This is the most important for me because listening is the majority of any discussion. If you aren’t listening to the other party, then you aren’t able to respond to them effectively, nor understand their side. Even if you disagree with what someone else is saying in a discussion, you still listen and try to understand where they are coming from. If you don’t, you ruin your own integrity in the discussion and belittle who you are conversing with.

Listening actively and attentively is important because in order to effectively respond to others, you have to understand their perspective and points. When this guideline is not followed, there is a disconnect with the learning process. You need to make the conversation, lecture, or whatever interaction it is worth each others time and effort.

In a classroom, work, or any other kind of social environment, is it very important to listen actively and attentively in order to be successful. You will not be able to respond and function accurately in a social situation if you are not consciously aware of what is going on around you.

Being an active listener is most important to me because of how timely I feel like this quality has become. More often than not I feel like people (even myself) get so caught up in what we know and how we are going to respond that we forget to listen to the other persons point of view. A willingness to listen allows for biases to be taken away and for a conversation to evolve from a possible close minded argument to a possible greater understanding for one another.

When you are in a classroom, listening actively and attentively is one of the most important things you could do in order to engage yourself in the learning. It is not only respectful to the person who is talking, but it also helps to be able to understand the topics more enabling you to learn more successfully.

The whole point of group discussions is to learn from one another and to build upon each others ideas. Jumping to conclusions about what another person is saying due to not understanding what was being said or how it was said will stunt the conversation. Asking for clarification progresses the conversation forwards and gives each other a deeper understanding about one another’s perspectives, which is the ultimate goal. Without understanding, it’s not a discussion.

Now more than ever it is more difficult to avoid interrupting people due to online Zoom classes. I think it is important for all sides of a conversation to get their point across and present all of the information they have to support their claim. When someone is interrupted (whether it is the teacher or the student), it makes it difficult to have a productive conversation because one or both sides are not able to fully express themselves and this can lead to excessive repeating of ideas.

As someone who is generally drowned out when in larger groups, I find it disrespectful and disheartening when people interrupt me. Not only does it make you feel like no one cares about what you have to say, but it can make you not want to attempt to talk again in that conversation. I think that it is important to allow everyone a chance to speak, as this can bring more diversity into the conversation. If people do not follow this guideline, not only will this exclude one person from participating, but everyone in the conversation is not missing out on what that person had to say. In order for a conversation to be well-rounded, productive, and inclusive, everyone should avoid interrupting one another.

I really think this is important to me. It’s essential for everyone to enter a discussion with respect for other’s views because there’s a reason that they believe them. Whether they’ve thought much about it or not, something has caused them to believe a certain thing. By challenging one another’s views you force the other person to think more critically about their own views to back them up as well as the opposing side. If you can’t respect another person’s opinion it usually shows your own arrogance and inability to understand them, or at least to try and understand them. I think this point goes along nicely with the next point, “Critique ideas, not people.” We are each entitled to our ideas and should be respected for them. Challenging those ideas should be done in an effort to understand the root of WHY a person believes something.

I believe that feeling comfortable to challenge people and be challenged by others is very important to growing. There have been many times where I feel strongly about something and another person challenges my views and I completely swap positions. However while challenging other’s views can be helpful if it is not done respectfully that person may not respond well.

I think this is extremely important for this class but also for life in general. In todays society, especially with politics, everyone is becoming extremely polar and not really looking to hear others out on their opinions. Also, I myself am guilty of this as well but tending to judge the person very harshly for their beliefs. If this happens we can build subconscious beliefs about others in class and count out their opinions without even listening to things they have to offer. With this class tackling tougher topics I think its crucial we hear each other out and do not quickly jump to conclusions about the person themselves. If this is not followed we can miss out on information and also hurt others feelings by discrediting them as a whole.

This is an important guideline to have in discussions because conversations often become derailed as a person can become attacked and not the idea they are pushing. If a person is attacked personally it could prevent any actual progress from being made between the conflicting parties. Critiquing people can also lead to a breakdown in the conversation as the conversation could slowly devolve into personal attacks, eventually departing from the original topic.

With the current political climate and the topics we are going to be discussing in this class I think it is key that we only use hard evidence as justification during discussions. Having discussions where there are various perspectives can already be difficult let alone when there is “fake news” thrown into the mix. If you want to use information in an argument be sure to fact check it before hand. This will ensure that we can have a productive conversation while preventing aggressive ones. I don’t see anything in particular on this list that needs to be changed or added, it’s pretty good overall.

It is especially important that, given that we are learning in an online environment, that we don’t put peoples’ opinons down. This only has a negative impact, and would discourage the person from making further contributions towards discussions. You can disagree, but being negative towards someone’s opinions and ideas does not help anyone and does not foster a positive learning environment.

In these times, it can already be difficult to talk about certain topics. I feel that a large reason there is such a wide divide between individuals now is a lack of respect for differing ideas and opinions. We, as humans can be so ingrained in our thinking that we don’t accept anything else. Especially in a classroom, I believe that fostering an environment of openness and respect allows people to discuss difficult discussions without feeling belittled or unheard. Each person has had their own experiences, and our beliefs are based on those experiences and so it’s important to be aware of how our actions affect others’ because we have no idea what someone may have experienced. When individuals feel comfortable, we can share more and all work towards achieving the ultimate goal of building a better environment. This guideline is extremely important if we wish to learn more about openness and awareness with the social world around us, and not doing this only prohibits furthering our education.

This is an important topic to consider while staying in a classroom setting. It’s important to feel comfortable and welcome while discussing all topics in class. This being said, we are in a college setting and it’s important to challenge each other and create new ideas and perspectives for those that might not have considered someone else’s background. If we aren’t being responsible for the quality of the discussion, than our integrity may be jeopardized.

Because we are often graded for speaking in class, I think it is easy to fall into the trap of feeling like we have to say something for the sake of saying something. I certainly have done this a fair share of times in classes I have been in! It’s helpful to remember that the goal of the discussion isn’t points but rather working together toward a deeper understanding of a topic.

I agree with Simone stating that “it is imperative to be active listeners in life”. For example, in life, sometimes it is perfectly okay to just be silent, especially if you are advocating for a marginalized group of people. It is most effective to amplify the voice of these people rather than talking over or for them. Overall, we should all strive to be active listeners so that we can learn more.

Anecdotal evidence is extremely important when having conversations surrounding sensitive and complicated topics. For example, I have never gone through the foster care system; I have never met someone who has gone through foster care; I have not done enough research on the foster care system to know what an individual experiences on a day-to-day basis. Speaking to individuals with this unique experience will lead me to a deeper understanding of the flaws, benefits, and logistics of such a system. I believe that accounting for personal experiences leads the way to change.

You are in charge of your own education. We can lose all the benefits a class would be giving us if we feel offended or hurt by others contributions. In order to get the most out of your education you need to take charge and let someone know when something is bothering you. Being an advocate for yourself is the first step in learning especially in college. Divulging sensitive information like how we feel about something they said can be difficult at times but that is when a teacher can step in and help you out.