Why We Need to Talk

"In the 30 years I've been teaching, much has changed, but one thing that remains the same is the need for educators to be well-equipped to facilitate and navigate productive and meaningful discussions about difficult topics. Two factors make it arguably even more important than ever: one is the divisive and hostile environment that characterizes the broader national discourse on social issues, and the other is that students increasingly report greater difficulty and anxiety initiating, engaging in, and sustaining conversations."

"We know that good, clear writing comes from good, clear thinking, and we know that rich, in-depth discussions help contribute to critical thinking skills and more effective writing. Conversations that nurture curiosity, nuance, and depth help students access these things outside the classroom as well. When I refer here to classroom conversations, I'm talking about ones that can exist in any modality, including face-to-face, hybrid, and asynchronously online."

College provides a crucial setting for learning how to engage in complex and difficult conversations. Faculty must receive support and training to help students engage productively and meaningfully in dialogue. Increasing national divisiveness and rising student anxiety about initiating and sustaining conversations make such support more urgent. Rich, in-depth discussions foster critical thinking and clearer, more effective writing, and help students apply curiosity, nuance, and depth beyond the classroom. Conversations, attentive listening, and relationship-building are central to the human experience. Effective dialogue can be nurtured creatively by faculty in face-to-face, hybrid, and asynchronous modalities.

Read at Psychology Today