How to start thinking about civil discourse in the classroom?
I started to write my blog a year ago. I devoted my first blog entry to talk about how to prepare students for a lifelong commitment to learning and social responsibility. As a result of my participation in a summer institute on Ethical Leadership in June 2015, I wrote three mission statements for my Spanish courses, and I explained how I included the ethical component in my classes. Ethical leadership is directed by respect for ethical beliefs and values and for the dignity and rights of others. It is related to concepts such as trust, honesty, consideration, charisma, and fairness. Leaders know what they value. (Click here to read the blog entry).
Two weeks ago at Heschel School, I attended an orientation session on civil discourse and how to include some language about classroom behavior –verbal and non-verbal– that is attentive and respectful to others. Civil discourse is an engaged conversation intended to enhance understanding. Thinking about the courses I teach and reflecting on how to incorporate civil discourse in my classroom, I would like to link the notion of civil discourse with that of ethical leadership. If students investigate different ways in which we as individuals make a difference in the world we live in, then civil discourse should be seen as a component of engaging positively, that is, as a part of serving and coordinating our actions toward understanding and intellectual and personal growth.
If our classes are conducted as seminars and value participatory and interactive learning, then civil discourse—as an engaged discussion— is the language spoken in our classes. Students will thrive at the personal and communal levels with that of their peers, while they help move the class community towards its mission and improve the lives of its members. I think we could approach this conversation with students by talking about the respect of the participants in the dialogue, etiquette, and politeness. This is not necessary to say that we should not teach students to be polite to each other, but to teach students that good manners are part of social education. Civil discourse requires not only good manners, but also standards of good conduct towards others and towards the members of the civil society they are part of. Civil discourse is a discourse that supports the societal good. Before we engage in the dialogue of controversial topics, I believe that we could start the conversation by openly discussing civil discourse and education in connection with our school’s core values. In my course description and goals, I included the following statement written by Patrick J. Ashton in “Facilitating civil discourse in the classroom” (2006):
“Each person in this course has unique prior experiences and a unique viewpoint to share. Though disagreement and even conflict may occur, I expect your cooperation in maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect. When participating in discussions, it is perfectly acceptable to have strong opinions ñ in fact I encourage you to do so. I also encourage you to discuss your own personal experience and relate it to that of others. In the process, however, I expect you to respect the basic intelligence and humanity of each participant in the discussion. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as there is a commitment to mutual respect. Hateful and demeaning speech will not be tolerated.”
In order for students to articulate their own visions about how to engage, serve, and improve their communities, so that they can find their voices and make a difference, they should comport or behave themselves in a way that they can contribute to the good of the communities. While students acquire a new vocabulary of ethical concepts, ideas, values, and virtues, they reflect on our past and present and imagine our future to promote justice and peace. I think that a wonderful way to directly approach this issue in the classroom would be by talking about our own concerns and fears while students work together to address those issues through individual or group work. We could talk about how our cultural norms shape our own discussions at home or at school. This conversation could help us create a space for mutual understanding.
In my Spanish 4 class, we started talking about Hispanics in the U.S., which is a topic that will allow us in the future to discuss sensitive issues related to demography, politics, economics, and social movements. We just began with a brief reading about the main three groups of Hispanics in the U.S. (Mexicans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans) and students gave oral presentations on a news article that they looked for and presented in class. We all made connections about what they read in our classroom. Students presented articles about different topics regarding Hispanics in the U.S., including education, immigration, politics, sports, and technology, among others. So far we have had a civil discussion of these issues, as my students only reported to their peers their findings without necessarily expressing how they feel about these issues. However, I would certainly like to keep the conversation going through the school year and –hopefully– have it evolve into a much more controversial one that will allow us to continue our discussions civilly in the classroom.
