Category Archives: Education
Starting to Wrap Up
I met with all three of my groups last night to help them figure out how to conclude their discussions with a shared product about citizenship in San Francisco. The group that I had put together with all the strong personalities were still battling it out, but had basically decided to have every individual do Read more »
Reconnecting with my freshmen students
This week I invited my freshman students from last fall to meet for pizza. I wasn’t sure how many would show up: we are a commuting campus, and I had not seen many since we parted in December. Much to my surprise, about half of the class showed up (12 of 24; 8 females and 4 Read more »
Communication, Discussion, or Facilitation Skills in Your Courses?
For those of you teaching an IF sponsored course this spring, your fourth blog post should tell us about some of the facilitation, discussion, or communication skills that you’ve focused on with your students. You might find it helpful to review Section Five and Eight of the Guidebook for Student Centered Discussions. You also might Read more »
Losing Sight
During the last few weeks of my IF course, I have been struggling to understand just how well students are developing discussion and facilitation skills. Even though students have engaged in several weeks of discussion, some members dominate the conversation more than others, sometimes they talk over one another, some facilitators stick to their outline Read more »
Don’t Worry; Be Happy
In our last episode, my students had launched into their small-group discussions for the purpose of preparing their own IF-style “mini” reports on their group’s topic: education, sustainability, or individual rights vs. social responsibility. At our latest meeting (last Wednesday night) the groups worked their way through the consequences of their policy possibilities. The groups Read more »
Citizen Group * first seeds
Three weeks ago I visited an immigrant agency in a nearby town to propose the organization of a discussion group. A Mexican immigrant (and good friend) provided the initial contact. My exchange with the agency staff was fascinating. I explained the goals of IF, provided web references, and suggested discussing the theme “Helping America Talk.” Read more »
Moving slowly…
I just read Laura’s post and was delighted to see her accomplishments! My class this term has barely progressed. It has nothing to do with IF. The weather takes all the blame: first the snow storms, then the floods, now the Spring Break. We start next week with the group discussions again. Hopefully I will Read more »
When process is the content…
My class is almost over and overall I’ve been really pleased with how much the students have taken to facilitating and how easily they now talk about things like possibilities, consequences, and facilitation skills. They are all comfortable preparing for and leading group discussions now, and I’ve seen remarkable improvement in their ability to work Read more »
How Can I Make All of These Students Do This Course for One More Semester?
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