Iowa Partners in Learning - Halliburton Associates

Iowa Partners in Learning

Partners medium The Iowa "Partners in Learning" is a volunteer coalition organized to promote public deliberation in Iowa. Several groups and individuals provide support for the Partners. The Partners in Learning is the organizing group for the National Issues Forums, a program of the Kettering Foundation, in the State of Iowa.

The Partners work with local and state groups to name issues, frame issues, and convene and conduct deliberative forums in local communities or multiple communities across the state. The results of the forums are used to inform and motivate citizens and provide a basis for future action.

The Partners have conducted forums on state and national issues, conducted public policy institutes to train forum moderators, conveners, and recorders, and conducted research on the deliberative process for the Kettering Foundation.

The Partners are prepared to train individuals and groups to assist in promoting public deliberation on difficult issues in school districts, communities, and across the state.

To contact the Iowa Partners in Learning write, call or email:

David Wilkinson
Teaching and Learning Specialist
Iowa State Education Association
777 Third Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515.471.8054
fax 515.471.8016
dwilkinson@isea.org

NATIONAL ISSUES FORUMS
KETTERING FOUNDATION

What is Public Deliberation?

Public Deliberation follows a four-step process.

· Issue Identification

· Issue Framing

· Public Forums

· Reporting

Why Issue Framing?

There comes a time when a community needs to talk to itself. The community needs to discuss the best way to approach an issue that is important to the entire community. However, such dialogue is often disjointed or becomes one in which the loudest voice receives the most attention or the issue reaches public attention after sides have been chosen and positions are set in concrete. The Kettering Foundation fostered the idea of having dialogue that is deliberative in nature and is led by trained moderators.

In order to have a format for such a conversation, the issue must be framed into a format that allows participants in the forum to consider three or four distinct approaches to dealing with the issue. Each approach is discussed separately and explores strengths, drawbacks, actions, and consequences. This process allows citizens to use their imagination as they consider directions for their community. Imagination is an invaluable element in problem solving. As John Dewey said, "An act overtly tried out is irrevocable, its consequences cannot be blotted out. An act tried out in imagination is not final or fatal. It is retrievable."

The purpose of an issue-framing workshop is to frame an issue in language that people readily understand. Following the framing, citizens interact in one or more forums to prepare for action.

Forums follow Framing

When a good frame with three or four approaches to the issue is complete, forums can be scheduled to involve community citizens. Forums generally are from two and one-half to three hours in length and allow time for an introduction to the issue and for deliberation on each of the approaches.

Deliberation is NOT A DEBATE. When the community deliberates there is a lot of listening. Participants seek to understand different perspectives. Participants are able to confront the conflicts among different options, consider the trade-offs within each option, and search for common values and common ground. In a deliberative forum format, citizens deeply explore the approaches considering costs, benefits, and impact. Thoughtful deliberation itself engages citizens in connecting the issues with their own lives in a vital way.

After the different approaches have been considered, citizens identify areas of common ground and areas of disagreement that may require additional work. The entire forum is recorded and a final report may be written for publication.

A Time for Action?

While working through the difficult choices, citizens discover underlying values which become their common ground to set the stage for public action. If there is a strong sense of common ground and common purpose, participants and other members of the community may join together to take direct action on the issue or may choose to inform and involve decision-making bodies about the community consensus.


	Home Theory of Constraints (TOC) TRIZ Theory of Inventive Problem Solving Catalog Iowa Partners in Learning National Issues Forums Issue Framing Workshop Poetry and Essays--Books by James H. Sutton For Members About Us We are Associated with... Contact Us Resources	Home » Iowa Partners in Learning Iowa Partners in Learning Iowa Partners in Learning The Iowa "Partners in Learning" is a volunteer coalition organized to promote public deliberation in Iowa. Several groups and individuals provide support for the Partners. The Partners in Learning is the organizing group for the National Issues Forums, a program of the Kettering Foundation, in the State of Iowa. The Partners work with local and state groups to name issues, frame issues, and convene and conduct deliberative forums in local communities or multiple communities across the state. The results of the forums are used to inform and motivate citizens and provide a basis for future action. The Partners have conducted forums on state and national issues, conducted public policy institutes to train forum moderators, conveners, and recorders, and conducted research on the deliberative process for the Kettering Foundation. The Partners are prepared to train individuals and groups to assist in promoting public deliberation on difficult issues in school districts, communities, and across the state. To contact the Iowa Partners in Learning write, call or email: David Wilkinson Teaching and Learning Specialist Iowa State Education Association 777 Third Street Des Moines, Iowa 50309 515.471.8054 fax 515.471.8016 dwilkinson@isea.org NATIONAL ISSUES FORUMS KETTERING FOUNDATION What is Public Deliberation? Public Deliberation follows a four-step process. · Issue Identification · Issue Framing · Public Forums · Reporting Why Issue Framing? There comes a time when a community needs to talk to itself. The community needs to discuss the best way to approach an issue that is important to the entire community. However, such dialogue is often disjointed or becomes one in which the loudest voice receives the most attention or the issue reaches public attention after sides have been chosen and positions are set in concrete. The Kettering Foundation fostered the idea of having dialogue that is deliberative in nature and is led by trained moderators. In order to have a format for such a conversation, the issue must be framed into a format that allows participants in the forum to consider three or four distinct approaches to dealing with the issue. Each approach is discussed separately and explores strengths, drawbacks, actions, and consequences. This process allows citizens to use their imagination as they consider directions for their community. Imagination is an invaluable element in problem solving. As John Dewey said, "An act overtly tried out is irrevocable, its consequences cannot be blotted out. An act tried out in imagination is not final or fatal. It is retrievable." The purpose of an issue-framing workshop is to frame an issue in language that people readily understand. Following the framing, citizens interact in one or more forums to prepare for action. Forums follow Framing When a good frame with three or four approaches to the issue is complete, forums can be scheduled to involve community citizens. Forums generally are from two and one-half to three hours in length and allow time for an introduction to the issue and for deliberation on each of the approaches. Deliberation is NOT A DEBATE. When the community deliberates there is a lot of listening. Participants seek to understand different perspectives. Participants are able to confront the conflicts among different options, consider the trade-offs within each option, and search for common values and common ground. In a deliberative forum format, citizens deeply explore the approaches considering costs, benefits, and impact. Thoughtful deliberation itself engages citizens in connecting the issues with their own lives in a vital way. After the different approaches have been considered, citizens identify areas of common ground and areas of disagreement that may require additional work. The entire forum is recorded and a final report may be written for publication. A Time for Action? While working through the difficult choices, citizens discover underlying values which become their common ground to set the stage for public action. If there is a strong sense of common ground and common purpose, participants and other members of the community may join together to take direct action on the issue or may choose to inform and involve decision-making bodies about the community consensus.