Hot-Seating Discussion Strategy: Explanation
Hot-seating is a dramatic device where learners face questions from their peers and the teacher.
The version we’ll look at sees learners invited to take on the role of a character.
This could be a specific person from history, wider society, or fiction.
For example, Napoleon, Patrick Mahomes, or Jane Eyre.
Or it could be a character indicative of a group, a personality type, or a particular job.
For example, a member of the working-class in industrial Britain, an extrovert, or a town planner.
The learner who is in the hot seat must think about the topic from their character’s perspective.
To do this, they must think about their character’s relationship to the topic and use this to create a convincing portrayal. This means interpreting information about the topic from a point of view different to their own.
Two approaches are possible:
- Choose one learner who is to be in the hot-seat. This learner comes to the front of the class and is given details of the character they must portray. The rest of the class formulate questions they would like to ask that person. A discussion develops between the learner and the rest of the class, with the learner having to stay in character.
- Learners are put into groups of four. Each group is given four characters. Each learner must choose a different character to play. The teacher introduces a question for groups to discuss. Debate follows, with learners responding from the point of view of the character they are playing.
Hot-Seating Discussion Strategy: Example
Topic: Renewable Energy
The class are looking at wind farms and the impact they can have on rural environments.
One learner is invited to the front of the class and given the character of: ‘Wind Farm Advocate’.
The rest of the class formulate questions based on what they have been studying.
A debate develops in which the learner who is in the hot-seat has to field questions from the rest of the class, while staying in role.
Alternatively, the class could be divided into groups of four and each group given the following roles:
- Wind Farm Advocate
- Government Minister for the Environment
- Leader of the Local Group Against Wind Farms
- Local Farmer
The teacher reveals the statement: ‘Wind farms offer considerable benefits to local communities.’
Groups discuss this, with learners staying in role.
Finally, the teacher may choose to lead a whole-class discussion during which learners reflect on the question/statement and the different viewpoints they’ve heard.
Hot-Seating Discussion Strategy: Extensions and Developments
- Ask learners to identify the characters they think should be role-played, based on the topic being studied. They should be ready to justify their choices and convince you they are right.
- Develop the first approach outlined above by having three or four learners at the front of the class playing different characters. This creates several focus points in the discussion and ensures a wide range of arguments are put forward.
