Supporting authentic discussion in the classroom is a daunting task. And to be honest before my introduction to VTS it was scary and something that I would avoid at all costs. Just as Hadjioannou suggests several things have to be in place. The students have to be able to trust you as a teacher, the students have to be able to trust one another, the students need to feel that the teachers role in discussion is not that of "indisputable authority" but rather another perspective if anything. And as a teacher trying to achieve authentic discussion you have to be flexible and sometimes give the students a little room to run. The goal is student learning and thinking and meaning making. Its tricky.
VTS has changed the overall environment of my classroom both in terms of relationships and classroom management. I think after several VTS discussions the students do trust both myself and one another more. They value one another's opinion more about their own assignments and they are willing to discuss more freely with one another about their own work. Classroom management has never really been a problem in my classroom but the environment is even more "chill" if you will.
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