Seminars and discussions

When you need it

In British and many other English-speaking universities, much of the teaching happens in small groups. A seminar or tutorial usually has eight to twenty students and a tutor, and it depends on the students talking, not on the tutor lecturing. Participation is often noticed and sometimes assessed. The same skills are needed in group projects, online discussion sessions and later in meetings at work.

For many Ukrainian and Russian speakers the main challenge is not grammar but the unwritten rules. At school you often speak when the teacher calls on you and give the one correct answer. In an English seminar you are expected to speak without being asked, to build on other people's ideas, and to disagree with classmates and even the tutor, provided you do it politely and give reasons.

Structure

A useful contribution to a discussion has a recognisable shape, and a seminar as a whole follows a pattern you can prepare for.

1. Prepare. Read the set texts and note two or three points you could make, one piece of evidence for each, and one genuine question.
2. Speak early. Make a short contribution in the first ten minutes. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to start.
3. Make your point clearly. State the idea, give a reason or example, and link it back to the question: point, reason, link.
4. Respond to others. Agree and add something, disagree and explain why, or ask what someone means. Responding shows that you are listening, which counts as much as speaking.
5. Bring others in and sum up. Invite a quiet person to comment, or connect two earlier points. Near the end, a one-sentence summary of where the group has got to is a valuable contribution in itself.

Useful phrases

Making a point:

Agreeing and disagreeing:

Managing the discussion:

When you disagree, soften the form and keep the content. I'm not sure that's the whole picture disagrees just as clearly as you are wrong, but it keeps the discussion open. To interrupt, wait for a pause at the end of a sentence and use a short signal phrase.

Model text

Tutor: So, is the article convincing on car-free city centres?

Tom: I think it is, mostly. The author shows that air quality improved in every city in the study, and that seems hard to argue with.

Anna: I agree with Tom on the data, but I see the conclusion slightly differently. The cities in the study were all fairly small. I'm not sure the results would apply to a large capital.

Tom: That's a fair point. Although, couldn't it be argued that larger cities have better public transport, so the change would actually be easier there?

Anna: Possibly. Could you say a bit more about what you mean by easier? For residents, or for the city council?

Tom: For residents, mainly. They would have more alternatives to the car.

Tutor: So we seem to agree on the environmental benefits, but not on whether the model transfers to bigger cities. Has anyone looked at the costs?

Common mistakes

• ✗ You are not right.
  ✓ I'm not sure I agree with that. / I see it slightly differently.
  Ви не праві / вы не правы is a normal phrase in Ukrainian and Russian discussion, but its English translation sounds rude. Disagree with the idea, not with the person.
• ✗ I am agree with Anna.
  ✓ I agree with Anna.
  Я згоден / я согласен uses an adjective with be, but English agree is an ordinary verb and takes no am.
• ✗ How do you think?
  ✓ What do you think?
  Як ви думаєте / как вы думаете asks with how, but English asks for the content of a thought with what.
• ✗ Can you repeat?
  ✓ Sorry, could you repeat that? / Could you clarify what you mean by…?
  Repeat needs an object in English. A request to clarify a specific word is usually more useful than asking for the whole point again.
• ✗ In my opinion, I think that the author is wrong.
  ✓ In my opinion, the author overlooks one important factor.
  In my opinion and I think do the same job, so use one. Naming the specific weakness is also more persuasive than calling the author wrong.

Try it