Fostering Civil Discourse: Classroom Conversations in a Diverse Democracy

Research shows that discussing contemporary issues in the classroom increases students’ engagement, improves their communication and critical thinking skills, and increases their participation in civic life as adults. Yet classroom conversations that touch on emotional topics or spark controversy between students can be difficult to navigate.

This interactive webinar is designed to help middle and high school teachers consider ways to hold meaningful and productive conversations with their students about public policies, controversial issues, and current events. 

We’ll explore tools and teaching strategies that can make fostering civil discourse in the classroom feel less overwhelming and challenging, including:

• Reflection questions to help teachers examine how their identities affect the way they facilitate reflective conversations with their students
• Classroom routines and ideas for building and maintaining a classroom community where students can engage in safe and brave conversations
• Guidance on planning and facilitating class discussions, including selecting topics that will allow students to engage, establishing background information, and choosing classroom discussion strategies that meet learning goals
• Strategies for approaching unplanned moments, such as introducing a breaking news event to a class, addressing misinformation or inaccurate information, and repairing classroom community after a breach of class norms during a discussion

Participants will leave this webinar with free resources and strategies designed to help students engage in difficult conversations on topics that matter to them, to their communities, and to our world.

This webinar is part of Share My Lesson's 2025 Virtual Conference! View all sessions here.