Our class gets to visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in one week - on Wednesday, September 16. This virtual field trip, Telling the American Story, will completely take place in our classroom through the use of Microsoft Teams. As part of the preparation for the visit, the museum has asked us to review some dialogue skills. Some of the suggestions to help us are vital to any conversation, and not just for an official Smithsonian visit. They seem simple, but it is important to teach such skills and not assume our students will pick them up naturally.
The museum suggests, "The group’s visit to the exhibition will be better if everyone can commit to listening, questioning, and adding their voice to the conversation." Above all, the bulleted list shown here stresses respect. I especially agree with the simplicity of the second bullet: "If you are often quiet, try to step up your sharing. If you often share, try to step up your listening." These are all skills that I emphasize throughout the year, and it's great to see the skills reinforced by the NMAI. If the world at large had similar skills, we could make more progress toward peace and tranquil living.
The museum suggests, "The group’s visit to the exhibition will be better if everyone can commit to listening, questioning, and adding their voice to the conversation." Above all, the bulleted list shown here stresses respect. I especially agree with the simplicity of the second bullet: "If you are often quiet, try to step up your sharing. If you often share, try to step up your listening." These are all skills that I emphasize throughout the year, and it's great to see the skills reinforced by the NMAI. If the world at large had similar skills, we could make more progress toward peace and tranquil living.
