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
Just Imagine…Innovations Better than the First
Thomas Edison is widely known as the most prolific inventor in US history. His invention of the lightbulb is credited with lighting America. What is less well known is that Edison’s lightbulb only lasted for a very short period of time. It was Lewis Latimer’s...
Just Imagine…Innovating with Big Ideas
When we think of innovations, we generally think of devices and their applications for our daily lives. Innovations can also be big ideas. Consider for example the following innovations: A plan for a worldwide system of time zones combined with a 24-hour time...
Just Imagine…Innovating to Meet a Need (for Groceries)
Clarence Saunders had less than two years of formal education, but his innovation changed the way we shop for groceries. Growing up as the son of sharecropper in the late 1800s, he was largely self-taught. During his teens, Saunders worked at a number of blue...