Steps to Setting Up a Dialogue
Identifying a school | Setting
up the appointment | Discussing your visit
with the teacher
Preparing the class for your visit |
Preparing yourself for your day in class
Alerting the local media
Step 1: Identify a school
If you wish to lead a Dialogue on Freedom, the first step is to
identify a high school in your community where you would like
to conduct a dialogue. For example, you may want to contact a
school where you and your friends' children have been students;
a school in your neighborhood; or a school where you know members
of the teaching staff. You might also ask friends or co-workers
if they know of a school that would enjoy participating in this
program.
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Step 2: Set up an appointment for your visit
After reviewing the materials available on this website, contact
the high school principal or the head of the relevant department
(social studies, history, government, or civics) and explain the
program to them. Direct them to the program's website, www.dialogueonfreedom.org,
or offer them a printout of the program materials. Ask if they
would be willing to devote a class session to a Dialogue on Freedom.
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Step 3: Discuss your visit with the teacher
- Talk to the teacher about the ages and experiences of the
students.
- Clarify the exact time for the class and the amount of class-time
that you have for the discussion. You will want somewhere between
45 and 90 minutes to make the dialogue a meaningful experience.
- Consult with the teacher about the appropriateness of the
topics and the format that you are considering for the discussion.
Provide the teacher with a copy of the hypotheticals
and any other materials you wish to discuss during your visit
(see Additional Resources).
- Consult with the teacher about additional background information
students may need in order to participate fully in the discussion.
- Provide the resources that you would like students to have
prior to your visit.
- Request that the teacher have name tags or tent cards printed
with the students' first names. You will be much more effective
in controlling the discussion if you can address students by
name.
- Request a blackboard, flip chart or other equipment that you
will need.
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Step 4: Prepare the class for your visit
- Ask the teacher to distribute the hypotheticals
or other materials you will be discussing to the students at
least a day before the scheduled classroom dialogue.
- Ask the teacher to give the students this assignment, which
refers to Parts IV and V of the hypotheticals,
at least one day before the dialogue (see also Sharing
the Experience):
Make three lists, each with 3 items. Be prepared to discuss
the items you include on your lists during the classroom Dialogue
on Freedom.
List 1: The events in history that you think have been the most
important milestones for freedom.
List 2: The books that you believe best capture what America
means to you.
List 3: The movies that you believe best capture what America
means to you.
- Ask the teacher to assign any background readings that you
have agreed will help facilitate the dialogue.
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Step 5: Prepare yourself for your day in
class
- Know your subject. While this may seem an obvious tip, it
is probably the most important. Spend time reviewing the hypotheticals
and other material you will discuss prior to addressing the
students. Think of additional questions you believe will help
students explore the issues raised by the hypotheticals or dialogue
starters. Don't underestimate the breadth of their knowledge,
their awareness of the law or their interest in current law-related
issues.
- Have a plan, but be prepared to be flexible. Before you get
to the classroom, you should know what you want to say and how
you want to say it. Create a discussion outline. It will help
to keep the class focused and moving toward your desired conclusion.
It will be impossible to keep the discussion from taking off
in several directions, but it is your job to know when you have
veered totally off course. (For tips on handling this problem,
see Your Role as Dialogue Leader,
Keeping the Dialogue on Track,
and Classroom Strategies.)
- Personalize the topic by connecting it to real experiences
that you have had or that you can relate from others. For example,
you may use stories, court decisions, opinion essays, or cartoons
to illustrate points you are trying to make or to establish
a common base from which to launch a topic.
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Step 6: Alert the local media
Media coverage of your dialogue can widen the impact of your event,
enabling thousands outside the classroom to hear what you discussed
and encouraging more lawyers, judges, and schools to participate
in the program. If the school you plan to visit is amenable to media coverage of your dialogue, consider inviting the media to attend. Click here to access a How-to
Guide for Local Press Coverage.
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Note: The views expressed here have not been
approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of
the American Bar Association, and accordingly, should not be construed
as representing the policy of the American Bar Association.
