Facilitating Dialogue

The block area was very popular this morning, and I sat down to observe all the goings-on. I recently visited the TriBeCa Community School in Manhattan where one of the teachers described their approach to problem solving saying, "We don't negotiate turn-taking; we facilitate dialogue." I loved this framing of the issue, and so I sat down with the intention to try it out. It turns out there was a lot  of dialogue to facilitate, and that with very little help, the Turtles are able to really navigate some of these conversations. Instead of asking directive questions like "Who had it first?" I ask questions like:

What is the problem?
How can we solve this problem?
How did that make you feel?
Did you tell your friend?
How did that make your friend feel?
What's your idea?
What's you friend's idea?

With a little bit of support, a couple different dyads worked happily and constructively for almost half an hour! They built castles, garages, and a highway.