Printonline courses
By Rena M. Pallof and Keith Pratt
Do you want your students to practice the skills they are learning in your online course in an observable way? Or to enliven online discussions by using different kinds of discussion techniques? Fishbowls provide a safe container where mistakes can be made and performance critiqued in a supportive way.
The fishbowl is a discussion technique in which a small group of students work together publicly on the discussion board of an online course while the rest of the class observes. Based on techniques often used in face-to-face settings for counselor training, fishbowls allow a small group of students to practice a skill while being observed by the instructor and classmates.
Generally set up on the discussion board of a course management system, fishbowls can be used in a number of ways. A small group might interact with the instructor while the rest of the class observes. Or, the group may simply interact with one another around a topic or facilitate class discussion from within the fishbowl.
What is critical to the success of fishbowl activities is that the observing students simply observe, meaning that they hold their reflections and share them at the end of the activity. The observers need to allow the students in the fishbowl an opportunity to demonstrate what they know.
Remaining silent and observing is an important skill that active, engaged learners may have some difficulty mastering. Often they note that it is more difficult to stay outside the fishbowl observing than it is to be observed. They may even express frustration with the process and find difficulty in understanding what is gained by observation. It then becomes the instructor’s role to ensure that the sanctity of the fishbowl is maintained and to process those frustrations and questions at the appropriate time to help achieve the desired outcomes.
The following are some student observations about life in the bowl:
“OK, I admit that at first I really hated the fishbowl approach … but after the initial shock of experiencing the fishbowl format wore off, I was able to learn from it. What was at first frustration at not being able to participate became almost relaxation as I could sit back and learn from the other teams. The reflections at the end of the week helped me pull my thoughts together and helped me realize how much I really did learn.”
“The fishbowl experience was fun ... It was nice to feel like the members were having a small conversation, but very weird to think everyone was just watching us. I was always thinking that I hope those people watching me do not think I am saying something that sounds stupid. This might be an activity that would be eye-opening to use in a course. I know it was to me. I would never want to be a fish!”
Fishbowl activities can be tricky to assess. The instructor can observe the activities of the group in the fishbowl and assess those directly, but the observations of the remaining members of the group may be difficult to determine. Having the observers keep a weekly journal and post reflections that are evaluated by the instructor both on what they learned and how the fishbowl group performed can alleviate this difficulty.
Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt direct and serve as faculty in the Teaching in the Virtual Classroom program at Fielding Graduate University and are managing partners in Crossroads Consulting Group. Pratt also is associate dean of distance learning and instructional technology at Northwest Arkansas Community College. They are the authors of four books about online distance learning.
