This chapter explores the challenges educators face when facilitating discussions on polarizing topics in the classroom. It emphasizes the importance of preparation, establishing trust, and setting clear ground rules to create a safe learning environment for students. Additionally, it highlights various strategies and facilitator roles that can help transform contentious dialogues into constructive learning experiences.
Mylien Duong discusses strategies for facilitating contentious conversations in your classroom on episode 532 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.
Quotes from the episode
We were never really trained to have these difficult conversations. We were not really trained as instructors to facilitate these conversations.
-Mylien Duong
It is not realistic to not prepare our students to be civically engaged and be able to engage and work with people who are different from them who don’t share the same beliefs that they do.
-Mylien Duong
My goal is to help students to fully understand students, to help them clarify their own thinking, and to ensure and to help them communicate that to the rest of the class.
-Mylien Duong