Heartwood Institute : Guiding Heartwood Discussions

Guiding Heartwood Discussions

Class discussion is a very important part of the Heartwood curriculum. It helps students focus on the attribute, think about and process ethical questions, and practice expressing their opinions in a non-threatening environment. This is also a time when teacher and students share many meaningful experiences and ideas, strengthening their relationships and creating stronger climates for learning. Discussion questions are included on lesson cards, and more information is available in the Design of a Heartwood Lesson.

Generally, elementary school students are used to taking turns answering questions. They may not know how to participate in a discussion where they respond not only to the teacher’s probes but to each other’s comments. Teaching discussion techniques provides an excellent opportunity for practicing the attribute Respect. At first, discussions may only last a few minutes. Gradually, over a few weeks, students will extend the discussion time as they learn to listen and respond to each other.

To begin, the teacher may post a few basic rules in the Heartwood Corner, for example:

We show Respect during a Heartwood discussion by:

Listening while one person speaks at a time
Accepting all appropriate responses
Allowing others to express differing points of view without interruption.

Rule 1: Listening while one person speaks at a time
Rule 1 may be taught with a ball of string. The person speaking, teacher or student, holds the ball of string. After finishing, the speaker holds the “line” of string and gently tosses the ball to another person who wishes to speak. This continues for 4-5 oral responses. Then the teacher points out that the class has “drawn” a diagram in string of what a discussion looks like when people take turns.

NOTE: This activity may only be used once or possibly twice because when the point has been made and the novelty wears off, young children will then try to tie up the group in string.

Rule 2: Accepting all appropriate responses
Rule 2 may be demonstrated through the teacher’s encouraging comments, accepting attitude, positive facial expressions, and even body language. The teacher sets the tone. She may ask students to give an example or an explanation from the book to support their opinions.

Rule 3: Allowing others to express differing points of view without interruption
Rule 3 may be illustrated by an example. Heartwood books are color-coded according to the main attribute of each story—Respect is green, Courage is red, and so on. Children often see other attributes in the stories and may be able to support their opinions with examples from the text. Differing opinions, such as which attribute is shown by a story, often produce the most stimulating discussions, since there is no right answer. If children begin to argue, the teacher may remind them about Rule 3.

NOTE: When there isn’t time for all students to be heard, they may write their responses in their journals to be read at a later time.