In Bernt Capra's 1990 film Mindwalk, a politician, a poet, and a brilliant physicist meet by chance in Mont Saint-Michel, France, and engage in a conversation that transforms their thinking about time, philosophy, and the meaning of life. Based on the book The Turning Point by Fritjof Capra, the movie follows these highly educated and well-read characters as they search for something they cannot find in books or alone. Only by challenging and building on one another's knowledge are they able to discover new territories for thought. Although as educators we would never advocate for the wholesale abandonment of books, we agree that conversations can yield new insights into our understanding of the world. The purpose of communication, after all, is to convey and obtain meaning.

Teachers know and appreciate the importance and value of students sitting across from one another exchanging ideas. In fact, for many of us, watching students wrestle with ideas, challenge each other, and come to common understandings (or agree to disagree) can be the high point of our day, week, or month. Witnessing these "learning transactions" is a privilege to which few other professionals are privy, and we have a responsibility to provide our students opportunities to engage in them. In a world that offers students an increasing array of technologies that isolate, there is also a growing demand for employees who work well in groups. The best opportunity students have for learning to learn and solve problems with others is in the classroom.