The Power of Introverts

Hey! You. Yeah you, the quiet one in the corner. Staring down at the table. Yeah, you the one who seldom speaks and has been told your whole life to speak up and "participate" more often in class. Yeah you, I know your parents came home after the conferences last week and told you for the millionth time that you are doing a great job, but reminding you that all of your teachers said that you need to "speak up" in class. Watch this...

I understand that The Table can be an intimidating place. I know that you are listening and absorbing and thinking.  Take your time to process, to think, to grow and when you are ready, please try to find a way to share your thoughts. We need you. We need your ideas and your thoughts. Perhaps in smaller groups, on your blog, in notes and sketches, in side conversations. Find a way to be heard that fits your style.

Would love to read your thoughts on the value of Introverts. What do you think about this clip? This idea of the power of introverts>?

watching how it ignites

I want to thank my good friend Ari for sharing his ideas on discussions with me:

When in the discussion, you want to discover, to have discoveries, to be surprised. If the conversation doesn't lead you to something surprising, it's a sign that things need to click better. All thinking leads to discoveries, to discoveries we didn't know existed beforehand. And a rich classroom discussion is the highest form of thinking: it's a bunch of brains coming together and bouncing ideas off each other...generating new ideas, building and exploring, but also beginning (and thus departing) from the same starting point—the assigned reading/text.

In short, we want to see where our ideas "go," how they change. We aren't mailing a letter into a mailbox and watching it disappear. We are tossing a log into a fire...and watching how it ignites.

I have highlighted a few keywords for us to think about as we begin our journey of discussions and discovery. Please add this post to your growing understanding of at the table.

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by muffytyrone

What tips do you have for successful discussions? What do you feel will be easy for you, what will be challenging?