Current global events, including a rise in nationalistic rhetoric, have put pressure on faculty from all disciplines to be able to facilitate discussions without disenfranchising or excluding any students. I’ve been teaching discussion-based courses for 25 years, and my own methods have evolved and grown, but I often hold workshops for other faculty about how to have these respectful, civil, yet lively discussions. A commonly expressed concern is “I know why I need to improve my discussions, but I don’t know how to improve my discussions.” As a sometimes overworked teacher, I sympathize with the desire to have answers.
