There are many roles the teacher can take during a discussion.

Here are eight useful ones, the first four of which stem from the character of Socrates as depicted in the writings of Plato.

Teacher Discussion Role: Ignoramus

This sees the teacher ‘playing dumb’ to draw out the thinking that underpins what learners are saying.

You can ask questions like:

• ‘What do you mean by that?’
• ‘I don’t really understand; can you explain that in more detail?’
• ‘How exactly would that work?’

The purpose is to encourage the learner to go into more detail.

It’s a particularly useful role to play when learners are taking things for granted about the audience’s knowledge and understanding, making general statements, or basing their comments on assumptions.

Teacher Discussion Role: Midwife

This involves the teacher helping learners ‘give birth’ to their ideas.

They use questions, prompts and suggestions to tease out connections and help learners more clearly explain what it is they’re struggling to articulate.

The teacher provides support to the learner, pointing and nudging them in the right direction, making use of their extensive knowledge to do so, but all the while being certain to leave it up to the learner to do the work.

Taking on the role of midwife involves treading a fine line between being supportive and providing the answer that you believe is coming.

Teacher Discussion Role: Gadfly

A gadfly is a fly that annoys large animals by biting them before flying away.

They may return repeatedly to the same animal, each time inflicting a bite which, while relatively small, is nonetheless annoying and potentially painful.

Due to a gadfly’s size and agility, it is difficult for the animal it is biting to see it off.

Taking on the role of a gadfly in discussion involves continually asking questions that push learner thinking. It’s about not letting learners off the hook and ensuring they go into greater depth and detail than might otherwise be the case.

Being the gadfly means getting learners to be more precise and accurate in what they say. It’s all about raising the expectations learners have about how to answer, how to contribute and how to defend or explain their points.

Teacher Discussion Role: Stingray

Stingrays have barbed stings on their tails that they use in self-defence.

These usually include venom glands and give any recipient a sharp, at times fatal, shock.

Stingray questioning sees the teacher throwing out statements or questions that are designed to shock the group into thinking about things differently.

For example: in a discussion concerning Hamlet’s role in the play of the same name, a teacher taking on the stingray role may shock the group into thinking differently by posing the question: ‘What if Hamlet had been a woman?’

Counterfactuals using the question stem ‘What if …’ usually work well as stingray questions.

Teacher Discussion Role: Devil’s Advocate

The devil’s advocate takes on positions counter to those being advanced to encourage the speaker to improve and strengthen their argument.

The purpose is to present an alternative perspective – sometimes near unthinkable, sometimes bizarre or unlikely – that compels the learner to think again about what they have said.

The devil’s advocate wants learners to be more critical of their own ideas, and to find better evidence and examples to defend them.

They also want to encourage nuance by getting learners to think about the alternative points of view.

Teacher Discussion Role: Facilitator

A facilitator sees their role as essentially procedural.

Their job is to ensure that the people who are taking part in the discussion can do so successfully.

In effect, the facilitator performs a function for the group; they do whatever is necessary to allow the smooth running of the discussion without getting involved in it themselves.

In the classroom, this includes indicating whose turn it is to speak, reminding participants of the ground rules, and asking people to repeat their contributions if they have not been heard.

When playing the role of facilitator, be aware of the temptation to intervene in the discussion yourself. It is fine to do so, but it does mean you’ll be temporarily coming out of the role of facilitator.

Teacher Discussion Role: Committed Participant

The role of committed participant requires careful consideration.

It involves the teacher stating what they believe and then playing a full part in the discussion, advocating for their beliefs where appropriate.

The risks are that they may lose sight of the wider aims and that learners may feel overpowered by the teacher’s presence.

In addition, learners may agree with the teacher because of the authority they hold, rather than because of the arguments they put forward.

On the other hand, making contributions that are genuine and reflect a well-developed perspective can provide an excellent model for learners to follow.

Also, if the topic is a sensitive one and you are expecting learners to share their thoughts, taking part yourself can be a good way of encouraging participation.

Teacher Discussion Role: Neutral Judge

The neutral judge oversees the debate, using a set of criteria to determine when to intervene and when to let things run.

I would suggest the criteria should cover behaviour and thinking.

In the former case, the teacher intervenes to stop unwanted behaviour and to praise good behaviour.

In the latter case the teacher intervenes to query reasoning or to ask for clarification or expansion of points.

It may also be appropriate for the teacher playing the neutral judge to summarise arguments that are made and to make concluding remarks at the end of the activity.

When leading a discussion, you can take on one of these roles and stick with it, or you can flit between a few. The last three tend to be roles that a teacher sticks with throughout a discussion. The first five tend to be roles to jump between, depending on what’s happening in the discussion.