difficult moments
Many courses grapple with controversial concepts or events, or include content that may be in contrast to students’ world views. A primary role of an instructor is to promote learning over divisiveness in the classroom, regardless of the topic. It is important that you and your students are properly prepared to discuss contentious or political subjects, and recognize that nearly any topic could be personal to one or more of your students. Regardless of the course you teach, it’s possible that “H.O.T. moments” will arise unexpectedly, and may or may not be related to course material. Such moments might include a student making a biased or exclusionary comment or an argument breaking out in class. These moments can be overwhelming for you and your students. While it is challenging to always be prepared for difficult dialogues, there are tools that you learn about ahead of time so that you can use them when needed.
What are H.O.T. Moments?
The acronym H.O.T. refers to Heated, Offensive, or Tense moments. While a moment can be all three of these things all at once, there may be certain distinctions between situations that call for different responses.
how to prepare
Use your Community Agreements
In addition to community agreements being beneficial for setting your class tone, community agreements/guidelines can also be used to shape classroom conduct—this can be particularly important in classes that will likely engage in difficult dialogues. First, these guidelines can help create a learning community that is capable of engaging in meaningful debate, which is important to many fields of study (see this resource for more on encouraging students to take a stand in discussion). Second, community agreements can help prevent HOT moments from occurring. When HOT moments do happen, you can refer back to these agreements to help you and your students resolve the moment.
Make sure to co-create these guidelines with your students early in the semester. To help shape how dialogue will unfold, be sure to ask your students how they would like to handle class discussions and communication. Have the class make specific requests for behavior – for example, a guideline around respecting diverse opinions could be strengthened by asking classroom members to 1) not interrupt others, 2) demonstrate listening by connecting contributions to statements made by previous speakers, and 3) use “I” statements when discussing emotional reactions to an event or class material.
Consider the Current Social and Political Climate
There are many local, national, and international issues that might be influencing the lives of classroom members (including yours). Keep these issues in mind both while designing your course and throughout the semester, as they may influence the classroom environment even if they are not directly related to class material. Each semester, select your class material intentionally and think about how reused materials may be interpreted given the contemporary climate. If a reading or video represents a particular viewpoint on a controversial topic, try to provide supplementary materials to provide more context and represent different perspectives.
Self Awareness
What topics make you feel anxious or annoyed? What parts of your identity (visible and hidden) define how you see yourself and how others see you? What implicit (unconscious) biases do you hold (take a test to uncover your implicit biases here)? What role do you believe an instructor has in inviting opposing viewpoints? Thinking through these questions will allow you to make strategies in advance for navigating difficult situations in the classroom. When reading through the below advice for managing HOT moments, think about solutions and potential verbal responses that will feel most natural for you. Envisioning and practicing these responses will make using them much easier if you find yourself in a tough moment in class.
When moments rise unexpectedly
The following steps may help in de-escalating a difficult conversation in your classroom:
Take a moment before responding directly to the statement. You can ask for a pause in the conversation before continuing.
- Example phrases:
- “Let’s take a minute to reflect here before continuing our conversation”
- “I’d like everyone to hold their next thoughts so that we can discuss this topic further”
Calmly acknowledge the comment that may be inflammatory.
- Example phrases:
- “The statement [ ] may have evoked negative feelings for some of us”
- “There are those in this class and our wider community who may feel targeted by statement [ ]”
Remind the class of your community agreements that you established at the beginning of the semester. These likely include ways to respectfully resolve disagreements and invite listening to different perspectives.
Explain why the comment is either potentially polarizing or harmful, while focusing on the issue itself and not the person who said it.
- Example phrases:
- “The statement [ ] could be interpreted as…”
- “While the phrase [ ] is often repeated, some might find it problematic because…”
Ask the speaker to clarify their statement, which will provide more context and might help the speaker realize the impact of what they’ve said. You can also ask the speaker to relate their comment to the course material.
- Example phrases:
- “Could you elaborate on that point?”
- “It sounds like you feel strongly about this. Could you explain why?”
- “What is your greatest concern about this issue?”
- “There may be a gap between how this message is intended and how it is interpreted. Could this be rephrased to communicate what you intend?”
- “Was there a particular part of the reading or video that raised this comment?”
Ask the class about the experiences that may lead someone to believe the controversial statement, and if they can think of other interpretations or perspectives on the issue. Opening this discussion to the whole class can help avoid singling out the speaker.
- Example phrases:
- “Many people share this feeling/opinion. What experiences might have led them to feel this way?”
- “Let’s reframe this idea to consider other perspectives – what if…?”
This strategy might be most useful for Heated moments and can be used whenever needed in this progression. Ask the class if they would like to take a break or continue the conversation. You can also have students write about the moment and how they are feeling for a few minutes or connect the issue back to course materials. This pause can give you time to think about how to fairly and productively re-engage the class.
- Example phrases:
- “Let’s take a 5-minute break to get up and stretch or go for a short walk. We’ll return to this topic when we reconvene.”
- “Write for 5 minutes about how idea [ ] is related to the reading. What perspectives are present in the text? Which are missing?”
If needed, revisit the issue in a future class. You can also revisit “missed opportunities” to address a microaggression or conflict that arose earlier on in the class period or in a previous class.
- Example phrases:
- “I want to return to a topic that arose last class”
- “Let’s rewind to…”
- “How could our discussion of [ ] been handled differently? How will we hold future discussions about this topic?”
Check-in. After class, talk with your students who may have felt targeted to let them know that you value their experiences. Ask if they have any suggestions for how you can better support them. 1:1 meetings might be most appropriate for students who have specifically reached out to you with concerns about comments or moments in the class. Provide individuals and the entire class with on-campus resources that can provide support.
Were you caught off-guard by the HOT moment? How could you have been better prepared? Consider how the readings or a particular statement that you made might have led to the HOT moment. Be prepared to accept responsibility for the moment and to share your reflections with the class.