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May 18th, 2007 | 4 min read
Most people, by and large, aren’t used to having discussions. They just aren’t. What passes for discussion in most workplaces, classrooms and small groups is opinining without critique. Very rarely do students actually engage each other in face-to-face conversation about a difficult idea, and even more rarely does a whole group of people attain this level of discourse.
One of the chief problems I have as a Christian educator is changing the student’s expectations for learning. Partly due to habit, and partly due to insecurity, most students look to the teacher to tell them what to think. It is the teacher who determines their educational experience, not themselves.
In small groups, people don’t expect to have their ideas challenged or criticized. The closest people come is the workplace, but there people seem to rarely expect to work together as a unit, especially in competitive environments.
Setting clear expectations–this is a discussion, this is not a discussion–is essential for fostering great discussions. Where the expectations aren’t clear, anything can happen. In adult groups, that may be okay, but it won’t lead to flourishing. Great communities don’t happen by accident. With high schoolers, it’s an invitation for chaos.
That said, here are a five ways of establishing expectations for discussion:
Ensuring that discussants know the proper rules for a discussion is essential to having great discussions. As a discussion leader, you want to bring the group along with you and give them ownership over their own learning experience. To do so, however, demands that they know what ownership looks like and requires of them. Clarifying those expectations is essential for students and participants to take ownership of the process of learning.
Want to have Matthew speak to the leaders of your church, youth group, business, or school about leading discussions? Contact him at Matthew Dot L Dot Anderson At Gmail Dot Com. Rates are negotiable.
Other posts in the series:
Matthew Lee Anderson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology in Baylor University's Honors College. He has a D.Phil. in Christian Ethics from Oxford University, and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. In 2005, he founded Mere Orthodoxy.
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