The following includes methods for facilitating and engaging in discussions about difficult and controversial topics. Planning a conversation about a controversial issue allows both you and the students to prepare for meaningly discussion. (From the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan.)
Identify the purpose of the discussion, for example:
To identify and develop positions on university policy, social policy, social convention
To identify a core problem underlying social and political conflicts and explore possible answers
To analyze the root causes or reasons for social and political conflict
To explore possible consequences or implications of a conflict
To plan effective actions to reduce such conflict and/or support vulnerable populations
Establish community agreements, either with the students collectively or beforehand, but allow students to modify and accept the parameters governing the discussion. Revisit them periodically to ground conversations. For example:
We will speak from our own experiences and make ‘I’ statements.
We will respect differences; we’re all privileged in some ways.
We will hold this as a brave space, and be willing to be challenged.
We agree to have only ‘one mic’: we will listen respectfully without interrupting.
We agree to practice active listening: when someone is speaking, we will listen without also thinking about how we are going to respond/rebut.
We will allow everyone the chance to speak.
We will not ask individuals to speak for their perceived social group.
We agree to critique ideas, not people.
We commit to learning, not debating. We will comment to share, not to persuade.
We will ‘move up, move up’: those who tend to speak a lot will ‘move up’ their listening; those who tend to hold back and listen will ‘move up’ their speaking.
We will avoid inflammatory language and will avoid assigning blame.
We agree to accompany opinions with facts/reasons.
We may share what we learn but will keep others’ stories and personal experiences in confidence.
We will ensure fairness: we have the responsibility to speak up when we hear bias, exclusion, prejudice or other injustice.
Provide a common base of understanding, particularly around civic and social issues, or draw upon students' own knowledge to create a common pool of understanding. E.g., for the election, a review of the historic purpose of the electoral college, economic conditions in the 1980's and 1990's disproportionately affecting certain populations, the history of the civil rights movement, the First Amendment and protected speech. Use the conversation to distinguish evaluative comments from personal opinion or experience. Park comments or questions that seem extraneous to the discussion for future exploration.
Create a framework for the discussion that maintains flow. The following strategies may help you maintain focus and flow:
Begin the discussion with clear, open-ended but bounded broad questions. Avoid 'double barreled' questions which pose two problems simultaneously or questions that prompt yes / no answers.
Prepare specific questions to use if the class is silent or hesitant and address the challenges directly: 'What makes this hard to discuss?'
Encourage students to elaborate on their comments and to explore the assumptions behind them.
Be prepared to re-direct if the discussion veers from the established goals. Recap them at the end as other topics to think about on their own or for further exploration and research.
Include everyone. This may be a challenge when larger class sizes are involved. Employing small group discussion allows more participation, minimizes talkative or opinionated students dominating the conversation, and can embolden those reluctant to speak, particularly on controversial topics. Some other methods for ensuring fuller participation include:
The Round: ask each student to respond to a guiding question without interruption or comment. After the round, discuss the comments.
Think-Pair-Share: Give students a few minutes to respond to a question in writing. Divide the class into pairs and ask the students to share their answers, specifically asking them to tell each other why they wrote what they did. After a specified time, reconvene the whole class to debrief.
Sharing Reflection Memos: Prior to the discussion, have students write a reflective memo in response to a question or set of questions. As part of the discussion, ask students to read their memos or share in pairs or small groups.
With each of these methods, the instructor can facilitate and synthesize comments and relate them to the stated objectives.
Be an active facilitator. Be careful to maintain control but don't over-control. Your role can include re-wording questions posed by students, correcting misinformation, providing context, asking for clarification, reviewing main points, and modeling temperate discourse. Students may expect you to disclose your own thoughts and feelings on an issue. Consider your comfort in expressing your personal views and also consider the impact such expressions will have on future class discussions.
Summarize and gather feedback. Save time at the end to review and synthesize the main points of the discussion. Consider soliciting feedback on the quality of the discussion asking them to write a Minute Paper. As them to respond to these questions:
What are the three most important things you learned today?
What important questions do you still have?
What did you learn specifically from what someone else said that you would not have thought of on your own?
During the next class, summarize the feedback.
Handling issues involving the instructor's identity
Students may make assumptions about the instructor's expectations in leading the discussion, based on students' perception of the instructor's identity, on the way the instructor has handled other discussions, and on their personal interactions with the instructor.
In addition, some issues and events may trigger reactive responses in an instructor and students may say things and speak in ways that trigger emotional reactions. Instructors need to be aware that they will most likely have an emotional response even if the discussion is thoughtfully planned. Recognizing the response and the trigger as such will help support a temperate and tolerant discussion. To handle statements that trigger emotional responses, instructors should consider drawing on techniques that allow them and the class to step back and gain perspective. Consider naming the moment and the issued triggered by the statement, giving yourself time by asking students to do a brief writing exercise which you've prepared in advance for such a moment, working with the class to re-frame the moment or contextualize the triggering statement. If you feel you need to simply allow the moment to pass, it is important to find a later time to talk through the experience and to address the triggering issue with others outside of the class.
In the event that one or more students try to draw the instructor into an emotional response, the community agreements / ground rules for the discussion can play an important role as the instructor can model constructive and tolerant behavior in demonstrating how to temper a heated moment by reviewing what led up to it, pointing out differences between baiting, debating, and discussion,and/or by steering the discussion into a more fruitful direction.