The topic that stuck out to me the most in class today was considering novel ways to facilitate meaningful conversations amongst our students, and between teacher and student. A resource that we were directed to was called liberating structures.

Liberating structures is a website containing 33 different (many unorthodox) ways to re-imagine group discussion, curated by Henri Lipmanowicz, and Keith McCandless. The strategies include restructuring group organization by creating smaller groups which filter into larger groups, adding elements such as art to discussion, and considering empathy and re-centering discussions to include all people, even during topics which could be triggering for some. The two have also published a physical book called “The Surprising Power of Liberal Structures” which goes into more detail about each strategy and how to employ it. One does not need to purchase the book however, their completely free website is teeming with additional resources and blog posts surrounding each strategy.

Liberating structures is best explained by illustrating an example of one, such as Conversation Cafe.

Conversation Cafe is an idea which stuck out to me in particular, because it allows participants to discuss heavier or uncomfortable topics in a much lower-stakes way that encourages them to understand differing points of view, challenge their biases, and gives everyone a chance to speak freely to build trust and communication/active listening skills. In this structure, 5-7 participants are seated at a table, with one participant given a “talking object” and assigned (or volunteers to take on) the role of facilitator/host. This person is responsible for keeping conversation going, and making sure all participants follow the agreements. They are as follows:

  1. Suspend judgement as much as you can
  2. Respect one another
  3. Seek to understand rather than persuade
  4. Invite and honor diverse opinions
  5. Speak what has personal heart and meaning
  6. Go for honesty and depth without going on and on (keep it to the point)

These agreements are explained to all participants, and then the host will open up the discussion by introducing the problem, question, or topic. There are then four rounds of conversation which occur

  1. All participants get a chance to share what they are thinking, feeling, or doing about the topic, only when they have the talking object. Nobody is allowed to interrupt the speaker. Participants get a chance to pass if they do not want to share. 1 minute per person, and the object is passed on.
  2. Round 2 has the same rules as round one, but the emphasis is sharing new thoughts, feelings, or actions considering what they have heard from everyone in round one.
  3. Round 3 is a “floor is open” lively discussion. Participants may jump in when they want to, or option to use the talking stick. This discussion should be the bulk of the time, 20-40 minutes.
  4. Round 4 is the same format as rounds 1 and 2, except the focus is sharing key takeaways and reflections from the open discussion.

Here is a helpful explanation with a visual to see how the process works:

This format really resonated with me because of how polarized or “my way or the highway” the world is that we live in today. Active listening, empathy, critical reflection, and an ability to change your mind when given new perspectives or information is a skill that is slowly being eroded, and I fear what the consequences of that will be if we do not learn these skills soon in the coming decades. This structure facilitates and teaches respectful discussion, active listening, and respect, and also gives all participants an equal voice and platform from which to be heard (if they chose to speak).

Critical thinking, communicating, and listening skills (along with empathy and respectfulness)! are things that I want to take into my teaching practice, and teach my students to do well, regardless of what subjects they are interested in, or careers they end up pursuing. I want to consider using this in my science classroom to encourage healthy conversation and critical thinking/engagement around difficult topics in science, such as genetic engineering, animal testing, or other topics such as these.

I think the educator should definitely consider the age-appropriateness of the topics covered, and how polarizing they might be. Certain discussion topics may be too much for some students, and the educator must recognize class dynamics before proceeding with a topic even in this open format. Secondly, the educator should consider who is in each group, and who is going to facilitate each one. A facilitator should be a student that has shown strong leadership qualities, and can demonstrate the behaviors they are trying to help ensure the group adheres to.

I encourage you to check out the liberating structures website and explore the 33 ideas for yourself. There is an infinite number of ways these can be used to engage students inside the classroom, and contribute to a new generation that is more empathetic and able to debate and reason in a healthy way. What are some ways that you could see yourself using these strategies, either in the classroom if you are a teacher as well, or your next meeting at the office? Maybe at the dinner table with your family? The applications far exceed a classroom setting.

I would love to hear your ideas in the comments, and I hope that you learned a thing or two, and consider trying some of these ideas out as well!

Image Credit:

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash