Implications for classroom layout

A single hot seat should be placed facing the group. Alternatively, in order to facilitate more relaxed interaction, the hot seat might be placed in the middle of a circle.

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1. 
   Pupils are allocated a particular character, or alternatively they think of a role themselves relevant to the issue in question.
   

2. 
   Pupils could research the role in groups or individually.
   

3. 
   Other pupils in groups could be encouraged to think up challenging questions for the person in the hot seat.
   

4. 
   The character in question is put in the hot seat and questioned by fellow pupils. This may help pupils to feel empathy for a particular person or viewpoint, particularly a view which they do not normally share.
   

5. 
   An idea or issue could also be placed on the hot seat, such as the war in Iraq, human cloning, the use of wind farms. Using this technique, answers can come from anyone in the class. Alternatively, for the latter example a Geography teacher might be brought in to share his or her views on the hot seat.
   

6. 
   A mystery game could also be played out using this technique, with class members having to guess the identity of the person in the hot seat.
   

7. 
   A debrief afterwards could involve asking pupils what they learned, what they found interesting and if they would challenge anything which the person in the hot seat said.
   

• 
  Second world war
  
• 
  Factory owner in India employing children
  

• 
  Abylai khan
  

7. 
   It is also useful for teachers/facilitators to assess what gaps may exist in a group’s level of knowledge and what future planning may be needed. A KWL grid could be created by pupils to plan future work around the issue at hand.
   

7. 
   As an additional competitive game, pupils might be given a topic or character to research and then hot seated for one minute to share as much information as possible with the class without hesitating or repeating themselves. If a possible infringement occurs, pupils might make a challenge to oust the person from the hot seat.