Teaching Opportunities in Hot Moments

The key to making unanticipated and difficult moments productive is how we—as teachers—think about the moment.

It's not easy to see the teaching opportunity when a student says she doesn't think the United States should have gone to war to prevent the Holocaust because "they weren't Christians"—or when a male student makes a joke about irrational numbers being female. Or when one student heatedly says, "The trouble with you is you talk all the time and never listen!" Or when the Jewish student says that only uneducated Black men could believe Louis Farrakhan. .

Yet if we can remove ourselves from our own emotional reaction to the moment, we can begin to see the heat as an opportunity to explore different views. In the Holocaust case above, for example, it could be helpful to students to examine why someone might think that religious affiliation was a reason to go or not to go to war.

A difficult statement will often illustrate the complexity of the questions under discussion, as in the instance of the Jewish student's remarks about Louis Farrakhan. The comment about uneducated Black men reflects deeper Jewish/African-American political difficulties.

It also helps sometimes to think about listening for "the song beneath the words" of the student. What is the student really saying? Why is this coming up at all, and why at this time?

After double checking our impressions with the student, we can use this information to further the conversation. For example, the student in the Holocaust story was African-American. Her subtext might be that we needed to deal with our own racial issues in the United States before taking on those of other nations. This idea is certainly valid for discussion. Had the instructor brought this to the surface, rather than avoiding her remarks altogether, the class would have come away with enriched understanding.

Helping Students Think
To help students think productively about issues raised during heated moments, establish discussion norms early in the term—or, if necessary, when the moment happens. Don't permit personal attacks. Model norms that encourage an open discussion of difficult material-by being open to multiple perspectives and by asking all students to argue their point responsibly.

The goal: to take the issue off the student who has made an offensive remark and put it on the table as a topic for general discussion.

To reach that goal, consider saying something like: Many people think this way. Why do they hold such views? And then, "Why do those who disagree hold other views?" This approach protects the student and encourages others who disagree to understand a view they dislike and to argue their position later.

Another strategy is to require students to seek to understand each other's perspectives. Ask them to listen to the other point of view, ask questions, and be able to restate that position. This approach can work on even the hottest of topics.

You can also ask students to write about the issue, either in class, as a reflective and calming exercise followed by discussion, or outside of class. You can ask them to do some research on the subject and write a more balanced essay. You might require them to argue the position they most disagree with.

Sometimes it's important to talk with students, particularly those who have been most embroiled in the hot moment, outside of class. Help them learn something substantive from the experience—about themselves, about other students, about the topic as a whole, about how to voice their thoughts so they can be heard, even by those who disagree. These conversations can save a student and keep them coming to class with an open mind.

If a student breaks down as a result of the original outburst, acknowledge what is happening and ask the student if he or she would like to remain in the classroom or leave for a while. At the end of class, find the student and ask if you can be of any assistance. In extreme cases, urge the student to see a counselor.

Getting Students To Do The Work
Ask students, when things get hot, to step back and reflect upon what they might learn from the moment. This approach can move a discussion to a level that helps everyone see what issues have been at stake and what the clash itself might mean.

I've seen this work in a class where a white student and an African-American student were wrangling at length and without apparent movement toward any understanding.

When the teacher asked all students to explore what they might learn from this wrangling, the discussion shifted gears quickly. The students began to think about the difficulties in communications between people of different races when different belief systems were at work, the reasons for those difficulties, and possible ways to bridge the gaps.

Another strategy for handling this type of controversy is to ask students to think about how their reactions mirror the subject at hand and what they might learn from their own behavior.

Often groups act out in their own discussion the topic under discussion. For example, when discussing how women's remarks are often ignored in business settings, the class or the instructor may be ignoring the remarks of women in the class. Seeing this and talking about it in the moment can enhance people's understanding of the issue.

Don't Avoid the Issue
When hot moments occur because of inter-student dynamics, in ways not related to the subject matter, it can still be important to address the issue, even in a math or physics class.

For example, if a student complains about another student's speaking behavior, it's tempting to go on as if the outburst hadn't occurred. But a discussion about who speaks and who doesn't and why, and how to enable the quiet ones to make room for themselves and the talkative ones to listen, could help every student in the room.

Or if a student makes a joke like the one about irrational numbers being female, it could be useful to stop to examine why and how men make such jokes and how they affect women's experience in math and science classes.

Understanding why women get upset by their "good-humored jokes" might be helpful to the men—and such a discussion could also help women understand how to counter the "jokes." A discussion of this sort could increase future classroom collaboration.

Ignoring offensive remarks has its own consequences. Some students learn that such offensive behavior is OK and others that they are not protected from it.

All students, in these situations, miss the opportunity to learn about their own behavior and its consequences. And they miss the possibility of a more open classroom, where a wider range of ideas can be explored.

It is, of course, almost always useful to talk about the moment outside of class with the individuals involved, to give them support, and help them to learn from the experience.

If you are unable to find a workable position in the hot moment, defer. Tell students that this is an important issue and that you will take it up at a later time. You then have time to plan strategies. This approach lets all the students in the room know that you take such occurrences seriously.

---