Disagreement isn't always fun, so why do we encourage it?
“One of the greatest values of controversy is its revealing nature by which socially valuable differences register themselves for the enrichment of all concerned.”
“Students who…have had significant opportunities in school to participate in thoughtful discussion of conflictual social issues in open, inclusive classroom climates tend to exhibit democratically relevant understandings, skills and dispositions.”
“Even when their teachers prefer to avoid addressing conflictual issues, students…describe the rare occasions when conflicts are discussed as their most meaningful classroom experiences.”
“Through the give and take of conflict, people shed their illusions and assumptions of each other and can come to know and understand their opponents’ actual positions and needs.”
“Dialogue and debate among contrasting and conflicting views sharpens understanding of one’s own position, fosters learning from other perspectives, and promotes the humble recognition that competing orientations have many advantages of their own.”