Response to Discussion as a Way of Teaching

As soon as I began reading this, I instintively reverted to the many personal memories of in-class discussions and of moments when my past teachers attempted to make the experiences of their classrooms more active and more condusive to their students' learning.  How did I come out of these experiences?  Did I leave with expanded understanding of the material at hand, and sudden feelings of inclusion in the class?  None of the above.  I was the kind of students that is described in the article--someone who does as little as possible, ticking off established assignment requirements (if I didn't skip them altogether,) then sneaking out as soon as the bell rang.

I didn't enjoy school, and it wasn't until about two quarters ago that I understood exactly why: ownership.  As a student, I took no (or little) ownership over my educational trajectory.  As a teacher, I have openly wondered how do I spark in my students that which I so openly missed?  How do I get them to own their experiences, to care about what is to come?  As I read, I made a list of some of the ideas that I optimistically think might have helped me and my motivation:

1 - "The Best coversations maintain a tension between seriousness and playfulness." (p. 5)
2 - "Give students opportunities to talk and write autobiographically."  Like any guy, I like talking about myself.
3 - "The incentive to  participate diminishes when what one says or contributes is ignored or leaves no discernible impact."  On the few occasions I did speak, how often did I feel like someone actually cared?
4 - As a teacher, it is wise to "Admit errors in judgement."
5 - As a teacher, "...Appreciation brings people closer together and raises the level of trust." (Page 12) But it is important to not overdo it.  Nothing kills good feelings better than lack of sincerity.  I hate(d) nothing more than a teacher who lays appreciation on me like I am a toddler.
6 - Help a student "become connected" to a topic at hand - base discussion on their own thoughts and experiences. (Respect their voices and experiences.)
7 - There are more, but one of the most important ideas in this article is that a teacher must model how they want the discussion to go.  Setting anyone off on a task without showing them how it is supposed to go is a direct recipe for failure.

I just hope that, when it comes time for me to teach again, that I will remember these thoughts, and not become stuck on the idea that it is all "easier said than done."  Perhaps this class will help this be untrue--train me to make these things just as easy done as said.