Purpose: Enlargement of understanding of a text, not the achievement of some particular understanding.

Note: A guiding question may be posed at the beginning of the discussion.

Ground Rules:

· Listen actively.
· Build on what others say.
· Don’t step on other’s talk. Silences and pauses are OK.
· Let the conversation flow as much as possible without raising hands or using a speaker’s list.
· Converse directly with each other, without going through the facilitator.
· Make the assumptions underlying your comments explicit to others.
· Emphasize clarification, amplification, and implications of ideas.
· Watch your own airtime – both in terms of how often you speak, and in terms of how much you say when you speak.
· Refer to the text; challenge others to go to the text.

National School Reform Faculty