Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What happens when we give students enough time and structure to genuinely discuss a difficult issue? Education professor Andrea Libresco explores “deep discussion,” an approach that asks students to examine multiple perspectives, listen carefully to one another, consider evidence and tradeoffs, and work through complicated questions without reducing them to two opposing sides. Drawing on the National Issues Forums model and decades of teaching experience, Libresco explains how thoughtful scaffolding can create richer classroom conversations—and help students develop the habits of listening, reasoning, and civil discourse essential to learning and democratic life.
What happens when we give students enough time and structure to genuinely discuss a difficult issue? Education professor Andrea Libresco explores “deep discussion,” an approach that asks students to examine multiple perspectives, listen carefully to one another, consider evidence and tradeoffs, and work through complicated questions without reducing them to two opposing sides. Drawing on the National Issues Forums model and decades of teaching experience, Libresco explains how thoughtful scaffolding can create richer classroom conversations—and help students develop the habits of listening, reasoning, and civil discourse essential to learning and democratic life.
