The instructor asks a set of questions related to the topic being discussed. The students write their ideas on a piece of paper. The instructor then collects all the papers and puts them up on a board. She divides the board into categories and groups that papers with similar ideas together. The instructor then divides the class into groups and each group gets a category of notes. The group discusses the main ideas presented in the notes and presents their conclusions to the class.
The trainer has a list of sentences that each student completes. Make the questions different for every student to get a variety of responses and provoke the class to get involved in discussions. Sharing is also good as an icebreaker as it allows all participants to be involved in the class discussion. It also helps the teacher introduce different topics of discussion by asking questions on the new subject.
Students can be divided into groups of two or three people to discuss a question. Smaller groups are better as they facilitate more discussion, they help the students interested in the topics being discussed and they build better relationships. The students should form groups with people they know least as to build rapport. The teacher can listen in on each group as they discuss to ensure that they are following instructions and discussing ideas relevant to the question. After the discussion, each group can present its ideas.
The instructor can read a story, fable or parable to the class. He then invites the students to discuss the lesson or moral learned from the story. The instructor prepares thought-provoking questions beforehand to initiate discussions. He may begin with the general lessons learned from the story then steer the discussion to lessons learned in the class.