Discussion Norms
From "Developing Social Justice Literacy"
In your classroom, when charged issues arise:
- Recognize and affirm the importance of the conversation
- Be honest about your lack of experience but your willingness to try
- Change your pedagogy, e.g., move to small groups for some discussions
- Facilitate by inviting other voices in — e.g., “Does anyone have a similar or different perspective?” “Who hasn’t spoken yet?”
- Facilitate dialogue rather than debate, e.g., “both/and” rather than “either/or” frameworks.
Stepping Up/Stepping Back
- step out of your comfort zone (whether that means speaking up or allowing others to speak)
Avoid the Binary Trap!
Remember, there is almost never an instance where someone - or something - is truly inherently good or evil. Before assigning a value to someone or something, take a step back and consider these things:
- It is what it is. (Even a tornado is not inherently evil. It just exists.)
- Actively listen to what is being said.
- Context - where is this person coming from? When was this text written? What perspective does this article/person/video have which I do not? Is this a learning opportunity for me?