Response to DISCUSSION AS A WAY OF TEACHING

The “circle of voices” section of the assigned reading interested me because this would be an easy group discussion method I could use in my position as VP of Chapter Development in my sorority. (Basically I am in charge of retaining members and maintaining a safe and understanding environment). There has been a recent problem where people have been interrupting each other and stomping on each other’s ideas with their own. While I do thing that it’s important for everyone to have an opinion and express their feeling towards something, I do think that it isn’t okay to stomp on other’s ideas. This discussion activity would be perfect for that, by following the rules stated in the article. An example of this might be that one is only allowed to touch on another’s ideas by bringing up was has already been said, not by coming up with new arguments. Furthermore, by using “specific moves,” I would be able to teach the women to communicate better. There have been multiple cases where miscommunication has turned into an ordeal, and by using specific moves, this can eliminate miscommunication. For example, by using body language and specific language, someone can express interest in another’s idea, as well as create a safe space for someone who might have an idea, but has not yet had the opportunity to speak. Lastly, I liked to read the section about conversational roles. Personally, I think that I am a good active listener, however, I definitely think that I need to work on asking questions or speculating ideas. This activity would be a good chance to have a large group of people (split into medium sized groups) to practice being different roles. Some people might be great at one, perhaps they have it mastered, but they might struggle with another role. This would make it clear to the person learning that they need to work on asking questions, listening, etc. for example.