Leading a book discussion group

Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. When you are ready to lead your first discussion, heed the following tips to get the most rewarding experience out of your club meeting. Because of that, leading a small group bible study is one of the most rewarding places of service within the church. For clients who lack meaningful connection to anything beyond themselves, the group may be the first step toward a search. Find seven tips, as well as insights, from kristen jaques, who has led a book discussion group multiple times.

She engaged our group and brought us together in a way that really made our club click. Through those relationships and the studying of gods word, lives are affirmed, sustained, and changed. Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. It is also an evidencebased way to help students retain information,garside, colleen. Non fiction book club questions westfield memorial library. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. Its directed toward leading discussions on the bible but the principles are the same for leading any discussion. If there are parts of the book that made an impact on you or that you think may come up in the discussion, write down the page numbers so that you can access the passages easily while preparing and leading your book club discussion. How to lead a book club discussion pen and the pad. Leading discussions at their best, discussions make every student feel like a vital part of the intellectual fabric of the class.

Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion. You dont have to be in an english class to analyze books as a group. The first article in this series explained how to plan a group discussion in this article, we describe best practices when leading a group discussion theres much more involved than simply getting people in a room, waving a magic wand, and declaring discuss now. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and distribute. They are a means for students to learn and practice skills, generate ideas, solve problems, consolidate knowledge, criticize arguments, develop insight, and gain confidence in. But differing expectations in this area are probably the leading cause of book club strife. As a leader, you will get the best of both worldsthe opportunity to lead. There will likely be times in your life when you will be working in a group, possibly many times. The small group of students who are confident that they know what the teacher wants to hear may end up dominating the discussion, carrying on a private dialogue with the teacher while the rest of the class tunes out. Holding the discussion also see how to discuss a book with a leader. Leading discussions derek bok center, harvard university. How to begin and lead a book discussion group iowa. Other frequently used terms to describe a book discussion club include reading group, book group, and book discussion group.

One of the first steps to starting your own group is to. At your regular meetings you may not need one person to lead the group. Rotate discussion leaders each monthmaybe its the person who selects the book or the one who hosts the meeting. Needless to say, no one was very excited about coming back to my small group. For many small group leaders, one of the more intimidating things we do is facilitating a group discussion. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. To get ideas and locate sets of books by author or title, consult the multiple copies of books for discussion groups. How to lead a successful discussiondriven bible study. Finding book sets in iowa for your discussion group. In general, we recommend having a moderator and rotating the role. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will lead to fruitful exchanges on your enjoyment or lack thereof of the book. Asking the right questions can mean the difference between a dull, lackluster book. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction.

This stepbystep meeting plan for small groups or cell groups will help you lead a successful small group. It is more often called simply a book club, a term that is also used to describe a book sales club, which can cause confusion. Students who fear being judged or penalized will rarely if ever, participate. Some of the most common reasons that you might be in that situation. The big list of class discussion strategies cult of pedagogy. Very few of us feel like well have all the right answers, or that we can handle whatever curve balls will be thrown our way and there will be some. A book discussion club is a group of people who meet to discuss a book or books that they have read and express their opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. Classroom discussion is a timehonored way to learn. Contact your local library or bookstore to find out if there are such people in your area. How to lead a good discussion christian bible studies. This helpful guide provides stimulating reading lists and practical tips for organizing and leading your own successful book discussion group.

As the facilitator, it is your job to recognize tangents and bring the discussion back to the book. Keeping nonfiction book club questions simple, but open ended, will allow for plenty of opinions and encourage discussion among members. As a mental health counselor, a youth worker, a coalition coordinator, a teacher, the president of a board of directors, etc. Each member or a team of 2 or 3 takes a card and answers the question. Having great book discussion questions is essential to leading a successful book club, and now that i run an online moms book club i use this lesson to avoid awkward silences yes they can happen online and create a lively, engaging book club meeting each. Professionals can help you pick books that your group will enjoy and will lead your discussion of the book based on questions they prepare.

Guide to reading group and book club resources supersummary. Libraries across iowa make sets of individual book titles available to iowa book clubs and discussion groups through lending from library to library. Let your group members have a say in what they read. Suggestions for organizing studentled discussion groups teaching students how to lead and participate in productive book discussions eventually frees you to work with individuals, pairs, or small groups who require additional scaffolding. Explains how to get a group started, determine its ideal size, weigh the pros and cons of having a leader, understand the effects of various leadership styles, develop a book list that will appeal to. Find thoughtprovoking and engrossing books to discuss.

Whether you are studying the bible or another book, it shows you how to lead a small group. Some groups might have a consistent moderator for example if your group is run by the local library, a librarian will probably lead the meetings. You will also need a container large enough to hold the apples. You may have to lead a discussion as part of a school assignment or you may be responsible for leading a. The role of a moderator will vary from group to group. Since then ive learned a few principles about how to lead a good discussion. Quick start guide book discussion groups libguides at. Anyone leading discussion groups can learn from this book.

Gather a group of friends, choose a book and start reading. Adult programs will be starting up again soon, and this year will be my third year leading our small but dedicated book discussion group. One example is asking everyone or, if the group is large, volunteers to share a final thought about the book or the experience theyve just had discussing it. The perfect book club is made up of three key things. Provides anecdotes from 25 book discussion groups across the u. This link also includes a list of books kristens club truly enjoyed reading and. It helps you structure your meetings, have icebreakers, generate discussions, and assign homework. The first time i set out to choose a book, i knew i had many choices but i was nervous. Discussion facilitators should end the discussion with some kind of closer. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to your meeting. A guide for beginning a book discussion group icebreakers leading a book discussion how to handle difficult situations diy discussion guides online resources to get you started. Effective classroom discussions educational leadership. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions.

Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. General book club questions for study and discussion. On the face of it this question might seem odd, after all youre getting together to form a book discussion group. Important questions to ask at your first book discussion. This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group. Tips for facilitating a group discussion small groups. Use our litlovers resources below to help you with specific questions. Or ask volunteers to read their favorite sentence or paragraph from the book.

You might choose to lead a group discussion, or you might find yourself drafted for the task. Covers book selection, discussion initiation, reasons for meeting, group rules, etc. During this time, you can also support groups who struggle with valuing diverse ideas, referring to their. Book clubs are popular not only because people like to read, but also because they are great social outlets. Now that s a good question how to lead quality bible. Our ideas can help you lead a discussion, find helpful resources, and be a smart participant. If you are leading a group study of the book and want to do the exercise for chapter 3, youll need to bring enough apples so that each person has one. A little off topic conversation is fine, but you also want to respect the fact that people have read the book and expect to talk about it.