Students will learn about the Respectful Conversations in Schools (R.C.S.) strategy, a program of the Y.M.C.A.’s Center for Youth Voice, which helps students have important and sometimes difficult conversations while enhancing learning and improving classroom culture. R.C.S. is a structured, content-neutral discussion strategy that helps students reflect on and speak from their own experience, listen carefully to classmates and ask questions of genuine interest to deepen empathy and understanding.In order for a democratic republic to thrive, citizens must be able to express and exchange ideas among themselves as well as with their representatives in government. Effective teachers utilize many strategies to structure student conversations so that they are civil and productive, often requiring students to prepare ahead of time and reference text or evidence. This strategy does not require participants to prepare ahead of time, other than reviewing the outlined steps.R.C.S. includes these consistent elements:
- Small groups (4-5 students)
- Current, often divisive topic
- Discussion ground rules
- Consistent, tailored questions
- Timed discussion segments
- Time for individual and group reflection
