While interest in the field of psychology grows, educators celebrate the increase in class size , but are not sure how to manage this new era of classroom dynamic. This difficulty for many educators is most evident when students discuss socially or emotionally sensitive material. A number of pedagogical approaches are designed to facilitate classroom discussion. The fishbowl is intended to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication skills during classroom discussions. It consists of a large group which has been divided into two subgroups of equal number. There are some variations of the method, but the most popular version includes two concentric circles with all students facing inward (Cummings, 2015). Half the students sit in the inner circle and discuss the topic, while the other half sit in the outer circle, listening, taking notes, and preparing to switch in (McKeachie, 2002). Once they trade places, it is the turn of the new group of students in the inner circle to speak. This allows all students an opportunity to contribute and requires those in the outer circle to listen to what their peers are saying without interjecting their own thoughts. Despite research showing successful implementation of the fishbowl technique in some settings, it does not appear to be widely used. Some research has indicated that students are often uncomfortable using discussion techniques that require them to speak in front of others (Young, 2007). Some educators choose not to implement techniques like these or to use them sparingly because they observe students' discomfort (Jackett, 2007; Young, 2007). This study was conducted to contribute to the body of empirical research that advises educators at the college level on classroom discussion facilitation techniques. The authors hypothesized that students would initially be uncomfortable while participating in the fishbowl, but that with more exposure to the technique over the course of the semester, they would become more comfortable and their participation would increase. Because of the peer-led and organic nature of the discussion technique, they hypothesized that participation in fishbowl discussions would lead to discussions students do not normally have in a classroom setting, influence students' behavior outside of class, and improve their retention of the material compared to the influence of traditional lecture and discussion methods.