In response to the challenges facing our nation and world, and seeking a more holistic way to find common ground and understanding, faculty member Joe Poon has synthesized a method for the Trinity-Pawling community to engage in difficult conversations with thoughtfulness and empathy. Dubbed the Trinity Method, Poon\u2019s concept culls together an array of dialogue and listening methods \u2014 from conflict resolution and psychology to Quaker practices and philosophy. The blended result is a method that fosters constructive, compassionate conversations, both in and out of the classroom.<\/p>\n
We heard about the many ways the Trinity Method is being used on campus and caught up with Joe Poon for an interview to learn more.<\/p>\n
In a Trinity Method session, there are three parties involved: two students and a moderator. Both sides are afforded the same amount of speaking time (two minutes) and participants agree to be respectful and attentive listeners when the other is speaking. There are two rounds of exchange on the selected topic or question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trinity Method takes no sides and offers everyone equal time to speak and to listen,\u201d Poon explained. \u201cStudents are reminded to not use generalizations or to speak on behalf of an entire group. But above all, the goal of the Trinity Method is really to teach students to listen to each other and begin to care about their opponent\u2019s perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the start of the Fall Term, faculty and students have utilized the Trinity Method in classroom discussions, club meetings, team-building exercises, school podcasts, and more. \u201cIt\u2019s not about opinions,\u201d shared Sam Clougher, Director of Equity and Inclusion. \u201cIt\u2019s about listening, reflecting, and learning from one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Poon, empathy is at the heart of the Trinity Method. The end goal for every Trinity session \u2014 whether the topic is academic, political, philosophical, or somewhere in between \u2014 is to foster a sense of empathy and compassion between the participants. \u201cThe Trinity Method helps participants to accept one another\u2019s ideas (no matter how different they may be from their own), and treat the new ideas as equal to their own,\u201d Poon continued. \u201cIt also encourages students to embrace their blind spots and the opportunities to grow and learn about themselves and their classmates.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it doesn\u2019t stop at the campus gates. Poon hopes that the Trinity Method can soon be embraced and used by all, including alumni, parents, trustees, and friends of the School. \u201cI\u2019d welcome the chance to conduct a Trinity session for anyone looking for an enriching conversation,\u201d he explained. \u201cAfter all, the best way to understand the Trinity Method is to experience it yourself, so I say let\u2019s get started!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Trinity Method promotes acceptance, equity, open-mindedness, and respect. It provokes critical thinking and confidence while challenging students to care about other\u2019s beliefs and perspectives. It\u2019s not about being right or winning; it\u2019s about acknowledging differences and finding common ground. \u201cThe Trinity Method provides our community with a way to build better bonds and hold meaningful conversations on campus. In this way, the Method can be neutral, yet rich political and philosophical discussions can be had using its techniques,\u201d Poon concluded. \u201cOne Trinity session at a time, I think we can change the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
by Emma Christiantelli<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In response to the challenges facing our nation and world, and seeking a more holistic way to find common ground and understanding, faculty member Joe Poon has synthesized a method for the Trinity-Pawling community to engage in difficult conversations with thoughtfulness and empathy. Dubbed the Trinity Method, Poon\u2019s concept culls together an array of dialogue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-october-2020"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"FOSTERING EMPATHY AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3880"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3933,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3880\/revisions\/3933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trinitypawlingthequad.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}