APPROACHING
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN
CLASS DISCUSSION
April Heaney
LeaRN
aprilh@uwyo.
edu
GROUP QUESTIONS
 Share a time you have experienced heated
discussion (as an instructor or participant in class
discussion)
 How did you (or the instructor) approach the
discussion?
 How might the discussion have been handled more
effectively?
SIX ELEMENTS FOR APPROACHING
SENSITIVE ISSUES IN DISCUSSION
 PREPARE
students for discussion early on
opinions offered by reviewing and structuring
students’ claims in a visible way
 SLOW DOWN
 COMPLICATE
binaries and generalities offered in discussion
 ENCOURAGE EMPATHY
views
 FOSTER REFLECTION
in students’ thinking about opposing
through guided questions
with select students to show appreciation and
offer further discussion with you
 FOLLOW UP
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR DISCUSSION
 Create ground rules collaboratively.
 Consider characteristics of strong discussion from students’
past courses
 Ask students to make a list of what students can and should
do to foster strong discussion, as well as the teacher’s role
 Pose guiding questions
 Type the rules and review with students in 1-2 weeks
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR DISCUSSION
 Characteristics of democratic discussion (Edward Lindeman,
1947):
 Embrace diversity
 Actively listen to all views
 Recognize hidden assumptions
 Value humor
 Work as productively as possible with contrary decisions and
outcomes
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR DISCUSSION
 Resist a mindset of “right” or “wrong” answers
 Value silence: allow students to think and respond
 Prepare students for sensitive or emotionally -laden
topics
 Consider with students the value of multiple (and even
opposing) viewpoints
 Create ground rules specifically for discussing controversial
topics
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE
DISCUSSION
(BY ENGL 2020 STUDENTS)
 Characteristics of Ef fective Discussion
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Everyone has done the reading
Remember there is no right or wrong answer
People feeling comfortable expressing opposing views —some debate
No sleeping
Open mind—accept the beliefs of others…this includes the teacher
A lot of people get involved
One or two people don’t do all the talking
Teacher moderates the discussion somewhat
People volunteering opinions rather than always being called on
Getting original points of view
EVALUATING EFFECTIVE DISCUSSION
(BY ENGL 2020 STUDENTS)
 Evaluating Discussion
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Showing respect for other’s opinions is important
Asking questions is as important as expressing a viewpoint
Every person should have to participate in discussion —a valid effort
Quality, not just quantity, should be considered
Active listening or other ways of showing participation should also
count
Alertness should be considered
Also use small groups as discussion
Attendance should be considered
Give support to back up viewpoints
Effort should be a factor
Students should show knowledge of the material
SLOWING DOWN
 Pause discussion once several views have been
shared
 Articulate and clarify the different viewpoints
 Solicit other viewpoints
 Ask students to list reasons why people who
embrace each perspective feel and think the way
they do
COMPLICATING TOPICS
1. Show multiple perspectives before a
discussion begins
2. Identify false binaries and bring out the gray
3. Consider where the differing viewpoints
agree
PERSPECTIVES ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
 Af firmative action has promoted diverse student bodies and
work forces, and has provided equal opportunity for at least
some minorities. It has promoted diversity especially in higher
education. John Filter, Kansas State professor of political science
 Af firmative action can hurt of fice work environments because
a person who comes into an administrative position can get
an inferiority complex. They believe the rest of the of fice will
think they got there with help. This leads to unusual behavior .
Supreme Cour t Justice Clarence Thomas
 We should bring in additional economic criteria. There are
poor whites and poor minorities, and both are denied
opportunities. Af firmative action may have to protect
economic classes as poverty grows .
Krishna Tummala
ENCOURAGE EMPATHY
 Encourage students to consider the value of truly
understanding alternate viewpoints
 Ask students to play devil’s advocate (or adopt a view they
don’t necessarily hold) in discussion of pre -planned topics
 Assign students to play various roles within a discussion
 Soliciting student voices when only a few people are participating
 Encouraging consideration of alternate perspectives
 Monitoring the “balance” of viewpoints and determining which views
dominate
 Listening for disrespectful or judgmental comments that may insult
some students
FOSTER REFLECTION
 Ask students to write in response to guided questions after
hearing multiple perspectives on an issue:
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What are the merits of each perspective?
What questions do you have about one or more of these perspectives?
What gaps do you see within these claims?
Whose perspective is missing from these ideas?
 Ask students to reflect on the discussion itself:
 What did you learn or recognize in this discussion that you hadn’t
thought about before?
 What do you consider the strengths and weaknesses of the discussion?
 What questions do you still have about this issue that weren’t answered
in the discussion?
FOLLOW UP WITH STUDENTS
 Show appreciation for students’ contributions and of fer to talk
more in person about the issue under discussion
 Email or connect with students who
 Share personal or sensitive narratives within the discussion
 Contribute to adding key perspectives to the mix
 Advocate for a position that is being underserved in the discussion
 Show an emotional reaction to the discussion