Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Jury Duty
This post is a quick description of a method I call "Jury Duty." Basically you form groups 6-8 students called "juries" and a foreman (spokesperson) is elected. You then give them a fact pattern (good or bad, guilty or not guilty, for plaintiff or defendant, etc.) and have them deliberate. Key is ALL jurors MUST agree on the verdict (it must be unanimous). It is great for lively discussions and getting students to come to a consensus. Try it sometime.
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What a good idea. Think I may hitchike this idea for my advanced Spanish class. We are currently studying how to give opinions and agree or disagree. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the student teaching.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a great idea. Do you usually give the same question to all "juries" and then allow them to discuss as a whole class? Or do you give different questions to each group, and then have them present theirs to the class?
ReplyDeleteI think that this would be a great exercise in preparing students for a mock trial contest. It also is a good way of teaching students how to work together and coming together as one unit. This method could be used in many different situations and might be a good way to begin a unit.
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