Hot Moments in the Classroom
Strategies for turning
difficult encounters into learning opportunities
by Lee Warren, Harvard
University
Learning about hot topics is
difficult and uncomfortable. But these moments must be confronted and
not avoided.
Hot moments occur when people's
feelings—often conflictual—rise to a point that threatens
teaching and learning. These moments occur during discussions of issues
people feel deeply about and can result from classroom dynamics in any
field.
For some instructors, hot moments
are the very stuff of classroom life. These teachers thrive on such
moments, encourage them, and use them for pointed learning. Others abhor
hot moments and do everything possible to prevent or stifle them. For
them, conflict prevents learning.
Fortunately, all of us can develop
strategies to handle the unavoidable difficult moments. These strategies
can open doors to topics formerly avoided and classroom dynamics formerly
neglected. Most importantly, exploring these tensions can lead to deep
learning.
The challenges of dealing with
hot moments are to manage ourselves so as to find the teaching opportunities
that will help students learn in and from the moment.
Strategies suggested here rest
on the assumption that it is the teacher's responsibility both to help
students learn from these intense moments and to care for and protect
all the participants so that learning does happen.
