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?