Mellon Tribal College Research Journal --- Volume I Jessie Antonellis personalized, an idea that localized the harmony to the individual. My response (lines 65-69) brought us back to the notion of balance and contrast, and Dylin followed up on this notion (lines 72-73) with an application of Newton’s 3rd law to the appreciation of good and bad. One can look at this discussion and the fact that it was repeatedly drawn back along this common thread as pure chance, and I would definitely agree that I did not plan any of it; I never would have thought to make these connections if they had not arisen from students thinking out loud. However, this dialogue is a reflection of the interpretive nature of science as third space: as the students considered Newton’s 3rd law and its implications, they drew in connections and experimented with applications, building a nuanced co-construction of the concept of forces in balance applied in physical, biological, supernatural, and emotional contexts.
Conclusions Dialogues with the students in this classroom may have appeared to an outside party to be exercises in group free association. However, allowing students free reign to make connections – with their culture, their interests, and their personal lives – and empowering them to make decisions about their own learning – including what to learn, how to learn, and how to assess that learning – were all means of encouraging students to develop meaningful conceptual understanding. The third space created in the classroom by the students and instructor gave voice to the struggle to build these conceptual understandings, and space to ponder the implications in the group setting. Each component that contributed to the third space was key for creating an environment that welcomed student voice. Sharing power with the students encouraged them to invest in shaping this environment and
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