How (and Why) to Get Students Talking

Jean Sunde Peterson, Ph.D., is professor emerita and former director of school counselor preparation at Purdue University. She conducts workshops on academic underachievement, prevention- and development-oriented small-group work with children and adolescents, bullying, and more.Dr. Peterson has authored more than 130 books (including Get Gifted Students Talking, How (and Why) to Get Students Talking, and Bright, Complex Kids), journal articles, and invited chapters, and her articles have appeared in all major gifted-education journals as well as the Journal of Counseling & Development, Professional School Counseling, and International Journal of Educational Reform. She has received ten national awards for scholarship, as well as numerous awards at Purdue for teaching, research, or service, and was a state teacher of the year in her first career as a classroom teacher.She lives in Indiana.

“Dr. Peterson has created an incredible and beneficial tool to help lead teen group discussions. She provides keen insight on how to get teens to talk, thereby building relationships among adults and peers. The thorough introduction and explanation of the ‘how,’ ‘where,’ and ‘why’ to get teens talking is done in an expert way so an untrained adult could lead a group without difficulty. Teens will learn tools to use in their current situations as well as communication and coping skills they can use throughout their lifetime.”