1. Literature review
   In her Master thesis “Literature Circles”, Ms Colleen Hansen Egle points out that “students have a noticeable inability to have a discussion in general. The problem stems from several factors including: developmental ability, lack of prior experience, the lack of background knowledge and the lack of models.” It is important for teachers to find a way to help develop discussion skills.
   
   
2. Strategies used : Literature Circles
   
   What is it
   Literature Circles are “small, temporary discussion groups who have chosen to read the same story, poem, article, or book. While reading each group-determined portion of the text, each member prepares to take specific responsibilities in the upcoming discussion, and everyone comes to the group with the notes needed to help perform that job.” (Daniel)
   
   In short, Literature Circles have the following key elements:
   1. Students choose their own reading materials
   2. Small temporary groups are formed, based on book choice
   3. Different groups read different books
   4. Groups meet on a regular, predictable schedule to discuss their reading
   5. Students use written notes or role sheets to guide their reading and discussion
   6. Discussion topics come from the students
   7. Group meetings aim to be open, natural conversations about books, so personal connections, digressions , and open-ended questions are welcome
   8. The teacher serves as a facilitator, not a group member or instructor
   9. Evaluation is by teacher observation and students self evaluation
   10. A spirit of playfulness and fun pervades the room
   11. When books are finished, readers share with their classmates and then new groups form around new reading choices. (Daniel)

How Literature Circles address the problems of discussion

Problems	How literature circles addresses the problems
Developmental ability	A successful group discussion sometimes depends a lot on the critical thinking skills of the members. If the members are mature enough or able to think critically, they will stimulate interesting discussions and lead to multiple interpretations of the text. To prepare students for Literature Circles, teachers demonstrate how students can set “fat” questions and then re-teach the skills in mini lessons so as to equip students with the thinking skills that are necessary for effective group discussions.
Lack of prior experience	Many English lessons conducted in our classrooms are teacher-centered because of the large class size. Sometimes even when there are discussions, they are class discussions directed by teachers. It follows the pattern of “IRE”. The teachers serve as Interrogator, then the students Responds; and the teachers Evaluates the response. So when students are set up to for group discussions, they are not sure how to go about it. When we did our Literature Circles, we began by using a simple story to demonstrate the different roles students need to take part. After demonstrating what discussion was like, the students were allowed to go to their groups. Then they watched video clips of their own performance to see how they should carry out the discussions.
Lack of background knowledge	When students discuss certain subject matter, it will help them more if they have some background knowledge so that they have more to talk about. For Literature Circles, students are required to read the book before they come to the group discussions. So, if all students have prepared well, they can come up with notes on various aspects e.g. main events, list of discussion questions, things they don’t understand etc. They share their views on a common selection of texts and would have something to talk about with interest.
Lack of models	It is difficult for teachers to teach group discussion skills without modeling the group discussion process. To prepare students to engage in real discussions in Literature Circles, teachers first use a Role Play to show how students should behave in a group. Then teachers videotape the group discussions and play them back in class. Teachers point out to students what good discussion is by asking students to reflect on their own performances. By using the models of the video clips, students find it easier to learn from their own mistakes or learn from the “model group”.

To summarise the benefits of using Literature Circles, the authors of the book “Moving forward with literature circles” point out that Literature Circles:

1. encourage students to learn from one and another
2. promote discussion more effectively than whole groups
3. provide a more natural context for conversation
4. encourage responsibility and inter-dependence

In other words, literature circles have the potential to enhance students’ discussion skills in a natural context when they discuss books of their own choice.

3. Assessment tools
   
   Student group reflection form
   Teacher’s observation checklist
   Questionnaire
   Interview