Dialogue and conversation
How do you create dialogue and conversations in the class room? Research has shown that conversations in classrooms or groups about LGBTI, gender and other topics about diversity do not necessarily create change with regard to the attitude of the students. It does not create a more tolerant and respectful attitude. So what does work?
First and foremost, pushing your own opinion has no effect. After all, students like to enter in discussion with their teachers, specifically when it is about the opinion of the teacher. What is more, if you, as a teacher, respond aggressively or attacked, the students will no longer listen and you have missed your goal.
So again, a positive attitude and approach is the key here. If you are dealing with a group who generally has a positive attitude towards diversity, this positivity will be reinforced. What is more, students who have a different opinion will be challenged to reexamine their own ideas. Additionally, their negative comments will have a lesser effect if the norm is positivity. This is why it is important to be aware of the attitudes of your students beforehand.
If the general attitude towards diversity is negative, having a conversation will have a backwards effect. People with a positive attitude will be inclined to stay quiet. As such, you are more likely to have created a negative perspective.
This is why other methodologies, besides a conversation, are necessary. You can use a writing assignment for example, where students express their opinion in the form of a letter.
It can also be helpful to let your students look for different opinions. You can ask them to answer questions like, “how is it possible that so many people have a different opinion?”.
If you want to conclude these assignments with a conversation however, be sure to end the conversation when the students are no longer listening to each other.
Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that not everybody might feel comfortable to share their opinion. If this is the case, you can use ‘the dialogue model of the three worlds’. This model will be discussed in the next lesson.