College Teaching, Fall 1997 v45 n4 p143(1)
The fishbowl motivates students to participate. (The Quick Fix) Karen M. Dutt.

Abstract: A technique known as the fishbowl enables students to actively manage the content of class discussions while allowing instructors some control over discussion conduct. The instructor furnishes students with suggested discussion questions when assigning the reading to be discussed. Initially, student volunteers sit in an inner circle of desks, some of which are empty, and begin the discussion while their classmates observe. Anyone wishing to speak must first gain admittance to the inner circle by a variety of methods. At the end of class, students review and evaluate what they learned from the discussion.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1997 Heldref Publications

"The Fishbowl" is a strategy that holds students responsible for conducting a discussion about assigned readings. In the class session prior to the fishbowl, I give the students a list of questions to guide understanding of the reading. Some examples:

What are the key issues in the reading? Support your statements.

How does this relate to what we already know?

What can we learn from this information?

These questions are open-ended and are intended to prompt students to think about the reading rather than lead them to think about it in one specific way.

To set up the room for the fishbowl, I put eight chairs in an inner circle with sixteen chairs in an outer circle. I ask six students to start in the inner circle with two chairs remaining empty. I list the prompting questions as a guide during the discussion. Students in the inner circle are responsible for beginning a discussion of the reading.

Students in the inner circle talk with one another about the reading material while students in the outer circle actively listen to the conversation. The only time a person is allowed to talk is when he or she is in the inner circle. Students must remain there until they contribute to the discussion. Students can then leave and ask someone else to join the inner circle, or I can ask any student to move within the circles. If a student has a contribution, they can ask someone to leave the inner circle and take their place, or the two empty chairs can be used by students who wish to speak.

If I want to join the discussion, I have to get into the inner circle. Although I can choreograph the movement in and out of the circle, I do not lead or direct the conversation it is completely managed by students. Periodically, I might stop the discourse to have the class evaluate the discussion. Some prompting questions are, What good things are happening with this conversation? How can we improve our discussion of the material?

To conclude, the students review what they have learned from the material and evaluate techniques.

This strategy is very effective. Because students must participate actively, they spend a greater amount of time preparing for the class. The prompting questions allow the students to reflect on the material while preparing. Discussions are enlivened by the variety of viewpoints. The review and evaluation help us to improve our discussion, our interactions with each other, and our understanding of the material.

We found out that we had a great deal of knowledge and experience to share with one another. Students were able to build on others' ideas and look at things from different perspectives. Their confidence rose, their knowledge of the content expanded, and their ability to communicate was fine-tuned. This strategy, by giving students ownership of the classroom and responsibility for learning, can teach students more than just course content.

Karen M. Dutt, Elementary Education, Indiana State University, Terre Haute.