"Tom Sawyer, Teaching and Talking"

I feel Probst makes very good points about the need to have students gain independent thought and the teachers role to educate them so they can learn to express themselves on their own.
Not many teachers in my high school held class discussions. The main dialogue between teacher and students in the classroom consisted of question/answer type conversation. Not until college did I experience sitting in a circle and voicing my opinion in a space where I was comfortable enough to say how I felt and didn't worry about my opinion being "correct". Even activities in this class such as the Socratic seminar and blog talk are important examples of the need to speak in the classroom because it is not about winning a debate or having the "right" opinion, its about HAVING an opinion. Not only does this help me feel more comfortable expressing my ideas, but it also helps me be more confidant when speaking in front of others.
Another idea that Probst comments on is Forced Freewriting. The name itself is almost an oxymoron; ideas that are your own, but you are forced to think about and come up with in order to get something down on paper. (sorry, I can't explain this exactly how I wanted to) I personally enjoy freewriting in the classroom setting because it gives me a chance to get my thoughts down and clear my head, but not all students respond well to this activity.
I feel the main point Probst tries to make clear is that students need to think and speak for themselves. There will not always be a teacher around to push them in the right direction or provoke their thoughts with stimulating activities. But this cannnot be forced entirely on the teacher, it is also the role of the student to want to learn and become involved in their own learning.