This
strategy is especially useful when you want to make sure all students
participate in the discussion, when you want to help students reflect on what a
“good discussion” looks like, and when you need a structure for discussing
controversial or difficult topics. Fishbowls make excellent pre-writing
activities, often unearthing questions or ideas that students can explore more
deeply in an independent assignment.
It's an activity I want to try for sure, but to me, as a student that lived that moment it was so stressful and it seriously gave me anxiety, because I couldn't talk or give my opinion or stop and say "hey, I don't understand this" But once the roles reversed and I got to be inside the fishbowl it was relieving to get the chance to talk and to blow off steam.
