Magic of Discussion

For the last three days we listened to the Brene Brown podcast Unlocking Us on which she interviews Angus Fletcher. The podcast was so powerful that we decided to listen to it as a class. We stopped it occasionally and let kids discuss what they heard. The discussions were deep and rich, with almost every student participating throughout the three days. The students stated that they want to have more discussions about what literature makes them feel and where it will lead them, do less organizing  the book into little boxes through analysis. They want to have deep conversations about people and human nature and their thoughts. They want to understand what other people think about an event or situation. They especially relish the opportunity to hear from people with whom they disagree on almost everything. The result was magical. Kids listened to each other and responded appropriately. They asked clarifying questions and summarized what they heard. They added their own thinking based on their experiences while taking others’ experiences into account. It was magical. I can’t think of three better consecutive days of school. It was so good, it seems that assigning a grade to it might cheapen it.