a heterogeneity without hierarchy

John Trimbur's Consensus and Difference in Collaborative Learning addresses an important criticism of collaberate learning. The criticism is that collaberative learning supresses individual ideas and enforces conformity. I give Trimbur credit for addressing his critics with respect and care, stating the problem he will later counteract while maintaining that his critics make valid arguments. Anyway, Trimbur says that "it is through social interaction of shared activity that individuals realize their own power to take control of their situation by collaborating with other" (463). I definetly agree with him, but I see both sides to this. I feel the collaboration we students in our English class have allows us to bounce ideas off of each other, play the devil's advocate and possibly strengthen our exisiting ideas or create new ones. I have not encountered students in my group that buckle their ideas if it is not the majority consensus of the group.
However, I see the concern and fear that group talk/think can sway a student to the majority's consensus or mimic/adapt the ideas of the group and call them their own. I am sometimes concerned in my tutoring sessions that our conversations will be intimidating since the tutee is younger, she may feel that my ideas are "right", when really I'm just the same as she is; a student looking for intellectual conversation with ideas.
I thought I followed the section on normal and abnormal discourse, but I had trouble understanding the following: "[abnormal discourse] offers a way to analyze the strategic moves by which discourse communities legitimize their own conversatio by marginalizing others" (469).
I like his idea of a heterogeneity without hierarchy. In a normal, traditional classroom setting, the teacher is the main leader/power and the students are their to absorb the teacher's knowledge. In collaberative learning, the collective efforts of the participants, equal authority and participating in normal conventions of a discourse community can release creative energies and ideas.