EdCafe Reflection

I enjoyed the EdCafe model. I really enjoyed the fact that it was run by the kids. I felt like it was slightly less pressure and that way it was easier to contribute more to the discussion. I think that other kids felt this way as well so I heard different opinions from more people  than I would in a Socratic seminar. I think next time, everyone could use more primary resources such as pictures or brief quotes to show perspectives from people at the time of the event we're discussing. Also, maybe everyone could show a visual representation or list of some of the main points that were discussed during their meeting. It would be easier to see how everything discussed connected to each other and it would be easier to take notes.

My group's presentation went fairly well. There were three or four people who consistently made contributions and one or two people who didn't say anything. At points there were some lulls in the conversation. I think that kids were still trying to figure out how the whole EdCafe worked seeing as my group was in the first round of presentations.Overall though, I think our takeaway was worth the conversation. We did well recognizing when the conversation wasn't going anywhere in particular and using our prepared questions to keep things rolling. Next time however, I would bring in a few more resources like a quote from someone who was involved in the topic to insight more conversation. It would show another perspective and  bring different aspect of the even or topic into light.

I think I was a good attendee. I consistently contributed to each conversation I was a part of. I talked a lot about connections between things nowadays and how they were during the antebellum era. In one group we were discussing whether or not slave owners were bad people. We discussed the fact that slave owners completely seperated their family life and how they treated their slaves. Owning and abusing slaves was simply a social norm, no matter how wrong it  was. I mentioned that this happens now as well to a totally different extent. Some people drink underage or do drugs because it might be socially acceptable in the environment they spend time in. It may be against the law, but it doesn't mean they're bad people, or get bad grades or are mean to other people. People started chiming in, some saying that they are two different things because one had to do with personal decisions and another had to do with treatment of other humans. Others agreed, saying that even though they are two totally different things, it's true that they're both a social norm and it doesn't mean that it's right, but neither action totally defines a person.
My notes weren't a great representation of what I learned. It was hard to keep track of the conversation at times and pick out what was important. I did manage to get down each group's takeaway though. Also, I didn't learn many new facts, but I gained a greater understanding of each topic. Next time, I will follow this advice for hosting and attending an EdCafe more carefully.