Four Corners Discussion

This discussion technique provides an alternative to a traditional debate or a less structured whole-class discussion. It is most useful when students have a variety of stances on a topic and could benefit from 1) articulating their own stance more clearly, and 2) hearing others’ stances and associated reasoning. Briefly, students are asked to consider whether they “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree,” or “strongly disagree” with a given claim or statement and physically move to a corresponding corner of the room. Through a series of varied talk opportunities within and across corners, students may revise and solidify their reasoning.