ABSTRACT
The main purpose of the discursive mode of teaching, on the other hand, is to increase pupils' self-confidence, fluency and skills in oral discussion. The class at present is seated in pairs, partly according to friendships, and partly as a result of decisions taken by the teacher. By participating in a whole-class discussion, it is true pupils are given the opportunity to listen to and perhaps to interact with their peers, to realise that their own beliefs and life experiences either match those of others or contrast and conflict with them. Classroom discussion can obviously be directed towards any aspect of the English curriculum and can be used with classes of any age and level of achievement. Discussion can involve responses to a text, a subject that is to form the main element in an eventual writing task, or an issue that has arisen from the exploration of a topic or theme.
