T EAC H ER T I P S : D I ALO GU E S AC R O S S D I FFE RE N C E
Like Any Skill, Dialogue Can and
Should Be Practiced
with one another and honor diversity
while maintaining a sense of community
committed to logic, rigor, and respect.
We can keep this community while apart
as well by encouraging students and fac-
ulty to embrace the power of dialogue
during virtual classes and by allowing
our informal FaceTime sessions to put
these skills into action.
It’s one thing to mention to students at
one-off assemblies, advisor meetings,
and lectures the need to have these dif-
ficult dialogues, it’s an altogether differ-
ent situation when this method of con-
versation becomes a required, sustained
approach. Events like the COVID-19 pan-
demic and its myriad repercussions as
well as the upcoming 2020 US presiden-
tial election afford us moments where
dialogues across differences should be
introduced early and practiced often.
We’ve seen the downsides of not ad-
dressing the “elephant in the room” dur-
ing contentious events (be they internal
or external), and the contributors to this
Connections noted how powerful ad-
dressing these moments head on can be
for the children and adults in the com-
munity. The refrain that echoed loudly
throughout these articles was the need
to introduce the skills and processes
for dialogues across differences before
that moment of “difference” is upon the
community. Communities respond best
when proactive approaches are commu-
nicated and thought through. This can
certainly be the case with the upcoming
election (CSEE has archived two very in-
sightful workshops on this very topic!),
but the same can’t be said for COVID-19.
In this case, it is incumbent upon all of
us to have open and honest conversa-
tions with one another so we can share
Dialogues Can and Should Be Made
Appropriate for All Ages
Research has shown that very young
children recognize a variety of differ-
ences at young ages. Not acknowledging
these differences and not obliging stu-
dents’ natural proclivity to ask questions
and be curious ultimately reinforces the
idea that differences should be seen as
“otherness.” Having these conversations
with young children using age-appropri-
ate language and fiction, oftentimes al-
lows students to practice these skills in
safe environments with trusted adults.
For those of us with young children who
were/are at home from school because
of school closures, this is a great time to
have those dialogues. We parents have
PLENTY of time with them and so there
are ample moments for us to pause and
open up a dialogue when our children
see something on TV, make a microag-
gression, or ask a question. After months
of this “training” at home, no doubt
they’ll be better equipped to put these
skills into practice when school resumes.
Continues on page 36
CSEE Connections
Summer 2020 Page 35