We experimented with a new assignment for our sophomore SNF Paideia fellows last fall, requiring them to meet with me in small groups for a one-hour conversation at some point during the semester. The intent was to give the fellows an opportunity to connect with me, the Executive Director, in their first year in the program and to learn about the history and vision of SNF Paideia. It was also a way for me to stay connected with our undergraduate fellows even though I was not teaching a fellows proseminars in the fall.
This easy, light-lift activity achieved these modest goals and, unexpectedly, created opportunities for students to dialogue with each other in meaningful ways. Although I chose the group setting primarily for logistical reasons and to make the meetings more manageable for my schedule (eight, one-hour group sessions instead of 24 individual meetings), the collective nature of the conversations with students was one of the critical ingredients in the success of the assignment.
This practice of group dialogue with students can be adapted to your situation (e.g. office hours, major advising) to build trust and community with and among students.
In this post I review how I created a distinct flavor for these gatherings by adding my personal spice, provided a clear and transparent recipe for the session that was adaptable to each person’s taste, and removed evaluation while still offering a meaningful grade incentive.
Uniquely Personal
For these sessions, I wanted: 1) to create a vibe that would feel different from other meetings students might attend and 2) to make the lift for me light and enjoyable. To do this, I led with the personal, hosting the conversations over some of my favorite things: tea and cookies. But not just any tea and cookies. I selected a good quality, looseleaf Jasmine tea from my preferred tea supplier located in my Midwestern hometown. I brought a Japanese tea set from home, steeping the tea in the beautiful pot and pouring (and spilling!) into the matching cups that rested on small saucers. The cookies or snacks varied week-to-week, but were all made by a regional bakery. Each of these items was an intentional choice and they each offered something about my history, my values, and my preferences. I felt comfortable and open when surrounded by them. Sharing them was a small act of hospitality and vulnerability that provided easy openings for light conversation with the students as they arrived as asked about the items on the table.
Warmly Structured
This was an unusual type of gathering, so it was important to create some structure so that everyone, myself included, knew what was expected of them. But, again, I wanted this to feel distinct and warm. I continued to lean into the tea theme, creating a Fall Tea Menu, which was meant to gesture toward a menu you might receive at a restaurant but with dialogue for nourishment and designed in Paideia colors.
Once everyone settled in around the small table in my office and the tea was poured, I opened our time with a brief description of why we were there, underscoring how important it was to me that I know and hear from them. Then I invited their response to the “appetizer” prompt, a light, easy-to-answer question that would allow us to start getting to know each other. I would vary these (e.g., the week before Thanksgiving, it was what are you thankful for) but they mostly stayed the same. No one was required to speak, but everyone did, including me.
The “main course” questions were meatier, inviting students to chew on their experience with dialogue at Penn. It is a testament to the openness and commitment of our fellows that they all showed up, willing to take each other and the dialogue prompts seriously, but not too seriously. Each conversation went different directions. One group spent a lot of time talking about American politics and what it’s like talking about politics at Penn. Other groups really liked sharing how they were cultivating rest and shared ideas with each other. Another group was honest with each other about feeling lonely at Penn and the challenges of finding true connection with others.
The dessert prompt was meant to ensure that we ended on a sweet note but, as with many actual meals, we often filled up on the main course discussion and did not have space to respond to the dessert questions.
The menu added some “fun” to the table, but it also provided critical structure that allowed everyone to relax, knowing what was coming. I learned this the hard way in the first session, which did not include the menu. I was afraid that an outline or agenda would conflict with the overall relaxed ethos I was aiming for, so I opted to simply keep the questions in my head and ask them as the timing seemed right. That was the least successful gathering of the eight. It felt more formal, less free-flowing, and was the only one that ended early.
Non-evaluatively Incentivized
Honestly, I was somewhat skeptical about this new assignment. It felt presumptuous to require students to meet with me for a conversation when I was not part of their seminar, there was no assigned reading to frame our discussion, and no explicit content link between our time together and the proseminar. It turns out, however, that this incentivized but non-evaluative space was deeply appreciated by the students.
Students received 5 points toward their final grade for attending the tea. All they had to do was show up and engage constructively and they received full credit for the assignment.
In their end-of-semester evaluations, students reported appreciation for the tea gatherings, noting, as we had hoped, that it provided a good opportunity to learn about the Paideia Program and connect with the wider staff team. For example, a student wrote that “It was enjoyable to talk with Dr. Anderson about the state of dialogue at Penn, and I got to better understand her connection with Paideia. Even her meeting with us students is very meaningful to me in that it shows her interest in how we are experiencing the program and that she values our thoughts.”
What I did not expect was that students found these group gatherings to be meaningful opportunities to connect with their peers as much as or more than with me or the program.
For example, one student said, “[t]he meeting with the Executive Director felt surprisingly intimate. Sitting in a small group gave me the opportunity not only to learn more about the program’s vision, but also to get to know two other fellows with whom I had barely interacted until that point.” Another student noted that they “also enjoyed that it wasn’t a one on one. Speaking to Dr Anderson while also considering the perspectives of [other students] added an interesting perspective. And a third commented that it was a “very comfortable environment, and provided an opportunity for me to talk with fellows that I had not talked to yet. I love the sense of freedom in the topics we could choose and the general welcoming sense the tea chat had in welcoming us to the program.
Adding Dialogue to Your Menu
If you are looking for ways to cultivate dialogue and deepen students’ connections with you and with one another, consider adapting this format to your own purposes. What might happen if office hours became small-group conversations? If advising included a shared table, a simple ritual, a thoughtful prompt? When you add a touch of personal hospitality and a transparent, flexible structure, you lower the stakes while building their level of trust with each other as much as with you. Dialogue does not require elaborate design. Just an invitation, intention, and some of your favorite things, critical ingredients for a delicious dialogue.
Dr. Leah Anderson is Executive Director of the SNF Paideia Program.
This entry is part of DiaLogic: Thinking Through Big Questions for Dialogue, a monthly series in which SNF Paideia Dialogue Director Dr. Sarah Ropp and guest contributors from the SNF Paideia community explore key questions and share ideas, experiences, resources, and practices related to diverse dialogue topics. We invite you to respond with your own thoughts and ideas in the comments. If you’re interested in contributing an essay or if this post sparks any ideas about collaborating to create more dialogue at Penn and beyond, please reach out directly to Sarah Ropp at sropp@upenn.edu. For more DiaLogic posts, visit this page here.
