A recent Advanced Teaching Series workshop tackled issues of
diversity in classrooms and course design. One issue that several participants
brought up was the challenge of defusing “hot moments” in the classroom – those
moments in a discussion where a student says something offensive, thoughtless,
or unexpectedly controversial. These are difficult moments for teachers. When
feelings are involved, it can become the responsibility of the teacher to
protect all members of the
class – the ones who have hurt as well as the ones who have been hurt.
In our workshop, participants suggested ways in which “hot
moments” can become “teachable moments.” Among the suggestions are two
particularly worth highlighting, as they can be applied broadly:
1. Take a moment to deconstruct the statement. Ask the student, or
the class, to talk about what assumptions that led to that conclusion.
For example, in the context of a class on religion and society, a student says, "Well, we all know that Mormons are racists and homophobes." To address this issue without placing the student in a difficult situation, the teacher might say, “That’s a provocative statement -- let's turn it into a question.” She might then re-direct the conversation with questions like:
For example, in the context of a class on religion and society, a student says, "Well, we all know that Mormons are racists and homophobes." To address this issue without placing the student in a difficult situation, the teacher might say, “That’s a provocative statement -- let's turn it into a question.” She might then re-direct the conversation with questions like:
- Looking at contemporary society, what evidence would we gather to defend this position? What evidence would challenge it?
- Where would we look to better understand the forces that shape official church doctrines?
- Are there any places where members of the church challenge these positions? Where would we look to find these?
2. Use the literature of the field to stage a debate on the
topic.
For example, in the context of a course on women’s history, a student might say, “But there are some things that women are just better at then men; that’s just biological fact.” A teacher might respond by saying, “This is actually a longstanding debate within women’s history and gender studies.” And he could use the next class to extend the “teachable moment” by:
For example, in the context of a course on women’s history, a student might say, “But there are some things that women are just better at then men; that’s just biological fact.” A teacher might respond by saying, “This is actually a longstanding debate within women’s history and gender studies.” And he could use the next class to extend the “teachable moment” by:
- Sending out or bringing in two short articles (or excerpts) representing both sides, and staging a debate in class.
- Telling students that the first 20 minutes of the next class will be a conversation on this subject. Asking students to find an article or blog post that supports their position and be prepared to introduce its main points into the conversation.
During the our workshop, I was happy to see how participants’ suggestions for strategies dealing with hot moments also showed how, in facing these situations head-on, we can model the methods of investigation and inquiry that we seek to teach our students.
Some of these strategies are also suggested in a document by the
Bok Center for at Harvard, “Managing Hot Moments in the
Classroom,” which
is recommended for those who would like to read more.
Has anyone successfully defused a hot moment in a classroom? What
did you learn? What do you think your students learned?
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