The Roundtable is a social work strategy based on exposition and demonstration technique which fosters the development of communication, information search, organizational, decision make and social skills.

This strategy lets us also discover and compare different perspective on a single topic. This allows the student increase his or her knowledge on the topic.

In order to use this methodology, a group discussion must be prepared (6 or 8 participants) after the students have worked on an individual project focused on a field or topic common for all participants. This discussion should be taken in a democratic atmosphere where the teacher's role as moderator is crucial.

This strategy can be deployed both at the end or the beginning of a topic unit. If deployed at the beginning, the student can participate in the learning building process actively. On the other hand, if used at the end, this strategy makes the learning acquisition process easier for the student.

Bibliography on this methodology

Weber, E. (1997). Roundtable learning: Building understanding through enhanced MI strategies. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press. 155 pp.