Ron is an associate professor of art history preparing to teach a new course on the imagery and aesthetic of the Arab Spring. As the course approaches, he is mindful about sustaining an affirming an inclusive learning environment while exploring content that may invoke politicized and controversial conversation. Ron consults with a colleague about setting norms and tone for the class, and his peer advises that he have a robust conversation with his class early in the course about appropriate use of language.
Ron makes time on the first day to discuss decorum for talking about politicized issues that intersect with faith, race and colonization. Ron centers the in-class dialogue on what terms and expressions do and do not meet students’ expectations for an inclusive and rigorous scholarly environment.
The dialogue is fruitful and spans the first two class sessions. The class deliberates and determines their needs and desires and establishes together shared group norms that may be revisited any time during the class. Ron senses that the dialogue improved students’ comfort as well as their engagement. He perceives students to be more talkative and participatory than those in the other course sections he teaches. Ron decides to utilize similar group norm building activities in future sections and to start the dialogue fresh each term with each new group of students.
- The Issue: Ron is ambivalent about how to create an engaging and inclusive discussion-based learning environment on a highly politicized topic.
- The Deliberation: Ron solicits feedback from a peer, and experiments with a group norming process that invites student input and shared responsibility for class format and decorum.
- The Growth: Ron finds a solution that mitigates his anxieties about teaching politically sensitive material and finds that broaching some topics and establishing group norms has positive impact on student engagement and participation.