Viva Discussion Strategy: Explanation
A viva, or viva voce, is an oral examination, usually undertaken by PhD learners and used in some other educational settings.
It involves one or more examiners asking a candidate questions to assess their knowledge and understanding of a subject.
It is sometimes taken as a standalone examination, sometimes in addition to a written paper or submission.
The activity is best used towards the end of a topic.
It can form the basis of an oral peer-assessment, the results of which would contribute to the teacher’s holistic assessment of learner progress.
The task requires learners to be knowledgeable about the topic in question.
After all, they are going to be setting and answering questions concerning that particular subject.
The teacher explains to the class that they will be working in pairs.
Six areas of the topic are displayed on the board.
These will form the basis of the examination questions.
In each pair, Learner A is given the first three areas and Learner B the second three.
Learners then have between five and ten minutes to develop a set of questions for each of their areas.
The emphasis should be on open questions that allow the person answering to talk at length and for discussion to develop between them and the ‘examiner’.
Finally, each pair is invited to find a space in the room where they can sit facing one another.
The teacher indicates that Learner A will begin as the ‘examiner’ and that Learner B will need to answer their questions for a set length of time (how long is up to you and is best decided based on your knowledge of your learners).
When this time is up, the roles are reversed.
Stress the importance of discussion and make it clear that the learner who is playing the role of ‘examiner’ should follow up on the answers they receive by asking further questions.
Viva Discussion Strategy: Example
Topic: Ethical decision-making
Learners are studying this unit as part of the Religious Studies curriculum.
They are presented with the following six areas of the topic:
- Rules and rule-following
- Christianity
- Values
- Consequences
- Hinduism
- Utilitarianism
Learner A is given the first three areas and Learner B is given the second three.
The teacher displays an exemplar question on the board for each area, as a scaffold. This helps learners to get started and models the kinds of questions they should be looking to devise.
In our example we might use the following:
- Is following rules a good way to make ethical decisions, no matter the circumstances?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods of ethical decision-making available to Christians?
- Is any single value more important than all others?
- If we cannot predict the future, is there any point thinking about the consequences of our actions?
- How might Hindus approach ethical decision-making?
- What is happiness and is there such a thing as overall happiness?
Learners take these questions as a starting point, making it that bit easier to develop their own.
When sufficient time has passed, the teacher asks learners to find a space in the room and to begin their viva discussions.
The teacher explains that Learner A will play the role of ‘examiner’ first and that, after five minutes has passed, they will signal for learners to swap roles.
While the discussions are happening, the teacher circulates through the room, listening in to learner discussions and intervening with their own questions where appropriate.
Viva Discussion Strategy: Extensions and Developments
- At the end of the activity, ask the Learner B’s to remain seated and ask the Learner A’s to swap places. The activity is then repeated with new pairings. It is likely that the timings for this second activity will be reduced as learners will be more familiar with the material and will not need as long to answer the questions posed by their partners.
- Give learners a peer-assessment form. Ask them to fill this out while they are playing the role of examiner. At the end of the activity, learners exchange their completed forms and discuss the results.
