Draft:Touchstones Discussion Project

The Touchstones Discussion Project was founded by Howard Zeiderman, Geoffrey Comber, and Nicholas Maistrellis, who were tutors at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, Maryland, a private liberal arts college with a Great Books curriculum.

The founders were intrigued by the dynamics of classroom discourse and developed Touchstones as a vehicle to investigate issues of participation, cooperation, active listening, and collaborative leadership. They designed discussion-based programs for K-12 classrooms that included new intervention strategies to improve group dynamics and support enhanced critical thinking and shared responsibility for classroom discussion outcomes.

Early implementations of the program took place in public schools, where students participated in structured discussions tied to short and edited primary source texts. Students did not prepare in advance for class, and teachers read the text aloud to the class, giving all students equal access to the content. Individual work, small group work, full class discussion, and discussion evaluation were integrated into each discussion class, providing students multiple avenues for engagement and self-expression.^[2]

Following implementations in public schools, Touchstones developed seniors programs, higher-ed, and educator training programs. Educator training programs started in the mid-1980s and were part of the piloting of K-12 materials in sites across the U.S. ^[3]

By the 1990s, Touchstones seminars were conducted in correctional education programs in the United States.^[4][5]

Touchstones discussion programs focus on student or participant thinking as the central activity. Every program is designed to support inclusive discussion group formation by addressing issues of participation, cooperation, active listening, and collaborative leadership. Those four aspects of shared inquiry represent four stages of group formation in all Touchstones programs. 

To cultivate skills in listening, speaking, cooperation, self-awareness and higher level thinking skills, teachers and students engage in specific activities that shape the Touchstones method: individual work, small group work, full class discussion, and discussion evaluation.

There is always a shared primary source text for discussion, and they are drawn from diverse cultures, subject matter, disciplines, era, genre, and include works of fine art. The programmatic stage of development dictates the type or nature of each text, as each program is designed to build skills cumulatively.

Touchstones programs are delivered through print or digital textbooks. The textbooks use a workshop type approach for teachers and students.^[1]

Different groups select a Touchstones program based on their particular goals and needs. By empowering each student to articulate and explain their thinking--with others--while gradually assuming greater leadership within the group, each meeting transforms traditional discussion approaches that remain highly teacher or leader mediated.^[6]

The Touchstones method fosters a diverse set of competencies, including interpersonal skills such as active listening and speaking, and cognitive abilities such as reflective thinking and analytical reasoning.

During sequential workshops, participants engage in a collective reading with a facilitator guiding the structured dialogue and promoting shared leadership among the group. Readings may include literary works, philosophical writing, historical documents, fine art, works from mathematics and the physical sciences along with other primary sources adapted for different age groups and educational settings.

Sessions typically include individual reflection, small-group discussion, and whole-group dialogue.

K-12 schools,^[7][8] post-secondary and continuing education courses,^[9] veterans programs, executive programs, government programs, correctional education programs, and community discussion groups have implemented Touchstones discussion programs.^[10][11]

Touchstones programs have been used with more than 6,000,000 participants in more than 47 countries and in six languages.

Educational broadcasters and regional news outlets have featured the program in reporting on classroom discussion initiatives and instructional practices.^{[12][13][14][15][16] [17]}

Since the 1990s, Touchstones volunteers have facilitated programs with incarcerated persons in the United States.^[4][5]

Programs in Maryland, New Mexico, and California correctional facilities engaged incarcerated individuals in facilitated dialogue about literary and philosophical texts through deep and respectful group discussion.^[18][19][20]

The method fosters habits of mind and behavior that enable participants to learn, work, and collaborate more effectively with others.

Touchstones discussion methods have also been used in programs supporting student veterans in higher education and community veterans' groups. Research published in the Journal of Veterans Studies examined the "Completing the Odyssey" Touchstones program and its role in successfully fostering peer dialogue and community among Black and Latino student veterans.^[21][19]