Which speaking activity involves forming progressively larger groups and reaching agreement before joining the next group?

Which speaking activity involves forming progressively larger groups and reaching agreement before joining the next group?

• A. Jigsaw discussion
• B. Pyramid discussion
• C. Round robin discussion
• D. Fishbowl discussion

Answer: (B)

Progressive group formation with consensus-building drives the idea. In this approach, students begin in small pairs and discuss to reach agreement on points, then join with another pair to form a larger group, once again achieving consensus before moving to the next larger group, and so on until the whole class is involved. This step-by-step enlargement ensures ideas are clarified, values explained, and a shared understanding is built at each level, so the final whole-group discussion reflects collective endorsement of the key points. Other methods don’t follow this same pattern. Jigsaw has students first become experts in specialized groups and then share with home groups, which mixes roles rather than steadily increasing group size with a consensus checkpoint. Round robin focuses on equal participation and turn-taking in a single cycle rather than expanding to larger groups with a built-in consensus step. Fishbowl uses an inner circle and an outer circle for observation and rotation, not a staged enlargement of groups with agreement required before each step.

Progressive group formation with consensus-building drives the idea. In this approach, students begin in small pairs and discuss to reach agreement on points, then join with another pair to form a larger group, once again achieving consensus before moving to the next larger group, and so on until the whole class is involved. This step-by-step enlargement ensures ideas are clarified, values explained, and a shared understanding is built at each level, so the final whole-group discussion reflects collective endorsement of the key points.

Other methods don’t follow this same pattern. Jigsaw has students first become experts in specialized groups and then share with home groups, which mixes roles rather than steadily increasing group size with a consensus checkpoint. Round robin focuses on equal participation and turn-taking in a single cycle rather than expanding to larger groups with a built-in consensus step. Fishbowl uses an inner circle and an outer circle for observation and rotation, not a staged enlargement of groups with agreement required before each step.