Workshop | Conducting Difficult Classroom Conversations

Conducting Difficult Classroom Conversations Workshop

Conducting classroom discussions about sensitive and difficult topics remains a challenge for many teachers, especially when it concerns topics such as etiquette, bullying, prejudice, radical ideas, social media, sexuality, religion, and other social themes. Especially in the context of citizenship education, there is a growing need for open, respectful, and safe conversations about these controversial and often abrasive topics. These so-called abrasive conversations require specific skills and attention. Our workshop is tailored to the situation at your school and offers customized solutions to strengthen your skills in conducting these difficult conversations.

During the workshop, you will gain insight into the boundaries of freedom of expression within legal frameworks, so you can easily assess whether a statement is acceptable or whether it crosses a legal line. Although speech polarizes, the formation of opinions can actually reduce polarity. The goal of a class discussion is therefore not just to exchange opinions but, above all, to promote opinion formation. To this end, you will learn how opinions are formed and how to effectively guide that process. We will use an exercise based on Bloom's taxonomy, which you can also perform with your own class.

You'll then learn a three-phase conversation approach: sowing, growing, and reaping. Each phase explains its specific goal and the best conversation techniques to use. This method is practiced using a practical example of a classroom conversation, so you develop immediately applicable skills for challenging classroom conversations.

Participants will work on their personal experiences and challenges, ensuring that everything learned is directly applicable in their own classroom practice. The content of the "Conducting Difficult Classroom Conversations" workshop is therefore tailored to the school's needs and the participants' own experiences and learning aspirations . Because of this customized approach, the final content will always be unique, but the learning objectives below could serve as inspiration. Please note: we can offer each workshop as a standalone workshop or as part of a program throughout the school year . The learning objectives below will then only serve as a starting point for such a program.

Possible Learning Objectives

- Freedom of expression
- Speech crimes as a limitation of freedom of expression
- Opinion formation versus freedom of expression
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- The most important rules of conversation
- Designing a class discussion
- Three phases of conversation
- The specific purpose of each conversation phase
- Facilitating a class discussion
- Adopting a coaching attitude
- Various conversation techniques
- Depolarize
- Formulating a non-polarizing statement
- Providing a safe atmosphere
- Motivating participation
- Allowing everyone to have a turn
- Engaging students in conversation with each other
- Ensuring a fair discussion
- Maintaining control
- Active listening
- Verbal tracking
- To summarize
- Ask further questions
- Using silences
- Promoting mutual understanding
- Promoting empathy
- Encouraging self-reflection
- Stimulate thinking
- Dealing with sensitivities
- Dealing with resistance
- Coping with denial
- Determine the yield
- Considering versus arguing
- And much more

All Our Workshops for Education

- Can be provided as a single workshop or as part of a course during the school year
- Available starting at €49 per participant. This includes VAT, customization, travel expenses, distribution materials, follow-up course materials, official certificates, and lifelong aftercare for all participants.
- Will be provided at your desired location and time.
- In principle last 3 hours, but can be shortened or extended in consultation.
- Are varied, activating, and interesting.
- Are tailored to your school and tailored to the participants.
- Are followed up after 3 hours with a personalized and uniquely numbered certificate as a guarantee for lifelong aftercare.
- Are provided by real teachers with extensive experience in front of the class, in primary, secondary and vocational education.