How do we talk about issues that matter?

 From analyzing and reading/watching all of the assigned material this week I think I gained a really great perspective on how to teach students to talk about issues that matter. Just from reading the first excerpt "Fostering Civil Discourse," I learned that you have to bring your full "heart, mind and conscious" to the topic or else you will get lost and not have the ability to engage and conversate/understand what you're peers are saying. Failing to prioritize ugly conversations for the benefit of someone else comfort will do the students no good and prevent them from learning and becoming good conversationalists. With that knowledge, I read "How I Faced My Identity When Teaching the Reconstruction Era," and gained more ideas on specifically how to talk about issues that matter in a respectful manner. I learned that as a teacher it is effective to "be bold." To really take the time to do the "foundational work" in order to increase comfort and safety. To dive deep into thinking about the particular town, city, or region you are in to be able to better asses how to do this. From the video "Teaching Strategy: Big Paper," I was able to actually grasp a good way to teach students to have those meaningful conversations without necessarily directly speaking to one another. The way he set up this lesson gave the students the ability to empathize with the sources themselves. To write directly on the paper without having to talk out loud to destroy that barrier of non-participation/shyness and build up their drive to relate and engage. Thus, provoking meaningful conversations and giving them a sense of an idea on how to talk about issues that matter.