"Discussion" Discussion

"Discussion in a Democratic Society"

This chapter was interesting, and I really think a great way to start off this particular class. While I've always known that discussion can't be a thing without being prepared, I never really believed anything else was very important in a discussion. You read the material, show up, and chat. I never thought about it as anything more than that. But this chapter kind of skews that view; instead of just trying to say what I want to say, regardless of teacher status or not, paying apt attention to the other participants is important as well. Writing that out makes me kind of embarrassed but it's true: I was always okay at listening to what others had to say, but never fully there in the sense that I was actively listening to what other people were saying the entire time they were saying it. I remember one time in high school, I had to play a judge for a class project. Being judge included all the usual proceedings as a judge, including determining if someone's objection was uncalled for. The moment I stopped paying attention (for whatever reason), someone called out "objection!" and I hadn't the foggiest what they were objecting to.

But I digress. This chapter brought up a lot of excellent points for discussion. As I was reading it, I found myself thinking how I don't like to call discussions "discussions" and want to refrain from doing so when I start teaching because I was always... hesitant to participate in discussions. I never knew if my ideas were good enough to merit discussion. That could definitely just be me being the insecure student I was but I don't want any of my students to go through that same situation. Ergo, I figured calling them "conversations" was a better route, and, low and behold, one of the next paragraphs I read on page five discussed the preference of "conversation" over "discussion." There is a much more laid-back feel to a conversation; you can invite students to say whatever they'd like (pertaining to the topic, of course), regardless if they feel like it contributes or not. All you're doing is having a conversation, a little chat about a topic. I feel that removing the formality of discussion from the classroom would actually foster a much livelier discussion in the end.