Sometimes it's quite hard to teach sensitive topics and hold interesting discussions in the classroom. Here is a clear guide on how to do it.

1. Teaching sensitive topics
in the classroom

2. Students’ behavior and
engagement depend greatly
on the atmosphere that is
created in the classroom.
For teachers, practicing good
classroom management is
essential to achieving this.

3. It’s more difficult and challenging when the
debate topics for students are sensitive (e.g.
religion, politics, and mental health).
These topics can evoke thoughts and feelings
at a very personal level which can result in the
expression of extreme opinions that other
members of the group may find abhorrent.

4. Matt C. Pinsker, an adjunct professor
describes his approach to this issue:
The way I prepare my students is by reminding them
that they are adults, so if they feel uncomfortable,
buck up. The notion that students, especially in
college, need to be babied and protected with
trigger warnings and safe spaces is absolutely
ridiculous, and I refuse to participate in the
infantilization of higher-ed…Many have even
expressed the notion that if you keeping treating
people as weak and needing protecting, they
themselves will eventually start to believe it.”

5. Three paradigms that will allow teachers to
control these topic discussions in the classroom.
Liberation Pedagogy. The aim is to develop a “critical consciousness”
among students. They are encouraged to bring their own experiences
and perspectives to the problems investigated in class.
Civic Humanism. Students need to have a sense of social responsibility
and teaching should help them be prepared for the responsibilities of
active citizenship.
Academic Detachment. The aim is to make sensitive topics list into
objects of academic investigation and analysis rather than just having
random and subjective discussions about them.

6. After deciding which
approach is more
convenient for your class,
you should employ some
specific strategies to give
your students the best
chance for success.

7. 1. Make clear rules. Tell your
students what will not be
permitted during discussions
and warn them about
consequences if they ignore the
rules.

8. 2. Don’t go above and beyond the
material. You do not want your class
to devolve into a debate about
current events. Try to use real-world
problems to make them more
interested in the ideas raised in the
lectures and readings.

9. 3. Avoid ugly arguments. When the
discussion is turning into an argument,
you can prevent it by making the
opinion-sharing anonymous.
Create open-ended questions with Swift
Polling and let them share their
feedback about the topic in the
classroom anonymously.

10. Contact us and get your
Swift here:
www.swift.excitem.com
swift@excitem.tv
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