Injustice, Elections, and COVID 19: Effectively Handling Highly-Charged Class Discussions

This week, our nation braces as we await the results of a presidential election during an ongoing global pandemic. Simultaneously, many of us are still reeling from the tragedy which unfolded last week in West Philadelphia, spawning protests and civil unrest. For many faculty and students these ongoing events create heightened fear, frustration, and grief. At these moments, it is important to acknowledge current events with our students.

For some of us, these events are also crucial learning opportunities. Yet, highly-charged discussions around current events have the potential to make students from a variety of backgrounds feel alienated. However, thoughtfully handled, they can be highly productive for students, teaching them how to listen empathetically and actively to other points of view, collaborate across differences, think more critically, and discover relevant connections to course material. Whether your course naturally includes highly-charged topics, or you decide to have a discussion in response to current events, preparing for these moments can ensure they are enriching rather than distressing.

Preparing for productive discourse early in the course:

Provide some notice. When possible, let students know they may be engaging in discussions that elicit strong feelings, opinions, and discomfort. Clearly communicate how you will help students “get comfortable with the discomfort” and help them see the benefits of such moments for their intellectual and emotional development. This strategy can begin with an email or open discussion in the first few weeks of class, it can also be supported by messaging in your syllabus and repeated throughout the course.

Develop guidelines for civil discourse. At the start of the course, ask students to collaboratively generate guidelines for class discussion. These guidelines can be posted on Blackboard and referred to throughout the term. Sample guidelines include: listening without interrupting; not turning the conversation into a personal attack; avoiding inflammatory language, and assuming good will. You’ll be surprised how much tougher students can be about these guidelines than you might be, and how much more buy-in you’ll get when they have contributed to the established rules.

Give students opportunities to practice. Early in the term, start with discussion topics that are low stakes and won’t trigger strong emotional responses. This allows students to get to know one another and practice listening, evaluate another perspective, and navigate differences of opinion. Whether your course is in-person, synchronous or asynchronous, small-group discussions and discussion boards can help students practice listening or reading each other’s takes on a topic. At the end of these discussions, remember to ask students what they learned from the process.

Use structured discussion techniques. Structured discussions techniques can ensure equitable participation, help students focus on the topic, and teach students how to engage in productive discussions. For example, in Circle of Voices, each student gets a chance to speak uninterrupted for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on class size and in Circular Response, each student is required to build their comment from the prior comment, or at least address it constructively before adding their own thoughts. These strategies can ensure that students get opportunities to speak, but also practice the skills they need for more open dialogue.

Facilitating productive discourse in response to an event:

Check your baggage at the gate. Before engaging in these types of discussions, reflect on your own biases and triggers. How might you respond verbally or non-verbally to a contrary statement or point of view about which you have strong feelings? Work on modeling desirable skills: show students what it means to actively listen and how to ask clarifying questions. Review some non-verbal skills that demonstrate caring and compassion, and compare the effects to non-verbal expressions of intolerance and anger. If your feelings cannot be managed effectively in the moment, it may be better to table the discussion and return to it at later time.

Start small. Rather than throw a difficult topic wide open, lead into discussion with exercises or questions then help students warm up, sort out their thoughts, and confront their initial reactions. A 1-minute reflection paper before discussion can help students organize their thinking. Questions that start with a third party, like “what did x source have to say on this topic?” or “where does this topic currently fit in the national landscape?” give students time to find their feet. A variety of other strategies exist for designing questions that engage students critically while helping them to manage their passions.

Be prepared for tension. There is always the possibility that a difficult discussion gets out of control. In these “hot” moments, the following strategies can help: remind students of your class discussion agreement; affirm the emotions in the room while rerouting the energy through further questions; take a time out and ask students to write their thoughts quietly for a moment. Many other strategies also exist for managing these hot moments.

Provide additional resources and support. It's important to remember that not all of our students will respond to events in the same way. Whether your students show it in class or not, they may be grappling with difficult feelings they cannot or do not want to express in class. It's always a good idea to remind students there are resources at Drexel for them which can be very helpful in times of crisis.