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Class discussions can be exhilarating spaces of intellectual transformation, a series of painfully awkward moments whose end can’t come soon enough, or something in between. They can also be sites of challenging dynamics among students fueled by misunderstandings, lack of experience, oppression or discrimination, and many other issues.

Many colleagues find it useful to develop, in collaboration with their students, a set of shared expectations or guidelines for discussion. It’s important to ensure that the guidelines don’t prioritize the concerns, experiences, or feelings of safety of some students over others.

If you’re looking for perspective, strategies, and recommendations that can help you and your students engage in meaningful class discussion, I recommend the following:

• (Jay Howard in the Chronicle of Higher Education)
•  (University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence)
• (from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Instructional Moves project)
• (Jesica Siham Fernández in Inside Higher Ed) (new!)

If you’re looking for ways to navigate difficult class dynamics, you may find some of these resources useful:

• (Chavella Pittman, 2021)
• (Mehl & Haidt, 2022)
• (handbooks from the University of Alaska, Anchorage)
• The at Davidson College