Skill Builder: Archived Page
June 8, 2010
Four Conversations
When working in a group, consider that there may be four different kinds of conversations that could be occurring. What kind of conversation would most support your group and its outcome(s) for the meeting?
| Parallel Conversation | Exchange Conversation | Adaptive Conversation | Generative Conversation |
| AB + CD = AB + CD | AB + CD = ABCD + ABCD | AB + CD = CADB + BDCA | AB + CD = ABCDEFG + GFEDCBA + 1843 |
| These conversations come and go. They state information with no expectation of a response. | These conversations can change the way we understand concepts. Information is exchanged and the perspective is thereby expanded to include additional points of view. | These conversations have the ability to transform one's own views as well as those of others. In expanding the information or point of view, the learner may rearrange the information or see things in new ways. | These conversations can not only distribute information and sometimes reorder the thinking, but also generate new information or new ways to approach a problem or a possibility. Conversations like these can bring about quantum leaps in learning.1 |
1 Hord, Shirley M., Roussin, James L., & Sommers, William A. Guiding Professional Learning Communities: Inspiration, Challenge, Surprise, and Meaning. Corwin Press, 2010.
