• To have students engage effectively in deliberative dialogues in order to thoughtfully weigh trade-offs among multiple viewpoints. 

• Students will share their knowledge and interpretations of the multiple viewpoints being addressed.
• Students will “listen to learn” from their classmates’ interpretations of the materials being analyzed.

• 10 – 20 minutes per deliberative dialogue X number of deliberative dialogues, plus transition time   

• 6 to 8 chairs set up in a small circle in the center of the room, with the remaining chairs placed in a larger circle around the inner circle (this is sometimes called a fishbowl) 

• Teacher-generated deliberation questions (see Step Three: Investigate)
• Completed “Deliberative Dialogue Prep Worksheets” from Step Three: Investigate (each student should have her/his worksheets filled out and ready to use)
• Guidelines for Deliberation Handout (1 per student)
• Deliberation vs. Debate Handout (1 per student)
• Deliberative Dialogue Rubric Worksheet (several per student)
• Fact, Question, and Response Worksheet (1 per student)
• Conversation Web Worksheet (1 per student)
• Prompter’s Chair Guidelines (for teacher)
• Chalkboard or whiteboard
• Handout 1: Guidelines for Deliberation (1 per student)   
• Handout 2: Deliberation vs. Debate (1 per student)  
• Worksheet 1: Deliberative Dialogue Rubric (several per student)   
• Worksheet 2: Fact, Question, and Response (1 per student)  
• Workseet 3: Conversation Web (1 per student)  
• Guidelines: Prompter's Chair (1 per student)  

Handout 1  Handout 2 

Worksheet 1  Worksheet 2  Worksheet 3   

Guidelines 

• State the goal and objectives of the activity. 
• Explain that the skills and content learned so far (in the first three steps of the Deliberation Process) will be used in today’s deliberative dialogues. 

Tasks

1. Pass out one “Guidelines for Deliberation Sheet” to each student. As a class, thoroughly review the “Guidelines” and verbally check for understanding. Tell students that these “Guidelines” are to be adhered to at all times during the deliberative dialogues.
2. Assign students to deliberation groups. Ideally, there should be 6 to 8 students per group.
3. Call the first group to be seated in the inner circle, reminding them to bring their “Deliberative Dialogue Prep Worksheets” for use during the deliberative dialogue.
4. Verbally present this group with one of the deliberation questions and also write it on the board for ease of reference.
5. Allow 10-20 minutes for the deliberative dialogue.

   Note: If necessary, prompt students to restart or redirect any deliberative dialogues that appear to be faltering or straying away from the deliberation question

6. As the deliberative dialogue is happening, the teacher completes a “Deliberative Dialogue Rubric Worksheet” for each of the students in the inner circle to be used for assessment. 

   Extension 1: Have students in the outer circle fill out a “Fact, Question, and Response Worksheet” for every deliberative dialogue they observe. This worksheet can be referenced by students as they move on to the next step, which involves writing a personal viewpoint. 

   Extension 2: Have students generate conversation webs that track who talks during the discussion. Webs can be used to determine whether or not the conversation was dominated by any one person, which it should not be (see “Conversation Web Worksheet”). 

   Extension 3: Incorporate a “prompter’s chair” by placing an empty chair in the inner circle and allowing one student at a time from the outer circle to sit in it temporarily and ask a question or bring up a point that s/he feels should addressed (see “Prompter’s Chair Guidelines”).

7. Once time is up for the first group, call the next group into the inner circle and present the second deliberation question. Proceed in the same way as with the first group. Do the same with each remaining group until all students have had a turn to engage in a deliberative dialogue. Deliberation questions may need to be recycled, or slightly altered for the sake of variety, in order to have enough questions for the number of student groups.

Assessment Tool

See Deliberative Dialogue Rubric Worksheet 

Note: To help determine student grades, the teacher can also have students in the outer circle fill out “Deliberative Dialogue Rubric Worksheets” for the students who are deliberating in the inner circle. There are a variety of ways this can be done (e.g., the teacher’s rubric may count for 75% of student grades and the student rubrics may count for 25%).

Conclusion 

1. Debrief the process with students using questions, such as: 
   1. How did it feel to be in the inner circle?
   2. How did it feel to be in the outer circle?
   3. What is one thing you learned from listening to your peers, either while in the inner circle or the outer circle?
   4. Did you adjust or change your opinion/perspective as a result of listening to today’s deliberative dialogues? How so?
   5. Did you strengthen or enhance an already formed opinion/perspective as a result of listening to today’s deliberative dialogues? How so?
   6. What did you like about this process?
   7. What did you dislike about this process?
   8. Can this process, in some form or another, be used in other aspects of your life? 
2. Point out to students that it is okay to adjust and revise their viewpoints based on what they learn during the deliberation process, and that building knowledge together in this way is positive and constructive. 

Role of the teacher 

The role of the teacher is critical for effective deliberative dialogue, which is why an extensive explanation follows. 

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