Task: Create a list of discussion prompts based on the text I have inserted below in triple colons. These prompts will be used as a stimulus for student discussion.
Format: Give me [INSERT NUMBER] prompts. Address different aspects of the topic with different prompts. Ensure that the discussion prompts are concise.
:::[INSERT TEXT]:::
If you want your prompts to be on a broad topic not a specific text, just alter this section in the prompt.
[quick note - if you want to explore using AI for evidence-based literacy practices, why not get yourself a copy of Artificial Intelligence, Real Literacy? You can get the international paperback and ebook here, and the Australian paperback here.
If you want to get really controversial (use with caution)
Role: Act as an expert [YEAR/SUBJECT] teacher.
Task: Create a list of deliberately controversial discussion prompts based on [INSERT TOPIC]. These prompts will be used as a stimulus for student discussion, and should force students to take a strong stand one way or the other.
Format: Give me [INSERT NUMBER] prompts. Address different aspects of the topic with different prompts. Ensure that the discussion prompts are concise yet provocative and strongly worded.
How to scaffold this (rapid fire tips)
Don’t assume the loud or talkative students are naturally proficient at structured discussion. I was a loud and talkative student; I didn’t really ‘discuss’ things, I just waited for my turn to talk. These students may need extratraining on listening well.
Some students may have a learning plan that states they can’t/won’t do class discussions. Consider letting them write or type a hypothetical conversation. Cover this with them beforehand.
Consider doing the same activity for a few weeks in a row for students to gain proficiency. The first time your class does a particular structured discussion, it’s likely that a significant part of their focus will be on the structure of the activity itself, and not on the prompt
If your class has never done a structured discussion before, consider using the gradual release of responsibility (GRR) show students how the activity works.
“I do”: you model the conversation, usually taking both conversational turns
“We do”: discuss what a good conversation would look like with your class, perhaps writing a transcript on the board.
“You do together”: students practice the different parts of the activity together.
“You do alone”: there is usually no ‘you do alone’ section, given that the point of the activity is to have a discussion with other students.
Conclusion
I recently wrote that ‘good discussions don’t happen by accident.’
Vigorous push back was offered by an educator who said that allowing room for unstructured discussion produced some of the richest learning in her classroom.
I think we’re both right.
Consider the musician:
They have to learn your scales before they can improvise well.
For students who struggle with productive conversation, structured discussion is simply learning the scales.
They move beyond it, in fact, I hope they do, but it’s a crucial stepping stone to proficiency.
That’s all for now (sort of, there’s a bonus idea below).
Happy teaching!
Bonus idea: The moral value of teaching discussion
Barely a day goes by where I don’t see some public figure decrying the ‘fractured’ or ‘polarised’ state of public discourse:
Conversations quickly devolve into arguments.
People dwell in digital echo chambers.
“Hot takes” replace warm discussion
Rhetoric replaces reason
“Why can’t we just sit down and talk about it?”
What if intelligent discussion isn’t a lost art but a skill to be taught?
In fact, if we are frustrated by the explosive discourse around us, one of the best things we can do is teach our students to engage wisely. Structured discussion is a great place to start.
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