Blog-4 An Interesting Question

        Within the realm of nuclear power and pollution there are many points for discussion.  A true, productive and active discussion must be facilitated appropriately to allow for the topic to be considered deeply and for everyone to have the opportunity to contribute their critical thoughts.  A discussion must allow for all perspectives and views to be considered.  It is a forum where people can share their ideas and see how others view the topic. These are much more dynamic conversations than static ones, with thoughts, beliefs, facts, and opinions constantly moving and changing.

         There are four main approaches for a discussion.  First,  the most basic and most often used route is when a discussion will respond to a posed or presented issue.  The discussion revolves around this issue.  The second form of discussion is centered on an observation made by those present in the discussion. This is a reflective form of discussion.  The third type of discussion is responding to a narrative or written piece. What is interesting is that the same narrative may spark a variety of responses because of the different interpretations that can take place.  This discussion is very active as you learn other people's opinions and thoughts. The final type of discussion is reflecting on an activity that the group has done together or as a class. This is also a reflective style of discussion where students may talk about a simulation or reenactment recently observed.  Here on this blog, we are responding to what is a very serious problem - discussion approach #1.  We pose the question to our readers: Is the pollution created by nuclear power worth the energy created? What other factors play into this?

The difference between an in depth discussion and a meaningless argument is related to how organized, productive, and respectful the conversation is when taking place. In an argument, there are no rules or order. In a discussion, there are best practices that should be used to facilitate people's learning and engagement in the discussion. These best practices should guide the group through their discussion.

• The group should create a set of guidelines and rules for the fairness.
• These discussions may get off topic and foray into an excellent conversation, but there should be certain target topics to discuss
• The facilitator or teacher will guide the discussion through the student's involvement, not force them.
• Rephrase one statement into a question for another to answer
• The facilitator must keep the group motivated and on track
• A good pace must be kept by the facilitator
• The facilitator should constantly be modeling good behavior.

As we look at these points, I will pose a few more questions on the pressing issue of nuclear power and pollution,

1. How does the public perception of nuclear power affect the pursuit of clean energy?
2. Look at this picture of the aftermath of the Japanese Nuclear Meltdown. How does this affect your perception of the safety of nuclear power?
3. Which do you see as the greater issue, Pollution or risk of meltdown?
4. What do you see as the greatest barrier to clean energy?

The best way to facilitate the discussion is to keep it running smoothly, maintaining focus on the topic and productive conversation that involves critical thinking and respect for other views.  Rules for the discussion, perhaps even arranged by the students themselves, should be clarified before the discussion begins. The facilitator should have a path they wish the discussion to follow in their notes on hand. With our particular discussion, the stimulus has already been presented. The facilitator should be doing more monitoring and posing questions than responding.  It is the job of the facilitator to keep discussion on topic and directly related to what the students have learned. The facilitator must also be mindful of the pace of the discussion, including making sure that adequate time is given for each and all student responses in order to help promote respectful participation.  The facilitator should constantly model discussion behavior for students to observe and repeat themselves.  Particularly with an online discussion, it is important that the facilitator takes the opportunity to present the topic further if he/she notices enthusiasm or energy appears low.  This may be a time to review what has already been presented for information or introduce a new item or aspect related to the topic that may trigger more thoughts within the group and hopefully, more active responses in the discussion.

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This power group is currently plugging along behind the scenes working on a service learning project that will help make a difference and hopefully spark some interest in other people to do the same!  Our initial plan at this time is creating a Facebook page.  Like our blog, this will be an outlet for information, links, and a forum for discussion related to our topic.  However, the unique aspects of Facebook will allow more a more active presence for our group and a more interactive outlet for our 'followers'.  We will use the page to post snippets of current evens or shocking facts.  We plan to create events in connection with our page that will create a bigger presence for us to help raise awareness of our message.  This will also be an entity taking action and communicating with other Facebook accounts related to the topic.  Stay tuned for more details.  We know you'll 'Like' it!