Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Reading "Discussion as a way of Teaching" by Stephen Brookfield was...different. Usually, articles which are thirty plus pages are a bunch of data and analysis. However, this article was more of a handbook for teachers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. Especially, the section on "Circle of Voices".  I feel as if this is something that could have helped me a lot in middle school and high school. In high school I had a tendency to keep quiet during discussions. There would even be times where I knew for a fact I had the right answer, but still I did not speak up. I do not know why that was the case. Yet, in a setting where the Circle of Voices was present, I would have thrived. The Circle of Voices was something that benefits those whom are quiet and shy. Many times students do not answer because they fear they will speak up at the same time as someone else. The uninterrupted time to share in Circle of Voices could take away that fear from students. Also, there is the case of shy students worrying too much about not knowing what to say. For example, lets say a class discussion begins and everyone is gonna talk. What could happen is that a student will be to busy thinking " I have nothing to say" or "I need to hurry and come up with something". This not only creates anxiety within the students, but the thought of not having anything to say hinders them from coming up with anything in the first place. In the "Circle of Voices" the students get 3 minutes to decide what they are going to say. This is perfect for students who are shy. They get enough time to think about what they are going to say. In the future when I become an educator, this is something I will definitely use as a tool to engage ALL of my students in the discussion.