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Chapter 32. DIALOGIC/DIALECTIC Activities Using Dialogic/Dialectic Thinking See also "Activities & Groups." --- SPECIAL ACTIVITIES DEBATE: Imagine a dialogue, silly or serious, between two people who clearly disagree on an important or silly issue.  Write a debate between them, having them support their sides with detailed facts and/or examples. ROLE PLAYING: (A) In a small group of three or four people, choose or make up an interesting or controversial subject. Then imagine three entirely different roles to play--different from yourself and from each other: for example, a younger female student might choose to be an elderly male politician; an older male student might choose to be a young female corporation vice-president, etc. Each role should be entered on paper (or a computer): e.g., "U.S. CONGRESSMAN:". Then each of you should, in your role,  write a position as different as possible from that of the others in the group.  Do so on the group on the subject you have chosen.  Next, read your positions out loud (or, on the computer, look at all three; positions together).  Then, once the above is finished, the final step is to work as a group to summarize each position in two to three sentences. When you are done, read the results to the entire class: the subject, your individual roles, and your summaries.   (B) If you wish to continue the above exercise, each group should pass its paper to another group (or, if you are at a computer terminal, stand as a group and move to another group's computer terminal).  Next, each group should read the summaries of the three differing positions before them. Then each group should imagine that it is a highly paid professional team of leaders in the field involving the arguments before them. As highly paid professional leaders, it is your group's job to find a higher, better position or belief--or, at the least, a compromise--which can satisfy all three of the people who wrote three such different arguments about the position on the computer terminal. Write at least 50 words stating/explaining this fourth position; then read it to the class. PASSION AND LOGIC: In groups or as an individual, (A) first choose a point of view with which you agree or disagree intensely. Write as fast as you can about it, agreeing or disagreeing, either alone or in small groups. (B) Then choose a point of view with which you neither strongly agree nor disagree, but one about which you have knowledge or experience. Write representing both sides well. (C) Then choose either to (a) write supporting the opposite position of your choice in #1 above, or (b) choose an entirely odd or even strange third point of view for the subject of your choice in #2 above. (D) Finally, analyze and write about the different feelings, logic, and writing experiences you had: describe what each was like, explain how or why they occurred, and evaluate the value of each by comparing and contrasting them with each other and with what is expected in school and work for such writing. ---     OTHER ACTIVITIES THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHAPTER: As an individual or a group, read the chapter and take notes about it using one or more of the methods in "General Study Questions." ROUGH DRAFT: As an individual or a group, write a paper as described in this chapter.  Use the subtitles shown in the "Introduction" or the "Basics" section as subtitles of your rough draft, and write at least 50+ words in each body section.  If you are working as a group, you may, if your instructor allows, develop a fictional and fanciful background and subject for your rough draft. GROUP MAPPING & PLANNING: Divide into small groups of 3-4 people randomly.  In each group, one person each should volunteer to be       (i) the facilitator (the person helping everyone to do the work), (ii) the writer/recorder (who does the writing for the group), (iii) the reader/announcer (who reports the group's works to the class), and (iv) if there is a fourth, the timekeeper, the observer taking notes about the group's way of working, and/or the "social encourager"--someone who finds questions to encourage quieter members of the group.         The group should then follow these steps using a timetable given by the instructor, either in a small, close circle with the writer using pen or laptop, or at a segment of the whiteboard with the writer using a marker:      (A) What is the key or essence of this type of paper?  Brainstorm an interesting, fun idea (serious or silly) to write about.     (B) Then look at the "map" or blocks of how to build this type of paper, from introduction through the body sections to the conclusion.  The instructor can either project it on a screen or draw it on the board.  Then fill in the parts with 50-100 words for each main body section, and 20-50 for the intro and conclusion (depending on the instructor's directions).    (C) If your instructor suggests this, add a good made up illustration, graphic, or quotation or two to each section from an "expert" and give credit to your made-up expert.  (Note: Never add made-up detail or experts to a real paper.)    (D) Have your reader/announcer read your result to the entire class.    (E) After all groups have gone, then the "observer" in each group--or the facilitator--should answer three brief comments on how the group process happened: "What worked well," "What didn't," and "How could it be changed?"       GROUP CRITIQUE OF A LATER DRAFT: If your class has a paper all of you are preparing for grading, gather in a group to critique each other's developed drafts:       (A) Simply pass the papers to each other; your paper preferably should be checked by three other people.   (Some instructors prefer that you make several copies, distribute them to your group members, take the copies home that you receive, and comment on them there.)      (B) Write comments for each other.  To do so, use a a set of grading guidelines (or "rubric"): for example, "How are the contents," "How is the organization of parts," "Do paragraphs work well," and "How well have editing errors been corrected?"  Preferably, you can use the guidelines your instructor applies when grading.         (C) For each question or requirement in your guidelines, write one or more comments.  Your comments should be substantial and specific (more like a complete sentence, and more specific than just "Nice!" or "Needs work").  Your comments also should be positive or helpfully constructive: when positive, they should offer specific praise of a particular part, detail, or method; when constructive, they should offer specific advice about what to add or do to make the paper better.         (D) Add a final positive or constructive comment about how you think the average reader of this paper might respond to it, and/or how the paper could be changed or fixed for a stronger or more positive response from its audience.   (E) After receiving your comments from others, take them home.  Review what they have written.  Remember that your readers are not commenting on you as a person, but rather on how easily (or poorly) they have been able to read your paper as its audience members.  Pay attention in particular to comments that may have been repeated by more than one of your readers. For a wide variety of other activities and exercises, go to "Activities & Groups." --- Return to top.