Group Discussion as an Effective Method of Instruction. IDD&E Working Paper No. 20.

Advantages and disadvantages of group discussion as a method of instruction are reviewed in this paper and criteria are suggested for determining when group discussion is or is not an appropriate instructional method. The guidelines provided take into consideration the characteristics of the students, the teacher, the group as a whole, and the subject matter, as well as time and financial resources. Three forms of group discussion are then described: (1) the general model, in which the instructor divides the class into groups, selects the topic to be studied, provides guidance for research, and supervises the actual discussion; (2) the moderator model, in which one of the students rather than the instructor acts as leader; and (3) the non-moderator model, in which there is no designated leader, but a student is selected as a recorder. Recommendations for the introduction, presentation, and summary sections of the discussion are included for each model. Nineteen references are provided as well as a list of other publications in this series of working papers. (MES)