Although these ideas are simple, they are, actually, quite revolutionary. Rather it says that high quality thinking, the ability to think for oneself, is a function of high quality human interaction. And this high quality human interaction is composed of 10 behaviors that, if present, constitute a Thinking Environment . In our workshops we begin with a brief description of the Thinking Environment , and then give participants the opportunity to practice 4 of the 10 behaviors by working with two or three different people in pairs which we call Thinking Partners. She also remains aware of whether or not she has a welcoming expression on her face.
All participants are equal in terms of their ability to think.
In practical terms this means that everyone gets a turn. We say what is going well in our lives, and we acknowledge what we appreciate in one another and about our experience in the workshop. Throughout the remainder of the workshop whether we are working in small brainstorming groups, large information sharing groups, or pairs, we structure the assignments around the Thinking Environment framework and frequently remind participants of the guidelines. When people feel really heard, they not only seem to be able to think better, but they also feel better about themselves. In the IWT workshops we ve done, this has translated into participants frequently expressing amazement at how comfortable they were thinking about technology and their expressions, at least in that moment, of a willingness to become more active in technological discussions.