The facilitator was able to really listen and hear what the students were saying and respond to it to promote deeper reflection, rather than attempt to bring the discussion around to a point that she was trying to make. It was amazing to see the teaching skill and craft that brought together students from the continental US, Alaska, and Canada—students who had never before worked together—and create such a rich discussion among them.

My daughter loved being able to discuss the themes and questions from the story. She enjoyed hearing other thoughts and learning that you can influence and be influenced by the ideas of others.

Having worked for GBF for as long as I have, it is becoming rare to have a “first ever” situation. Today I had one. A student from Colorado joined my discussion from his hospital bed after having been bitten by a rattlesnake just yesterday afternoon! Thanks to the timely administration of antivenom, he is recovering well and was a great participant.

My son loved talking about the short story with other students. He loved hearing everyone’s different thoughts. He said he was able to understand the text a lot better after his Shared Inquiry discussion.

Everyone was able to collaborate and share their ideas. It made me see everyone’s point of view and why they thought what they did.