TEaching tips:

teaching difficult subjects

Dear Colleagues,

You may have experienced this: You're leading a discussion in class and from out of nowhere, a student brings up a controversial example or topic that gives you that deer-in-the-headlights moment. How should you respond? Or, what if you teach a class that examines sensitive subject matter--how do you approach this content in a proactive, mindful way?

While there's no one-size-fits-all blueprint, there are a number of resources and frameworks that can empower you to navigate difficult, unexpected moments. Here are a few opportunities and resources to get you started.

1. October Workshops! The Provost's Teaching Fellows and the Faculty Innovation Center are offering programming this month relevant to this topic.

Tuesday, October 8 from 11am - 12:30pm in SZB 450AF: The FIC will be hosting a workshop on Embracing Discomfort: proactive Strategies for Unexpected Moments. The workshop will be led by Kayla Shearer, Adria Battaglia, and Laura Struve (FIC). RSVPhere.
Tuesday, October 15 from 11am - 12:30pm in SZB 450AF: The first October Think Tank will focus on Teaching Difficult Subjects and will be led by first-year Fellow Pauling Strong (Anthropology and the Humanities Institute) and senior Fellow Hina Azam (Middle Eastern Studies). You can find more information here.

2. Featured Programs on Campus.

The Humanities Institute, directed by PTF Pauline Strong, offers the Difficult Dalogues program as part of the UT Core Curriculum. Founded in 2006 at the University of Texas, Difficult Dialogues began as part of the Ford Foundation initiative developed in response to reports of growing intolerance and efforts to curb academic freeom on U.S. campuses. UT Faculty have developed over 50 Difficult Dialogues courses for our campus, most of which are part of the First-Year Experience at UT. For more information contact the Humanities Institute, attend a workshop, or find resources here.

3. Additional Resources.

Our campus has a number of resources on trauma-informed pedagogy to help faculty be sensitive to students' past and present experiences with trauma. Sarah LePichon (developer of UT's first trauma-informed pedagogy workshop, co-created with Voices Against Violence) and Steve Lundy facilitate a FIC Grant-funded learning community focused on Trauma-Informed Pedagogy. Contact Steve Lundy for more details or to join. Anthony Brown leads a faculty task force on trauma-informed pedagogy.
FIC offers a deeper dive into managing difficult moments in lass, as well as proactively designing an inclusive course and classroom climate. Check out their website and Canvas resource for case studies and evidence-based practices around inclusive teaching and learning.
Lee Warren (Dee Bok Center or Teaching and Learning at Harvard) wrote an often-cited document, "Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom."

I hope that some of these resources will come in handy for you in your courses. See you next month!

Sincerely,

Jen Moon

Chair-Elect, Provost's Teaching Fellows

Dr. Jen Moon (she/her/hers) | Associate Professor of Instruction | Department of Molecular Biosciences

Assistant Dean for Non Tenure Track Faculty | College of Natural Sciences

Provost’s Teaching Fellow | The University of Texas at Austin

NMS 2.104 | 512-232-4011

P.S.: The PTF Program is recruiting new fellows for the coming academic year! If you're interested in joining the Program, fill out this quick form by November 1.

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