Difficult Dialogues Series: Strategies to Facilitate Controversial Topics in the Classroom

Team: Sue Jacobs, Farshid Jahanshahi Shelia Kennison, Jason Kirksey, Hong Lin, and Mimi Ward

Underlying context for difficult dialogues programs on campus include academic freedom; free speech and academic freedom in and out of classroom; pluralism and respect for diversity, inclusion

Our assumption is that as faculty members, we may sometime avoid bringing in controversial topics to our classrooms…doing so can increase our students’ critical thinking and respect for others and life views different than their own.

There are strategies for increasing dialogue of hot topics in a safe environment and to manage the conflict and encourage student learning through dialogue and taking different perspectives.

Format today is primarily interactive

What are they?

Which topics are talked about, ignored?

Which do you feel unprepared to deal with in the classroom?

Which have you dealt with in the classroom successfully?

Do you have examples from your experience of what has worked and has not?

Race/ ethnicity Gender Religion Sexual orientation Social class/poverty Abortion Immigration Language Evolution Environment and technology

Talked previously about spontaneous class discussions and faculty fears, student fears

Focus today on planned assignments, dialogues

What are your fears or concerns?

Threat of negative student evaluations Student harassment of other students Disapproval from colleague/administrators Promotion/tenure concerns Lack of skills for handling difficult dialogues Discomfort with silence in the classroom Lack of knowledge on the subject matter Fear of political/religious profiling by students

Students will only give what they think I want Losing Control of classroom dynamics Emotionally charged Faculty’s Perception of student

reactions/emotions: Anxiety, Anger, Defensive and less often Sadness

Faculty’s Perceptions of Student reactions/behaviors: Student Cries, Student leaves classroom, Students Withdraw

Professors’ emotions: Anxiety, Disappointment, Uncertainty (Sue, et. al)

Threat of negative student evaluations Student harassment of other students Disapproval from colleague/administrators Promotion/tenure concerns Lack of skills for handling difficult dialogues Discomfort with silence in the classroom Lack of knowledge on the subject matter Fear of political/religious profiling by students

Before a discussion occurs:

Expect there to be incidences and plan ahead

Expect emotion and strong feelings

Set ground rules to create a safe space in the classroom and after class

Develop Rules Divide the larger group into smaller sub-groups of three to five

individuals. Ask them to make a short list of desirable and undesirable classroom

behaviors. Give the groups about five minutes to make their lists. Bring everyone back together, and then invite the groups to share their

lists. Achieve Consensus Combine similar items to create a list in each category that the class can

agree on. Save these and display or refer to them regularly throughout the semester.

Determine Sanctions Using a similar process, have the class

develop sanctions for violations of the rules. Be prepared to negotiate on this; they may

recommend harsher penalties than you want to enforce

Other Options

Ask students to create ground rules; the instructor can consolidate all students’ written responses.

Pass out the syllabus with ground rules specified; ask students to return the syllabus with revisions, additions, or deletions.

See Handout for example

In this course, we will/may have class discussions. • You must respect diverse points of view. We can agree to

disagree. • You may not belittle or criticize personally another individual for holding a viewpoint different from you own. • Your use of language should be respectful of others or groups.

• You should be mindful of your non-verbal communication; not

paying attention, sneering or sighing conveys a lack of respect.

Should Pay attention when others speak Have cell phones on silent or turned off Participate Respect other students and professor

Should Not Chat with neighbors while the instructor or your

classmates are speaking Come to class late or leave early Nap or use cell phones to text during class

See Handout: Nine Ground Rules for Difficult Dialogues If someone pushes a “hot button” of yours, it’s okay to let the group know what it is and how it

makes you feel. Be as open and honest as you feel you can be. Try to move outside your comfort zone. Respect each person’s right to be heard. Realize that we are all teachers and learners. Be an active participant. Remember that we participate in different ways. Listen even when you do not want to listen. Do not judge another person’s feelings Focus on the behavior rather than the person Do not ask persons to be spokespersons for their groups Active Listening Skills Checklist Do you listen intently even when you disagree with someone? Do you listen intently even when you have a difficult time understanding someone? Do you listen intently when someone talks very slowly and deliberately Do you hear only what you want to hear? Are you aware of verbal and non verbal message? Do you restate, summarize. And question to promote understanding? Do you provide positive feedback through body language and “listening noises”? Do you give people time to respond? How do you make sure your biases so not interfere with your ability to listen?

The one-minute rule

Each contribution is limited to one-minute

The rule of two

After a person contributes, two others must speak before the person can contribute again

When the discussion occurs

Students may be unfamiliar with listening to others’ points of view for understanding

Discussion is not debate; the goal for debating is to win. The goal of discussion is to understand.

Asserting facts may not change opinions.

Carefully monitor students’ reactions.

TALK ABOUT IT / DIALOGUE Exchange Discuss Promote Understanding Listening No Decision

1) ask students to write their own opinion on a topic anonymously (giving them credit for turning something in, without linking names to papers)

2) present students with a summary of different viewpoints and then ask students to pick one viewpoint that is different from their own and to write a paper about that viewpoint, researching the evidence both for and against the view, using outside sources.

3) students are asked to critique their own opinion in a third paper using a similar strategy as in paper 2. They should present evidence for and against the view, using outside sources.

Use You tube clip, photos, short articles to give context, pose questions, assign a perspective and then either have students dialogue or write about: Possible examples http://www.pbs.org/pov/wagingalivi

ng/video_classroom1.php poverty http://video.pbs.org/video/20044679

40 fracking Any of the What would you do Videos?

Any of the What would you do? Series Clips (see handout):

http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/

Other examples from Hand out:

http://tinyurl.com/8sp2wcq

Use You tube clip, photos, short articles to give context, pose questions, assign a perspective and then either have students dialogue or write about: Possible examples http://www.pbs.org/pov/wagingalivi

ng/video_classroom1.php poverty http://video.pbs.org/video/20044679

40 fracking Any of the What would you do Videos?

You may not see the broadening of your students’ views; the broadening of may occur later.

Your class discussions may plant the seed.

Web page is closer to going up We have obtained a listserv and you can join

it soon!

Start Talking (2008) http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/cafe/difficultdialogues/handbook.cfm

Harriger, K. J., & McMillan, J. J. (2007). Speaking of Politics: Preparing College Students for Democratic Citizenship through Deliberative Dialogue. Dayton, OH: Kettering Foundation.

• Sue, D. W., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., Rivero, D. P., & Lin, A. I. (2009). How White faculty perceive and react to difficult dialogues on race: Implications for education and training. The Counseling Psychologist, 37 (8), 1090-1115.

• Warren, L. Hot Moments in the classroom. Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University. http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/hotmoments.html

• Difficult Dialogue National Resource Center