[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-591242-105":59,"doc-detail-591242-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-urgent-need-for-free-frequent-classroom-discussion","The Urgent Need for Free, Frequent Classroom Discussion","","Advocates for K–12 educators to prioritize civil, purposeful, text-based classroom discussion as a co-equal pillar of literacy alongside reading and writing. Argues that frequent dialogue helps students learn to listen, share ideas openly, fairly consider multiple perspectives, and practice respectfully disagreeing. Connects these skills to democratic resilience, contending that free rational argument counters indoctrination and censorship and prepares students to become more effective citizens and communicative professionals.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-urgent-need-for-free-frequent-classroom-discussion/591242/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-urgent-need-for-free-frequent-classroom-discussion/591242.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"eBook King","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-04","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the author emphasize frequent classroom discussion?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The author argues it builds students’ academic, intellectual, and civic maturity by improving listening, open-minded sharing, perspective-taking, and respectful disagreement.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does classroom discussion relate to literacy and learning?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Discussion is presented as a co-equal part of the literacy tripod with reading and writing, especially when grounded in challenging content and supported by reason and evidence.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What role does civil, rational argument play in democracy?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The text frames genuine dialogue as a safeguard against intolerance and extremism, asserting that it counters indoctrination and censorship in a self-governing society.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},591242,1792188484,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":24,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},962088006270,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","The Urgent Need for Free, Frequent Classroom Discussion  \nILLUSTRAT IONS BY MARTIN LEÓN BARRETO  \nBy Mike Schmoker  \nI  \nn these fraught, divisive times, K–12 educators have an opportunity to make a profound contribution to students’ academic, intellectual, and civic maturity by giving civil, purposeful discussion the priority it deserves. With reading and writing,  \ndiscussion is a co-equal leg of the tripod of literacy. By engaging in frequent discussions of challenging academic content, students could learn to listen (not just wait for their chance to talk), to offer their thoughts with an open mind, to fairly consider multiple perspectives, and to agree to respectfully disagree. They could carry these vital abilities with them into adulthood, which would prepare them to become more contributive citizens, better neighbors, and more productive employees. In fact, employers rank communication and interactional acumen among their highest priorities.1  \nWe’ve all seen how growing segments of the population, right and left, are refusing to look beyond their ideological horizons. Because of this, social psychologist and professor Jonathan Haidtis worried that young people growing up in these divided times will enter adulthood unable to communicate effectively and ami-  \nMike Schmoker, a former English teacher, administrator, and football coach, is an author, speaker, and consultant. His most recent books are Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning, 2nd ed. (ASCD, 2018), and Results Now 2.0 (ASCD, 2023).  \ncably to solve urgent problems in our democracy.2 Haidt attributes much of the current polarization to extremist social media and excessive screen time, and he urges us to turn away from our screens and talk with each other.  \nI wholeheartedly agree. But I also believe that K–12 educators could have aprofound, even near-term impact on these problems by building text-based classroom discussion, in which every child participates, into every course. Public schoolteachers could equip a generation of students to become an articulate, fair-minded antidote to our society’s current unwillingness, if not inability, to listen to each other. They could achieve this by infusing instruction with purposeful, civil, content-based argument grounded in reason and evidence. By doing so, they could even help right the ship of civic life.  \nIn a moment, I’ll describe how any teacher can conduct such discussions. I’ll highlight schools where these discussions have led to both high engagement and significant academic gains. But before we get to how, we need a firm grounding in why.  \nThe Case for Civil, Rational Argument in the Classroom  \nI often wish that teacher preparation programs did more to impart an appreciation of frequent classroom dialogue because of its indispensable contribution to education and to democratic self-governance. In the 19th century, the philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that human progress in every sphere hinges on our  \n34 AMERICAN EDUCATOR | SUMMER 2023  \nwillingness to not only tolerate but seek out and carefully consider opposing arguments. As Haidt reminds us,  \nMill said,“He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that,” and he urged us to seek out conflicting views“from persons who actually believe them.” People who think differently and are willing to speak up if they disagree with you make you smarter, almost as if they are extensions of your own brain. People who try to silence or intimidate their critics make themselves stupider.3  \nIndoctrination and censorship—including self-censorship—are the enemies of progress in a self-governing society.  \nEminent educators concur: “Free human dialogue,”wrote the late professor and culture critic Neil Postman,“lies atthe heart of education.”4 For Gerald Graff, former president of the Modern Language Association,“talk about books and subjects is as important educationally asarethebooksand subjects themselves.”5 Not surprisingl","cbCairApFC5T6Mlj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairApFC5T6Mlj","pdf",166691,"English","# The Urgent Need for Free, Frequent Classroom Discussion\n## The Case for Civil, Rational Argument in the Classroom\n## The “Lifeblood of Democracy”","[{\"question\":\"Why does the author emphasize frequent classroom discussion?\",\"answer\":\"The author argues it builds students’ academic, intellectual, and civic maturity by improving listening, open-minded sharing, perspective-taking, and respectful disagreement.\"},{\"question\":\"How does classroom discussion relate to literacy and learning?\",\"answer\":\"Discussion is presented as a co-equal part of the literacy tripod with reading and writing, especially when grounded in challenging content and supported by reason and evidence.\"},{\"question\":\"What role does civil, rational argument play in democracy?\",\"answer\":\"The text frames genuine dialogue as a safeguard against intolerance and extremism, asserting that it counters indoctrination and censorship in a self-governing society.\"}]","The Urgent Need for Free, Frequent Classroom Discussion | PDF",1792071408,13]