“ There are topics I want to talk about and I don’ t know where to go.”
CULTIVATING a Practice of Dialogue
BY KARA MCDONALD, DEPUTY HEAD
WHY DIALOGUE AND WHY NOW?
At Crofton House, we are cultivating a whole-school practice of student-centred dialogue and helping students explore questions that matter to them, deepen understanding across differences, and engage thoughtfully with others.
We began this work by listening to students. They are growing up amid rapid change and polarizing conversations and navigating complex issues without simple answers.
“ There are things I want to talk about, and I don’ t know where to go,” one Grade 10 student shared.“ With my family, I’ m learning there are topics my parents don’ t want to talk about. At school, there are big topics that fall through the cracks. I can’ t always talk about them with my friends because cancel culture is a real thing.”
Her words echoed those of other students. They wanted guidance to make sense of important questions, especially when perspectives differed.
“ Students come to counselling because they want to know how to have diffi cult conversations— with
“ There are topics I want to talk about and I don’ t know where to go.”
– Grade 10 student
family and friends about topics like relationships and mental health. They fear not being heard or that things will turn heated or harmful,” Ms Hoang, Personal Counsellor, Senior School, observed.“ My role is to help them overcome the fear that stops them from having those conversations.”
Across the School, educators recognized the need for a wholeschool approach to help students explore questions shaping their lives, and to do so thoughtfully with others across differences. This idea shaped Crofton House’ s strategic plan, Thriving in Possibility, reflecting our purpose: to empower girls to thrive and engage positively with the world. Cultivating a whole-school practice of dialogue is one way we are fulfi lling this responsibility.
WHAT IS DIALOGUE AT CHS?
At Crofton House, dialogue is a purposeful, structured practice that helps students explore questions that matter and deepen their understanding of themselves, others, and the world.
The goal is not agreement or persuasion, but listening to understand. Dialogue does not avoid disagreement; it values difference, honours the dignity and agency of people, and invites students to stay curious about different perspectives. At CHS, we want students to experience disagreement as a source of learning and understand what shapes their own and others’ ways of seeing the world.
Following a year of research and collaborative inquiry, Crofton House partnered with the Institute for Global Learning, whose approach aligned with the School’ s purpose, values, and Learning Framework.
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