Talking Stick

I thought the talking stick was an interesting idea to use in a classroom setting. The flow and focus of the conversation seemed a lot different. When everyone knows only one person can talk at one time it can slow the conversation to a point where you can only speak when that person is ready to pass the stick. It also gives you time to think about if what you have to say is important enough for everyone to direct their full attention to you and also taking the time to get the stick. There were times I wanted to say something but by the time I had a chance to get the stick or did actually take it I kinda lost track of where I was in the conversation. I also thought it was a lot harder to carry on a conversation because a conversation requires quick questions or responses to continue the conversation and it wasn't easily done while having to pass the stick. I think the talking stick would be better in more heated debates where only one person should be allowed to talk at a time. It's not very useful for casual conversation unless you wanted to make a physical exercise out of it or use a projectile of some sort. Overall, I thought the talking stick was a fun and different way to conduct the class discussion. I don't know if I would like to use it all the time but it could come in very useful in certain situations.