Quick answer: TEFL discussion classes work when you break the lesson into manageable chunks: pre-teach the language students will need, give them specific questions rather than a bare topic, let them rehearse ideas in pairs before opening things up to the whole class, and save error correction for the end. Do those four things and even a quiet class will talk.
Why do TEFL discussion classes go quiet?
Years ago I made the error of walking into a class of teens learning English and asking:
"Are circuses cruel? Discuss."
Eyes glazed over and silence ensued. Despite frantic prompts from me to try and get a discussion going, nothing could bring this lesson back from the dead. I had made the big mistake of thinking that I could introduce a topic and my students would just get on with it.
I only made this mistake once.
A discussion-based class needs to be structured as carefully as any other EFL lesson. My students weren't silent because they had no opinions about circuses – they were silent because they hadn't had time to formulate those opinions in English, and because giving an opinion cold, in front of the whole class, is intimidating in any language.
So the two fixes that have underpinned every successful discussion class I've taught since are:
1) Break the lesson down into manageable chunks, so learners have time to build the language and the ideas before they're asked to perform.
2) Start discussions in pairs or small groups first, so students can rehearse their thoughts in a low-pressure setting before the conversation opens up to everyone.
With those in place, here's how to plan the rest of the lesson.
How do you start a discussion class with impact?
Compare two ways of opening the same lesson:
Teacher: "Today we're going to talk about circuses..."
or
Teacher: starts juggling with fruit in front of the class – learners guess the theme of the lesson.
Option B wins every time. You don't need to be able to juggle, though. Any of these will hook a class in the first two minutes:
- a 60-second video clip with the sound off – students predict what's being said
- a striking photo on the board and the question "What's happening here?"
- a provocative statement in the middle of the board: "Nobody should work more than four days a week" – students stand on an agree/disagree line
- a quick class poll with a show of hands, then "Why did you vote that way? Tell your partner."
The point is the same in every case: learners meet the topic and start generating ideas before anyone asks them to hold forth on it.
How should you structure an ESL conversation lesson?
Get the most out of your material by making sure that:
- your class has the vocabulary and functional language they need for the discussion – pre-teach five to eight key items, plus opinion phrases like "I see your point, but..." at lower levels
- you give them concrete questions to answer, rather than saying "Let's talk about..."
- students think about their answers alone or in pairs first, then compare in larger groups – the classic think–pair–share pattern
If it helps, here's the shape I use for a typical 60-minute TEFL discussion class:
- 5 mins – hook (video, photo, poll or statement) and topic reveal
- 10 mins – pre-teach key vocabulary and opinion language
- 10 mins – pairs work through three or four discussion questions
- 15 mins – pairs merge into groups of four to compare and defend their answers
- 15 mins – whole-class stage: groups report back, you feed in follow-up questions
- 5 mins – delayed error correction and a wrap-up vote on the original question
Notice the teacher talks least in the middle of the lesson. That's deliberate – a good conversation class takes pressure off you and gives speaking time to them.
What questions work best in an ESL conversation class?
Aim for a deliberate mix of closed and open questions, and think about the order you use them in.
Closed questions are usually answered with a yes or a no – "Have you ever been to a circus?" – so they don't generate discussion on their own. But they're a gentle way in, especially for shy students, because everyone can answer them.
Open questions – "What did you think of it?" "Why do you think circuses are less popular than they used to be?" – are where the real speaking practice happens. If you ask a closed question, follow it immediately with an open one, and keep a few all-purpose follow-ups ready: "Why?" "Can you give me an example?" "Does anyone disagree?"
One more habit worth building: after a student answers, bounce the idea to someone else – "Maria, do you agree with what Tomas just said?" – instead of evaluating it yourself. It keeps the conversation between students rather than routing everything through you.
How do you correct errors without killing the conversation?
If you interrupt every mistake, students stop taking risks – and risk-taking is the whole point of a discussion class. My rule: during fluency stages, only step in if communication actually breaks down.
Instead, keep a notebook (or a corner of the board) and jot down errors you overhear, plus a couple of examples of great language worth praising. In the last five minutes, put four or five anonymous sentences on the board and ask the class to fix them together. Learners get the correction they genuinely want, nobody is embarrassed, and the discussion itself stays fluent.
Where can you find good discussion topics and materials?
You never need to invent discussion questions from scratch. These are the resources I keep coming back to:
- ESL Discussions – ready-made discussion questions on hundreds of topics, ideal for the pair-work stage
- Breaking News English – news-based lessons graded by level, each with built-in discussion questions
- American English – free, high-quality speaking activities and teacher resources from the U.S. State Department
- The Internet TESL Journal's question bank – an older archive, but still a goldmine of conversation questions for 600+ topics
AI tools are genuinely useful here too: ask ChatGPT or Claude for "ten discussion questions about [topic] for B1 English learners, from easiest to hardest" and you'll get a solid first draft in seconds. Just edit before you teach – you know your class; the AI doesn't.
Free TEFL discussion class lesson plan (PDF)
Discussion lessons are great for taking pressure off the teacher and for building learners' confidence speaking in a group.
For a simple, complete lesson plan on the theme of meetings and greetings, click the Download link at the bottom of this article and you'll see how a discussion lesson can be structured step by step. It uses a template plan from our internationally accredited ACTDEC Level 3 TESOL training course – the same course where our trainees practise planning lessons like this with a personal tutor.
And if you'd like to see discussion techniques in action, watch the communication game below – we recorded it in one of our own lessons, and it's designed for Intermediate (B1) levels and above.
FAQ: TEFL discussion classes
Can you run a discussion class with beginners?
Yes, but keep it tightly scaffolded: short exchanges, sentence frames on the board ("I like... because..."), lots of closed questions with simple open follow-ups, and plenty of pair rehearsal. Save free-flowing debate for B1 and above.
What do I do when one student dominates the discussion?
Build the fix into the activity rather than confronting anyone. Give each student three talking chips – one chip per contribution, and when your chips are gone, you listen. Or make the confident student the group's "chairperson", whose job is to get everyone else talking.
How do I get shy students to speak?
Never make a shy student's first attempt public. Give thinking time, let them rehearse in pairs, and ask them to report their partner's opinion rather than their own – it's much less exposing. Genuine praise for the attempt (not just the accuracy) does the rest over time.
Do discussion classes work online?
Very well – breakout rooms replace pair work, the chat box is great for collecting opinions quickly, and delayed error correction works exactly the same. See our video walkthrough of a general English online lesson for the mechanics, and our tips on keeping your online English students if you teach one-to-one conversation classes.
How long should a discussion activity last?
Shorter than you think. Ten to fifteen minutes of focused talk on one question set beats forty minutes of drift. It's better to cut an activity while energy is still high – and if your class has mixed abilities, our lesson ideas for EFL students with learning difficulties has more ways to keep every learner involved.
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Blog updated July 2026