Discussion Guides & Other Resources
Looking for discussion guides or other materials to help facilitate or organize an interactive discussion program? We have over 30 discussion guides on a wide variety of public policy topics. Our discussion guides are non-partisan, presenting 5-9 different approaches or policy “possibilities” for the topic. You can view them online or download them for free. We also have other discussion resources available without charge, including “how-to” guidebooks on facilitating and other practical aspects of planning and conducting a discussion program.
Planning a Discussion Program?
We may be able to help. We have partnered with a wide range of organizations, including public, private, educational, nonprofit, and other groups, to provide direct in-kind assistance in planning, organizing, and conducting different discussion programs and initiatives. We’re always looking for new partners to work with in developing more and better exploratory and generative conversations. Depending on the particular goals and circumstances of your program, we may be able to help with planning, facilitating, or training facilitators.
Resources for Educators
Interested in using student-facilitated discussions in your classroom or online course? For over a decade, we have partnered with faculty to integrate our discussion process into higher education settings. We have a number of different resources for instructors and students for use in both in-person and online courses. These resources provide practical guidance on implementing student-facilitated discussions and include guidebooks, workbooks, sample syllabi, evaluation forms, and other course materials.
Recent News
Hidden Heroes: Dr. John Fryer
John Fryer was born in Kentucky in 1937. Being very bright, he graduated from high school when he was 15 and college when he was 19. He then went to medical school where his interests were in psychiatry. John happened to be gay. After receiving his medical degree...
Hidden Heroes: Lynn Conway
Lynn Conway excelled in math and science courses and began her studies at MIT in 1955. Assigned male at birth, Lynn suffered from gender dysphoria. Due to a failed gender-affirming treatment while at MIT, she dropped out of college. She worked as an electronic...
Freedom From Fear: A Community Conversation about Four Freedoms (Part 4 of 4)
What does freedom from fear mean? And why is it important for democracy? In this four-part exploratory conversation series, Four Freedoms: The Spirit of Democracy Today and Tomorrow, we helped each other explore different aspects of freedom. To do this, we looked...