Class interaction

There seems to be a consensus amongst the various authors we've covered that an interactive classroom is preferable to one where the teacher dominates the classroom discussion. Interaction and participation prompt students to make connections and form conclusions themselves. As a result, they develop a deeper, more lasting grasp of the issues being discussed.
But I'm glad that Martin Nystrand makes the distinction that quality student interaction is not measured simply by how much students talk. Nystrand states that, "many lively discussions are not really so free-formed but, like recitation, can be orchestrated by "right" answers, hidden agendas, and preordained conclusions" (7). I'd wager a guess that one of the reasons the "fishbowl" activity described by Durst failed was because students were simply being asked to play a role. Their own opinions on teen pregnancy were overshadowed by the awkward task of playing characters with predetermined points of view.
Nystrand sums his argument up by stating, "In short, how students think--indeed the extent to which they really need to think in school--and consequently what they can learn depend a lot on how their teachers respond to their students' responses" (29). This is a tricky tight-rope to walk because as Nystrand (echoing Bakhtin) states earlier, "it is conflict, not harmony, that fuels response: The struggle of multiple, competing voices is the irreducible social fact of all discourse" (18).
This brings me back to the notion of "right" answers. Students, by and large, will not be looking to expand and enrich their perspectives during classroom discussions. They will be looking for the right answer, and one potential shortcut to the right answer is "whatever the teacher believes is right." I've been debating with myself about revealing my own political and social perspectives to my students. I'm not sure that it's even possible not to let on where I stand on various issues.
It is interesting for me to think back though to my own freshman experience. I was very conservative. My views generally paralleled those of my parents. I remember feeling rather affronted when I came into contact with the progressive views of my liberal arts professors. Ironically, my own views are now considerably left of center and I'll be teaching students who, as a whole, will more than likely come from a more conservative base. I have no interest in bending their beliefs to align with my own. What I am interested in is making sure that they believe what they believe for well founded and thought out reasons. Hopefully our in class dialogue will lead to this, as opposed to attempted shortcuts to being "right."