Difficult Conversations

Ideas

Idea #6: Structuring the Conversation

“Reflective silence may be as important to good discussion as the most animated speech. Students need processing time to consider new ideas and material and to formulate their own responses. Silence gives us time to stumble on relationships between ideas and to notice omissions and fallacies we might otherwise miss.”3

Learning Intention

Providing students with a discussion structure, in advance, grounds them in a protocol to follow when having more challenging conversations. Let them know if the day’s discussion will include methods for silence or reflection or bigger structures such as a “fishbowl" style discussion4 or panel discussion. When students know what the expectations are, they can be more comfortable with knowing when and how to listen or contribute.

Discussion Structures

  • Think-Pair-Share: Giving students a chance to process discussion items alone and with a peer prior to opening the discussion warms up their thought process and supports equity of voice.2

  • Fishbowl:4 A select group of students and the instructor discuss a topic in the center of a larger group of listeners (via Zoom, they can be “spotlighted”). The people on the outside remain silent until the end when the groups come back together and ask each other questions.

  • Panel Discussion:3 Invite a group of 3-4 panelists to guide a discussion, introduce their ideas, and then allow for open or guided discussion.

  • Check-ins / Pausing:3 Plan for quick checks on how the discussion is going using paper or polling tools. Allow students to call upon a “Five-Minute Rule” if they feel that a perspective is not being addressed, to pause class for five minutes to speak about their position without criticism. Also, experiment with slowing down your rate of speech for your class.3

  • Planned Silence:3,4 Designate planned time during class for silence. “What do you notice? What do you hear? What might silence do for you? For your students?"2 Allow for silence in the class without feeling like you need to fill the space yourself.

  • Reflection:3,4 Build in time for reflection during discussion.3 Have students write reflections before engaging in discussion. Then open the discussion with ideas from their reflections.

References

  1. Attanucci, J. (2003). Embodying theory and practice in teacher education: The play's the thing. Transformations, Xix(2), 63
  2. Foster, M. (2021). Taking an Equity Pause: Facilitating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion..
  3. Landis, K. (2008). Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging in Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education. Anchorage, AK: University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University.
  4. Merculieff, I.L., & Roderick, L. (2013). Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education. Anchorage, AK: University of Alaska Anchorage.
  5. Stokes, L. (1999). “When You’re Talking about Race, You’re Talking about People”: Teachers Learning about Race and Equity through Diverse Forms of Inquiry.