It is effective to engage pairs of students in one-minute discussions the first week, build to three minute discussions in trios, and then to four minutes in groups of four. Successful large group intellectual exchange occurs naturally when students are ready, confident, comfortable, and regularly called on by name. Faculty can profit from training in certain counseling and mediation skills. For example, instructors can learn to paraphrase student responses, summarize the immediate discussion, and check for understanding or disagreement. Significant change requires attention not only to listening, questioning, and response strategies, but also to body language and voice tone.
Nonverbal communication is a powerful conveyor of meaning.
Faculty need to acknowledge students' non-verbal communication and encourage them to express diverse opinions. Likewise faculty need to be aware of their own non-verbals and explain incongruencies as they arise. To identify our own bias and observe our own transformation, we need concrete evidence. Once problem areas are identified, the instructor can begin to introduce non-biased behaviors. Active listening, reframing, and mediation skills, once mastered, lead to change and eventually to proficiency.