| Brave Conversations in the classroom
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Dear Colleagues,
Let us begin by taking note: we face a global pandemic; we are doing deep and meaningful work for racial justice; we have an election and a pending holiday season like none other. Whether these current events are baked into what we teach or not, they pull on our hearts and minds and take up energy. We feel it, and our students feel it. How do we acknowledge these experiences in our classroom and make space to talk about them?
This month’s teaching tip focuses on three good practices for nurturing brave and meaningful conversations among our students.
Share your own experiences and practices of self-care.
“What can seem vague for the instructor is how to model vulnerability and authenticity in the process. Students need to feel that the instructor is authentically trying, improving, and growing, and that takes grace on behalf of students. But, by modeling what vulnerability and growth looks like in practice, we can help create structures in which student can thrive.” Laura Struve, FIC
As it turns out, faculty are powerful; the things we say and do are important to our students. We can use that power to model good mental health and well-being practices. Share your own experiences and don’t be afraid to admit that this is tough for you too!
- Check out how some of your colleagues in the Cockrell School share their mental health and wellness tips with students
- Make time in class for mental health and self-care. In this Tiktok video, a UT student talks about the impact of taking time in her Social Work class for self-care.
- Choose one small practice that can help you connect with your students as human beings. Thea Woodruff, Well-Being in Learning Environments Coordinator in the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center, developed this resource as a series of short videos.
- Have fun! Diane Rhodes in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work suggests that while we cannot make the world easier to navigate, we can create a culture of belonging in our classes. Diane recommends being transparent and acknowledging the challenges that we face. She’s encouraging her students to focus on the tasks at hand, with helpful tips that are also fun, like this Nicky Case game for remembering things.
Create community agreements with your students that establish a foundation of respect through mutually agreed upon guidelines for class.
Be prepared for discomfort and collect proactive strategies for unexpected moments.
“When unexpected, often uncomfortable moments happen, it’s important to have a sense of how to respond. After all, research shows that doing nothing is a damaging option. We need to learn how to engage thoughtfully and purposively in strategies that maintain a positive climate that is conducive to learning, and model the skills needed in responding to inappropriate or offensive comments in any context.” Souza, Vizenor, Sherlip & Raser (2016)
Prepare how you will respond when the conversation gets uncomfortable. Design key phrases that create safe and brave spaces in dialogue. Sarah Rupp’s Managing Dialogue provides strategies for dealing with a number of common problems, including students who dominate the conversation or a classroom full of students who are reluctance to engage.
You can find additional resources from Sarah Rupp and Polly Strong here.
Upcoming events about preparing for brave conversations:
Embracing Discomfort: Proactive Strategies for Unexpected Classroom Moments: FIC workshop that focuses on classroom strategies for three points in time: preventative, in-the-moment responses, and follow-ups. Monday, November 2nd , from 1-2:30pm. Click here for more information.
Difficult Dialogues: open check-in for faculty employing (or wishing to employ) dialogic pedagogy. All are welcome to come share challenges, trade best practices, request resources, and build community.
Additional upcoming events:
PTF Think Tank: Creating Learning Modules. PTF Think Tanks invite instructors to discuss problems and tackle tough topics in a safe environment among a diverse group of fellow faculty. They are led by Provost's Teaching Fellows. This session will focus on designing useful, purpose-driven learning modules for your online and hybrid courses and will take place on November 9 at 10am. RSVP here.
New Faculty Series: New Faculty Social. This New Faculty event will offer the opportunity to connect with other new faculty away outside of Zoom by connecting on Spatial.Chat, a three-dimensional video conferencing platform. This social will contain a series of conversational topics hosted by Provost's Teaching Fellows from a variety of departments and colleges, all of which are designed to take a break from the semester and spend time getting to know fellow colleagues. RSVP to attend TOMORROW, October 30, at 4:00pm.
New Faculty Series: Semester Reflection Round Robin. For the final event in the New Faculty Series, new faculty are invited for a round robin-style reflection on the semester's successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with colleagues in small-group and one-on-one settings. Join us for camaraderie, commiseration, and community on November 16 at 4:00pm. RSVP here.
Have a safe Halloween weekend, and take care.
Sincerely,
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Stephanie Seidel Holmsten (she/her/hers)
Chair-elect, Provost Teaching Fellows
Asst. Professor of Instruction, Dept. of Govt. International Relations and Global Studies
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