Facilitating a Fishbowl Discussion
Overview
Students participate in a fishbowl discussion where half of the class participates in the actual discussion, and the other half observes the ongoing discussion and writes a reflection on what they learned.
Why Use This?
Fishbowl discussions help build inclusive, supportive learning communities by giving every student the opportunity to contribute to the discussion, whether that is through actively discussing a topic or reflecting on the discussion itself.
How Does It Work?
Students are divided into two groups: Group 1 is inside the fishbowl and writes in-depth responses to a question or questions. Group 2 is outside the fishbowl. Students in this group write reflections on the responses submitted by students in Group 1. In the next lesson, the groups are reversed.
Example of an “Outside the Fishbowl” prompt
Discussion Prompts
In your post, address the following and cite at least two references:
Identify two facts that you’ve learned from reading Group 1’s Inside the Fishbowl discussion.
Identify one point that surprised you about the Inside the Fishbowl discussion.
Describe one insight you’ve gained about yourself from the Lesson 2 resources or the Inside the Fishbowl discussion.
Select an HR metric that you feel would help you, as the new HIM manager, understand the 15% turnover in your department. Why did you select this metric?
Identify one area you would like to explore in more depth. Explain how you will obtain more information.
Keep In Mind
- Fishbowl discussions may be unfamiliar to students, so explain how they work in the course (your explanation could be a single paragraph, an entire course page, or an announcement). You can also send a reminder with this information via an all-class announcement before the first discussion.
- Include instructions for grading if there will be any zeros assigned or grades dropped as part of the discussion. For example:
Example of fishbowl grading instructions
In Lessons 2 to 4, 6 to 8 and 10 to 13 you will participate in a “fishbowl” discussion that revolves around a scenario that will unfold throughout the course. You will either discuss in the fishbowl or observe the discussion and reflect. The class will be divided into groups, and throughout the semester each group will take turns with each role.Note: Because you will be participating in half of the “inside fishbowl” and half of the “outside fishbowl” discussions, the gradebook has been configured to drop your lowest five (5) scores in each of those categories. This means half of you will receive a zero for the inside or outside fishbowl activities depending on which group you are in.
Why? Each of you needs to receive a grade for both the inside and outside fishbowl component in each lesson in order for the gradebook to calculate grades correctly. Here is an example of what to expect for the lesson 2 discussion scores:
Fishbowl Grading Scenario Example from Lesson 2
Group Inside Fishbowl Score Outside Fishbowl Score
Group 1 – Inside the Fishbowl Score earned by student Automatic “0” (Dropped)
Group 2 – Outside the Fishbowl Automatic “0” (Dropped) Score earned by student
- It’s helpful for students if instructors provide both personalized and class feedback. For example, instructors can post an announcement to the class that summarizes and expands on important points, including themes that emerged during the discussion.