Starter quiz
- Which of these do you not need to consider when practicing your discussion skills?
- body language
- tone of voice
- speaking clearly
- clear handwriting ✓
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- What should you do if you don't understand something during a discussion?
- ignore it and keep talking
- ask for clarification or more details ✓
- change the topic immediately
- pretend you understand and move on
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- Why should you track the speaker during a discussion or presentation?
- It is polite. ✓
- You can hear them better.
- It helps you concentrate on what is being said. ✓
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- Match the key words to the correct definitions.
- respectful⇔showing consideration and kindness for others' feelings and opinions ✓
- productive⇔achieving a lot or producing good results in an efficient way ✓
- active listening⇔fully concentrating, understanding and responding thoughtfully ✓
- open question⇔a type of question that allows for a wide range of answers ✓
- Laura is involved in a discussion. She is waiting for her turn to speak, but is looking at the floor and only giving one word answers. Choose a WWW and an EBI to give Laura some feedback.
- WWW: you waited for your turn to speak ✓
- WWW: you made eye contact
- EBI: you made eye contact ✓
- EBI: you interrupted the speaker
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- Alex is involved in a discussion. He is speaking clearly, but Alex feels very strongly about the topic and keeps interrupting. Choose a WWW and an EBI to give Alex some feedback.
- WWW: you interrupted the speaker which creates a respectful environment
- WWW: you spoke clearly ✓
- EBI: you spoke clearly
- EBI: you waited for your turn to speak ✓
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Exit quiz
- Which word beginning with 'a' can be described as: 'being based on personal stories or experiences rather than on hard facts or scientific evidence.'?
- 'anecdotal' ✓
- If you are quoting directly from a source or text, this evidence is called ...
- anecdotal
- textual ✓
- speculative
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- If evidence has been verified, it can be described as ...
- being based on personal stories or experiences rather than on facts or science.
- being based on guesses or ideas rather than solid evidence or facts.
- something that has been checked and confirmed to be true, accurate or valid. ✓
- relating to texts.
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- Which of these is not an example of a tentative phrase?
- could
- might
- perhaps
- undeniably ✓
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- What type of evidence is being used in this sentence: 'More specifically Shakespeare writes "it is the east, and Juliet is the sun" in his play.'?
- anecdotal
- textual ✓
- speculative
- unverified
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- What type of evidence is being used in this sentence: 'In my experience mobile phones have played a big part in my social life.'?
- anecdotal ✓
- textual
- speculative
- verified
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Discussions can be elevated with the inclusion of evidence.
- Written responses, textual evidence can also be used in discussions.
- Different types of evidence can be used, depending on the question, for example: anecdotal evidence or speculation.
- It is a good idea to use tentative phrases when evidence is not verified or anecdotal.
Common misconception
You can't prepare for discussions, so it's not really something you can practise.
Just like writing, you can learn phrases and strategies that can help you to respond and develop comments in a discussion, especially when offering evidence. These can help you feel more prepared in discussion scenarios.
Keywords
Evidence - information, facts, or data used to support a claim, argument or belief
Textual - relating to texts
Anecdotal - based on personal stories or experiences rather than on hard facts or scientific evidence
Speculative - based on guesses or ideas rather than solid evidence or facts
Verified - something that has been checked and confirmed to be true, accurate or valid
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