Unit 2 Lesson 3: Civil Discourse

Question 1

What does active listening skills mean?

Answer 1

giving full attention to a speaker and responding in a way that improves mutual understanding

Question 2

What is a collegial discussion?

Answer 2

mutually respectful conversations between student colleagues in a group or classroom environment

Question 3

What does justify mean?

Answer 3

to make something seem reasonable or explain something

Question 3

What does probing mean?

Answer 3

investigating something completely

Question 4

What does superlatives from?

Answer 4

highest in degree of comparison, i.e., -est

Question 4

What does rational conclusion mean

Answer 4

a decision based on facts and/or logic

Question 5

What are discussions for?

Answer 5

Discussions are for asking questions—and then responding to them, allowing participants to explore a topic from multiple perspectives, plus permitting each one to clarify issues or ideas that they might not have clearly understood or graspe

Question 6

What kind of questions should one ask in a discusion?

Answer 6

Posing questions in any discussion is essential if the conversation is to keep flowing and moving forward. Open-ended questions, those requiring fuller answers than the simple “yes” or “no,” help ensure that the discussion is propelled in the right direction.

Question 7

What are probing questions?

Answer 7

(probing: investigating something completely) questions

Question 8

Probing questions are also quite helpful and often address the need for more:

Answer 8

evidence or information
clarification
reasons
implications

Question 9

Why is it important to ask posing questions

Answer 9

While posing questions that ask each person to think more deeply and analyze carefully is essential, it is not enough to just ask them. A discussion group’s effectiveness relies heavily on all members learning how to respond to those questions.

Question 10

What are bad responses in discusions VS good responses

Answer 10

Emotional responses tend to squash people’s motivation to keep talking and rarely ever lead to any kind of rational conclusion. Neither do responses that include some kind of blanket statement (using always or never) or superlatives such as best or most. Instead, careful, measured responses that justify your statements will have the most impact.

Question 11

Some of the best ways to propel a conversation, especially in the case of disagreement over what has been stated, is through simple follow-up questions to people’s statements, such as:

Answer 11

• Could you give me an example?
• When you say , are you inferring that ?
• Could you explain that idea further, please?
• Can you tell me more about your experience?
• What an unusual perspective—why do you think that?
• Where did you learn that? I’d love to know more about it, so could you please share your sources?
  These questions are not combative or argumentative and so have a much higher chance of maintaining the conversation.

Question 12

What is another term for reaching a rational conclusion at the end of a discussion?
a. logical decision
b. emotional ending
c. final termination
d. original assumption

Answer 12

a. logical decision

Question 13

Which word listed below is an example of a superlative?

a. comparative
b. cleverest
c. incredible

Answer 13

b. cleverest

Question 14

Which statement about collegial discussions is accurate?

a. They are founded on standardized debate rules and require obvious winners and losers.

b. They primarily focus on global issues like government policy.

c. They generally rely on implementing open-ended questions and blanket statements.

d.They thrive on mutual respect among students in a group or classroom environment.

Answer 14

They thrive on mutual respect among students in a group or classroom environment.

Question 15

What does the term inflammatory refer to in this lesson, and what are two examples?

Answer 15

It refers to behavior that demonstrates people’s emotional responses, such as calling people names/ raising your voice/swearing.

Question 16

What does diverse perspectives mean?

Answer 16

viewpoints informed by different backgrounds, experiences, information, and cultures

Question 17

What does empathy mean?

Answer 17

understanding the feelings of others

Question 18

What does evidence mean?

Answer 18

the facts, documentation, or testimony used to strengthen a claim

Question 19

What does justify mean?

Answer 19

make something seem reasonable or explain something

Question 20

What does summarizing mean?

Answer 20

providing a shortened version of something said/written, including the main points

Question 21

what does assertions mean?

Answer 21

a strong statement that something is true

Question 22

What does challenged mean?

Answer 22

to doubt, question, or dispute the truth of a statement

Question 23

What does justifying mean?

Answer 23

making something seem reasonable or explaining something