Introducing Deliberation in the Classroom- First Day Activity

Amongst the biggest concerns I have for the future of this country and my students is the current polarization we are experiencing when it comes to politics.  We have lost the art of the conversation, we have become the culture of "no politics at Thanksgiving."  I often tell my students the story of the Constitutional Convention, that in the hot summer of 1787, a group of men met to draft a new government for the country.  These men came from different backgrounds, and brought with them different agendas and values.  They argued, they debated...and they compromised.  They emerged with an imperfect document for sure, but one that created a government that was, without question, better than the one it would replace.  And they did it because they were able to have a conversation, a dialogue, and leave it without anger, but with compromise.  One could argue that the "conversation" is truly what the country is built upon.  231 years later, we are stuck with the rule of "no politics at Thanksgiving".  It brings to mind the great words of Dubois- “What a world this will be when human possibilities are freed, when we discover each other, when the stranger is no longer the potential criminal and the certain inferior!”

What I know is that, if there is to be any hope of change, it must begin with our students, and that this change can only be achieved if they are encouraged, and given opportunity, in the skill of deliberation.  The challenge of deliberation is talking with someone who may think differently than you, and instead of working to find holes in their thought process, being focused on listening to what they have to say, and appreciating what might be a different perspective.  When we focus on listening rather than attacking, the opportunity for growth is much more likely.  Is deliberation an option for all conversations?  No- there are still some universal truths in which there is no conversation, e.g. racism.  But there is ALMOST always a conversation to be had.

The key to creating a deliberative space is starting on day one, and setting expectations for discussion and, if possible, getting the kids involved in the deliberative process early.  One of my favorite "first day" activities is one that I borrowed from a lesson from the Choices Program that I call "Opening Day Values".  It is worth noting that this is an activity that I typically use with my senior government class, but it can certainly be adapted for younger audiences.  These classes tend to be fairly large, which can impact the way in which the activity is carried out.  The way in which the "values" are put forward to the students can be varied; I will simply explain how I use it.

I begin by having stacks of blank white paper, cut into squares, in the middle of our workspace.  As we begin class I ask each student to pull 10 slips from the pile.  I then take time to explain that, in any society and government, decision-making is a theme to be discussed, and that decision-making is often guided by one's values.  In this activity the students will be presented with 9 key values that could be found in American government, and will be asked to rank those values.  I project the values on the screen 1 by 1, and have the kids write the words on their slips as they go.  As students get new words, they place them in rank in front of them, often reordering them as they go.  The 9 values I project are:  freedom, equality, self-reliance, justice, cooperation, security, competition, stability, and democracy.  There should be one blank slip for later.

Once the students have all of their value words, time should be given for final ranking.  I like to throw some questions at them as they rank their values- "If you had to justify what you ranked first/last, how would you do so?", "How do you define this value? How might someone else define it?", and my favorite "Looking at what you've ranked first, are there any of the other values that one needs before that value can be achieved, and if so, does that change your ranking?"  It's pretty common to see lots of shuffling!

A key part of this activity is the debrief.  I often, if time allows, have the students start by discussing their rankings in small groups.  But I also put the value statements on the board, and ask the students to mark their 1, 2, and 9 values, either by writing the numbers with marker or by using post-it notes.
Once done, we discuss as a class, and students are often surprised to see how the values lay out.  We talk about why some values are ranked high or low, and I open up the room for students to discuss why they ranked values where they did.  The best conversations come from those values that have both 1's and 9's in the same spot!

To wrap up the activity I make sure to ask the students to do two things.  First, using the last blank slip, I ask the students to consider other values that might not have been listed, and if they would like, write this new value and add it to their ranking.  I also ask the students to keep their list somewhere it won't be lost, and we do the same activity at the end of the year, after we've studied our government and discussed current events and issues.

Deliberation is a skill, and one that is desperately needed, and needs the opportunity and environment in which to be honed.  Often times the biggest issue in building a deliberative classroom is breaking through on the first discussion and making students comfortable in lending their voice.  Structuring an activity that asks the students to think and deliberate at a personal level is a great way to found such an environment.