(A Collaborative Project of the Institute for 21st Century Agoras) The Talking Point is all about how people learn within groups. People can be much smarter than crowds if you measure “smart” as decision-making speed. Crowds can be much wiser than individuals if you measure wisdom by depth of understanding. It is possible to understand a great deal of information yet (or maybe because of this) you can also be slow to make decisions. If rushed, crowds will make poor decisions in spite of their wisdom. So... to get good group decisions on a time scale that will keep pace with policy development needs and social necessities, groups have to be supported so that their decision-making process can be accelerated. Much has been said and written about this problem over the years. It is dangerous to have the power of groups without the wisdom of groups, and it is tragic to have the wisdom of groups without the power of groups. The Talking Point presents a meeting point for the wisdom and power of groups through the use of Structured Dialogic Design. With hopeful intentions, as a culture we have poisoned the well just when we need it most. We have touted design charettes and stakeholder processes as engagement vehicles and then ignored, marginalized or corrupted the very input that we swore to hold as sacred. This has created a myth that large scale collaboration is not possible, and the myth has led to considerable disillusionment among would-be participants and could-be sponsors. Structured Dialogic Design seeks to bust the myth about our limited capabilities to sustain boundary spanning collaboration. To bust this myth, Structured Dialogic Design needs to usher in a new wave of collaborative planning. Scholars have identified the Structured Dialogic Design methodology as the cutting edge of “third phase” science - where the reality of a situation embraces interactions between objective findings and subjective intentions. The Talking Point provides a window for observing how Structured Dialogic Design has been put into practice and paints a panorama of the issues that confront complex social system design. This book is itself a bridge between scholarship and practice, written to be accessible yet anchored to major themes in cognitive psychology, information systems, social systems, and models of group learning. The book is an invitation for transformational leaders and those who support transformational leaders to pick up a new tool in the essential quest to put our nation and our world back on track toward sustainable futures. The Talking Point is a fresh source of water in a world that is thirsty for new ways of solving complex problems.

Even before the election of Barack Obama, Americans were beginning to notice that the country had changed direction. Five years into his presidency, neither he nor the legislators in Congress are willing to do the work necessary to solve our problems. Critical thinking may not be sexy, but it's what will enable us to overcome our most formidable challenges. Author Mark Goshdigian, an everyday American concerned about the nation's future, bucks the trend in a series of essays that pose tough questions: Can the federal government and Federal Reserve continue to turbo-charge the economy by spending so much money? How has globalization affected the United States? What can we do to fight an entitlement culture? Can we still learn from our failures and dare to be great? Whether you're a government worker, politician, voter, or student, you owe it to yourself to examine the economy, the nation's social issues, and the political process so we can move beyond the talking points

Talking Points: Discussion Activities in the Primary Classroom encourages and supports classroom discussion on a range of topics, enabling children to develop the important life-skill of effective group communication. Children who can explain their own ideas and take account of the points of view and reasons of others are in the process of becoming truly educated. This book offers a straightforward way of teaching children discussion skills within the framework of a creative curriculum. The book provides an introduction on how to help children learn the skills of group discussion, offering six essential Talk Lessons to use in the classroom, alongside suggestions on how teachers can plan their lessons with a talk focus, set learning outcomes and create their own Talking Points to suit topics they are teaching. The main body of the book contains the Talking Points resources which are an excellent, tried and tested way of stimulating and supporting extended talk about a topic. The Talking Points in this book offer model for teachers to create further Talking Points for their own classes. The Talking Points included here offer discussion in several curriculum areas including:- Science Literacy Philosophy and creativity for children History Mathematics Art and Music This invaluable book offers engaging, stimulating and thought provoking ideas for children to pit their wits against, promoting skills in discussion, analysis, reasoning and interaction. It is highly beneficial reading for teachers working in Key Stage 2, head teachers and those responsible for staff development, as well as students on teacher training courses and graduate training programmes.

What do students think about Shakespeare? Classic, timeless and full of rich ideas; or difficult, impenetrable and completely uninteresting? We want young people to develop a real interest in Shakespeare, based on their understanding and engagement with the texts. A meaningful classroom discussion that enables every individual to contribute and covers a range of viewpoints, can help students’ understanding of Shakespeare’s plays, consolidate their learning, and increase their motivation. This highly practical book enables teachers to organise, stimulate and support group discussions that will help students to relate to the characters, and develop their own ideas about the language and meaning. Drawing on four of the most commonly taught Shakespeare plays, the book provides a broad range of exciting tried and tested resources, taking the reader through key parts of the text, along with suggestions for further activities involving writing, drama and electronic media. Features include: -Scene by scene Talking Points for each play -'Thinking Together' extension activities for group work -Guidance on developing your own Talking Points -Talking Points focusing on Shakespeare’s language use Offering an accessible, thought-provoking and above all enjoyable way for students to engage with Shakespeare’s plays, this book will be highly beneficial reading for English teachers and trainees.

This book consists of a collection of talking points used to teach in Bible study sessions at a homeless shelter for women and children. The messages taught were a result of Gods response to diligent prayer for help and guidance on what to teach. Just as these messages ministered to many in the shelter, it is my hope that they will minister to all who value the worth of Gods Word and will take the time to study the Scriptures associated with each message.

Creativity is a highly-prized quality in any modern endeavor, whether artistic, scientific or professional. Though a much-studied subject, and the topic of a great many case-studies, the field of creativity research is still very much an open one. Creativity remains a field where absolute definitions hold very little water, and where true insight can only emerge when we properly appreciate - from a nuanced, multi-disciplinary perspective - the crucial distinction between the producer's perspective and the consumer's perspective. Theories that afford us a critical appreciation of a creative work do not similarly afford a explanatory insight into the origins and development of the work. As researchers, we must approach creativity both as producers - to consider the vast search-spaces that a producer encounters, and to appreciate the need for heuristic strategies for negotiating this space - and as consumers, to appreciate the levels of shared knowledge (foreground and background) that is exploited by the producer to achieve a knowingly creative effect in the mind of the consumer. This volume thus brings together both producers and consumers in a cross-disciplinary exploration of this complex, many-faceted phenomenon.

Discovering Who I Am is a practical group resource that has been specifically designed for use by clinicians and other professionals within health, education and social care. It supports the running of group sessions for children and adolescents with emotional, social and relationship issues who are learning to better understand and manage their behaviour and emotions. The resource offers a planning and activity pack for group sessions, uniquely combining four core elements: mindfulness, self-esteem, identity and relaxation. The aim of the group sessions is to improve self-esteem, identity and emotional understanding through simple, experiential and accessible activities. Key features include: • a range of activities that can be used as part of a group programme or as stand-alone activities; • 20 group session outlines which can be adapted for one-to-one sessions; • photocopiable activity sheets; • activities suitable for children and young people with a range of abilities; • resources that are not overly dependent on language. Packed with easy-to-use session plans and worksheets, this resource will be ideal for educational professionals, clinicians, counsellors and anyone working to support young people with emotional regulation, identity and self-esteem issues.

A comprehensive overview of the field of applied politics, encompassing political consulting, campaigns and elections, lobbying and advocacy, grass roots politics, fundraising, media and political communications, the role of the parties, political leadership, and the ethical dimensions of public life.