When?
After reading
Why?
Fishbowl is an engaging and student-centered strategy that builds comprehension of complex texts while developing group discussion skills. In the inner circle—or “fishbowl”—students practice responding to multiple viewpoints. Observations from students in the outer circle provide insight into what makes for effective small-group discussions. Research supports the use of fishbowls as a particularly effective way to engage students with a range of abilities and in multiple settings.
How?
- Choose a central text. The text can be read independently before class or with the class in the Close and Critical Reading phase.
- Begin by selecting four or five students to join the fishbowl group. Only students in the fishbowl are allowed to talk.
- Instruct the outer circle to remain quiet, observe and take notes on the content and process of the inner circle’s discussion.
- The first few times, play the role of the facilitator yourself. Once the process is familiar, select a student facilitator. The facilitator does not participate in the discussion, but poses questions along the way to prompt deeper discussion and to make sure everyone inside the fishbowl has a chance to talk.
- Identify the focus of the discussion and provide text-dependent questions for students to answer during the fishbowl discussion.
- Allow the conversation to progress where students take it. Rotate students in and out of the fishbowl throughout the course of the discussion. Set up a procedure ahead of time so students know to expect this rotation. Allow the fishbowl discussion to continue for at least 15-20 minutes.
- After all students have rotated through the fishbowl, divide the class into small groups and invite students to debrief. Students can use their observations from the outer circle to highlight strengths of the discussion and make suggestions for ways to engage each other more meaningfully. These discussion starters can facilitate the conversations:
- What did you observe during the discussion of the text?
- What is one thing you heard that you agree with?
- What is one thing you heard that you disagree with?
- How did you feel while on the outside of the fishbowl?
- How did you feel while on the inside of the fishbowl?
- Wrap up the process with a full class discussion about the discussion. Pose a final question and give everyone an opportunity to respond by turning and talking with a partner or doing a quick write: What is one thing you have learned from the fishbowl process about discussing texts?
English language learners
Fishbowl is appropriate for intermediate English language learners (level three or above). The strategy engages students in a low-stakes activity with high verbal communication structure. English language learners may need extended practice identifying the characteristics of meaningful text discussions. Adding these specific questions to the guiding questions will help scaffold their experience:
- Observer question: What helped you understand the information that was being shared (non-verbals, contexts clues, etc.)?
- Fishbowl questions: How did you feel knowing that peers were listening intently to what you were saying? What do you wish you could have said more clearly/what point do you wish you could have made?
Connection to anti-bias education
Fishbowl can be used to explore the ideas of membership, identity, belonging and shared experiences. The structure lends itself well to discussions of complex texts and to challenging topics of cross-cultural significance. By providing all students both a speaking and listening role and a stake in the discussion, fishbowl can help build an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The observation aspect of the activity allows students to identify appropriate ways to participate in discussions. If used on a consistent basis, fishbowl discussions can establish boundaries and norms critical to anti-bias communication.
Sample fishbowl guiding questions:
To the observers:
Was it difficult to not respond to the fishbowl students’ comments? Why or why not? If so, what kinds of comments did you want to respond to?
Did you hear anything from the fishbowl that surprised you?
What helped you understand the information that was being shared (non-verbal indicators, contexts clues, etc.)?
To the fishbowl students:
How did it feel to share your feelings about the text knowing that your peers were listening closely?
Do you usually have opportunities to share your perspectives on _______?
What do you wish you could have said more clearly/what point do you wish you could have made?
FAQs
Fishbowl is a strategy for organizing medium- to large-group discussions. Students are separated into an inner and outer circle. In the inner circle or fishbowl, students have a discussion; students in the outer circle listen to the discussion and take notes.
Are you anonymous on fishbowl? ›
This allows you, the user, to interact with others in three different modes: Anonymously as an employee of a certain company. Publicly as yourself. Anonymously as a representative of a certain profession.
What is the fishbowl meeting method? ›
Four to eight chairs are set up as an inner circle - this is the fishbowl. The people selected to start the conversation are seated here, along with a facilitator. Depending on how the Fishbowl is planned there may be a few chairs left empty here from the start. The remaining chairs are arranged in concentric circles.
What does fishbowl mean in slang? ›
a place or situation in which people can always see you or are always paying attention to what you do: in a fishbowl The coach warned us that if you play for a top NFL team you live in a fishbowl.
What are the three rounds of fishbowl? ›
There'll be 3 rounds, and cards will get recycled after each round!
- Round 1: Taboo. Use words to describe the word or phrase on the card, without any acting or gestures. ...
- Round 2: Charades. Without words or sounds, act and use gestures to communicate the word or phrase on the card.
- Round 3: Password.
Fishbowl is a strategy for facilitating group discussions. In a Fishbowl discussion, students inside the “fishbowl” actively discuss a topic. Students outside the fishbowl listen carefully to the conversation. They take turns in these roles to practice being both contributors and listeners in a group discussion.
Is Fishbowl app trustworthy? ›
I highly recommend avoiding this company at all costs and switching to Netsuite instead. If anyone is considering switching to Netsuite, please reach out to me. I will do everything in my power to help others avoid the mistake I made by signing up with Fishbowl.
Can Fishbowl reveal my identity? ›
You can choose between three identity options when you post on Fishbowl: Public – posting, commenting, or reacting to content using your real name. Private – posting, commenting, or reacting to content using your company name or your title.
Can people see who you are on Fishbowl? ›
Your public profile displays a simplified version of your profile. This public profile is visible to people outside of Fishbowl and on search engines. Your public profile does not display: - the posts you have created using a private identity.
Why use fishbowl app? ›
Fishbowl App is a social network that connects companies with employees and boosts senior leadership engagement by bringing awareness to workplace topics, company news, professional career advice, and peer mentorship.
Fishbowl is a product and business planning competition for select college students from around the world to come together in international teams to solve some of the world's biggest problems! Website https://www.fishbowlchallenge.com/ External link for Fishbowl Challenge. Industry Non-profit Organizations.
How does fishbowl game work? ›
Divide into 2 teams. Team A will select a person to go first, who will try to get their team to guess as many slips as they can in 1 minute. Once team A's minute is up, they add up how many slips of paper they guessed correctly and record that many points for the round.
What is the fishbowl mentality? ›
Life in a fishbowl or Living in a fishbowl could mean two things and I think it depends on how we want to relate it to our lives. It's like living inside a box- not taking any risks, not doing anything exciting and not taking any chances.
What is the fishbowl effect in psychology? ›
Robert B. Miller: The Fishbowl Principle describes the natural instinct we humans have to act based upon our own perceived short-term individual benefit, rather than perceived long-term benefit or the benefit of others.
What does fishbowl mean in business? ›
Fishbowl meetings have an inner circle of chairs and an outer one. Those on the inside (the fishbowl) discuss a topic, and those outside observe. Individuals can enter and leave the fishbowl to join or exit the conversation as appropriate. Summary by The World of Work Project.
What is the fishbowl technique in decision making? ›
The general idea is that rather than a large group having an open discussion about something, which can be difficult to handle and often only benefits a few active participants, a smaller group (ideally 3 – 6 people) is isolated to discuss while the rest of the participants (maximum of 50 people) sit around the outside ...
What are the benefits of the fishbowl method? ›
The Fishbowl method allows you to explicitly teach a variety of social skills. It is one way to shine a light on the specific social skills that can either move a discussion forward or shut it down. The Fishbowl offers the class an opportunity to closely observe and learn about social interactions.
What is also known as fishbowl technique? ›
The Fishbowl Draw – If the total population is small, each element can be numbered using separate slips of paper and put into a fishbowl/ container and shuffled and each slip is randomly picked out one- by- one. It is a commonly used method in lotteries, therefore it is also called the lottery method.
