Open Fish Bowl
Open Fish Bowl
Description of the strategy
Open Fish Bowl
The strategy
The fishbowl is a strategy that can be used to discuss a topic with a relatively big group.
Four to five chairs are arranged in an inner circle. This is the fishbowl. The remaining chairs are
arranged around the fishbowl. A few participants either volunteer or are selected to fill the fishbowl,
while the rest of the group sit on the chairs outside the fishbowl. In an open fishbowl, one chair is
left empty. In a closed fishbowl, all chairs are filled.
The teacher introduces the topic and the participants start discussing the topic. The audience
outside the fishbowl listen in on the discussion. In an open fishbowl, any member of the audience
can, at any time, occupy the empty chair and join the fishbowl. When this happens, an existing
member of the fishbowl must voluntarily leave the fishbowl and free a chair.
The discussion continues with pupils frequently entering and leaving the fishbowl. In a closed
fishbowl, the initial participants speak for some time. When time runs out, they leave the fishbowl
and a new group from the audience enters the fishbowl. This continues until many audience
members have spent some time in the fishbowl. When time runs out, the fishbowl is closed and the
moderator summarizes the discussion.
Example (of the strategy in action)
The thematic question is: Is Europe a society where men and women are equal?
The lesson focus is: Do men and women in Europe have the same ideas when it comes to men and
women roles?
The first activity is a discussion between four female students, who take place in the open fish bowl.
The open place remains free for the first two minutes. Then male students are allowed to enter the
fish bowl. The first discussion is about the statement
“A pre-school child is likely to suffer when a mother works.” .
After a while the teacher summarizes the discussion and makes use of the debriefing questions,
while showing the map http://www.atlasofeuropeanvalues.eu/map.php?id=213&lang=en .
In the second activity the teacher lets discuss male students in the open fish bowl to discuss the
statement “Men are less able to handle emotions in relationships than women.”. The procedures are
the same as in the first round, but now female students will enter the fish bowl. During the
debriefing you show the map http://www.atlasofeuropeanvalues.eu/map.php?id=217&lang=en .
Of course you might add more discussion rounds with other maps.
Open Fish Bowl
Debriefing questions could be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What could be different reasons for different views?
Do the views differ between the sexes or also within one gender group?
Did you expect the average result for your own country?
Which result on the map does strike you the most?
Do you see a pattern in the map, and what pattern could that be?
Do men and women in Europe have the same ideas when it comes to men and women
roles?
After the discussion you might want to give the students more information about gender roles in
Europe and how they changed over the last decennia.
Why is this a good strategy to use?
The Fish bowl strategy gets pupils thinking about similarities and differences. It stimulates pupils to
reflect on their own values: firstly to compare them with their fellow pupils and afterwards to put
them in a European perspective. The exercise can be done quickly and timing of the activity is
flexible, although time should be built in to allow for the vital reflection
Why does the work with the maps?
The maps from the EVS show what people think, but do not always help us to explore why they may
have these opinions. This activity encourages students to think about the factors that might
influence these opinions. You can also supplement the activity with other maps to offer different
patterns. During the activity it is valuable to encourage students to consider what they know about
different European countries and how that may help them to think of different viewpoints.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained therein.