OUTLINE* (50 Minutes)
This session is designed as an interactive workshop where participants role-play as both students and teachers to experience and practice the strategies firsthand, focusing on Community, Humanization, Investigation, Listening, and Learning (CHILL).
5 minutes-Introduction: The CHILL in Classrooms
Content: Briefly introduce the problem of student/teacher reticence and the CHILL acronym. Engagement: Device-based quick poll (e.g., Mentimeter) asking participants to rate their current comfort level with classroom disagreement.
5 minutes-C & H: Moments of Genuine Connection
Content: Learn to develop Moments of Genuine Connection (Dave Stuart, Jr.) in two minutes or less per class period. Process: Brief pair-share activity where participants practice a two-minute connection strategy, focusing on making students feel seen and known.
10 minutes-H: Mini-Debates for Humanization
Content: Strategies for building trust and bridging peer gaps, drawing from Anxious Generation. Engagement: Participants engage in mini-"this or that" debates (e.g., "Early Bird vs. Night Owl?") to demonstrate shared commonalities. Process: Guided whole-group reflection on how these low-stakes debates create Humanization.
10 minutes-I & L: The AWARE Principles of Civil Discourse
Content: Introduction to Sphere Ed's AWARE Principles for constructive dialogue (Assert, Wonder, Accept, Respect, Establish). This content directly addresses how to Investigate opinions and Listen for understanding. Engagement/Process: Participants engage in a round-robin discussion (e.g., on a neutral topic like "dogs vs. cats"). Following the discussion, they will use the AWARE framework during a debriefing period to articulate their classmates' perspectives with dignity, focusing specifically on Wonder and Accept.
15 minutes-L: Pop-Up Debates for Learning
Content: Modeling and practicing the "pop-up debate" format for application in various content areas. Engagement/Process: The presenter models a complete "pop-up debate." Participants then step into student roles, using the AWARE principles to guide their responses. Participants collaboratively adapt this format for their specific content areas via small-group planning.
5 minutes-Conclusion and Takeaways
Content: Review of the CHILL framework and final action steps. Process: Q&A and distribution of a one-page actionable resource summarizing all five strategies and the AWARE principles.
-Implement Moments of Genuine Connection
strategies (adapted from Dave Stuart, Jr.) in their daily
routine, fostering a classroom environment where
every student feels seen and known.
-Design and facilitate mini-debates to promote peer
connection and Humanization by helping students
recognize common ground and build trust.
-Apply the AWARE principles of civil discourse (Assert,
Wonder, Accept, Respect, Establish) from Sphere
Education Initiatives to model and teach effective,
respectful dialogue.
-Conduct a "pop-up debate" as a high-engagement,
low-stakes method to promote productive
disagreement, articulate viewpoints, and encourage
civic Learning across middle and high school content
areas.
1. Stuart, Jr., D. (The Heart of Culture: An Educator’s Guide to Essential Practices for the Classroom). Supporting the need for Moments of Genuine Connection.
2. Haidt, J. (The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness). Informing the need for renewed peer-to-peer connection and debate.
3. Sphere Education Initiatives. (Principles of Civil Discourse Primer). Provides the AWARE framework for teaching students to engage respectfully with viewpoint diversity.
4.Tredway, M. (Ed.). (Productive Disagreement: The Purposeful Argument in the Classroom). A foundation for structured classroom debate and civil discourse.
5. Brookfield, S. D. (The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom). Informing strategies for engagement and fostering an environment of trust.
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