Blog Post #1

According to "Discussion in a Democratic Society," discussion is much more than just a conversation. It fosters a cooperative and safe learning environment, and encourages students to bring differing opinions to the discussion. Students will be able to come to conclusions that none of them could have accomplished on their own. Shown in the vignette, it also seems to be wise for the teacher facilitating the discussion to not have concrete opinions on the discussion. If they do, it is important to encourage the other side of the argument to be fruitful. Also in the vignette, I liked that the  Lipman claims that discussion is a form of dialogue that inevitably pushes “each argument
[to evoke] a counterargument that pushes itself beyond the other and
pushes the other beyond itself.” By keeping this method in mind, students should ideally be bouncing ideas off one another and either come up with a new agreeable solution, or come to a mutually disagreement in civil terms. Students are made to question popular beliefs or social norms and successfully navigate those expectations with their class. I also think it's important for the teacher to only facilitate; that is, the teacher should not share their opinion or argue with the students, but only be there as a facilitator. The four purposes of discussion that are shown on page 6 are also essential to keep in mind. While picking a discussion topic, it’s clear that all of these aspects must be easily achieved through the discussion. If the topic won’t foster these learning goals, then perhaps a more challenging topic would be appropriate. By encouraging students to familiarize themselves with multiple ides of an argument, they become more capable of empathy and understanding. These are two important aspects of a democracy. Allowing every student to voice their opinion without being verbally attacked is essential to introduce students to a democratic society. The skills they use in discussions can carry with the throughout life. One of my favorite discussion strategies are Socratic Seminars. They teach students to be prepared, engaged, and up-to-date with their community.