One of the biggest challenges I face in sustainability education is helping my students develop their interpersonal competence (Wiek et al., 2011) in the face of disagreement. This is particularly true when fostering discussion on hot topics during a lecture or assigning groups for problem or project-based learning activities. No matter how much preparation I put into setting discussion guidelines, preparing group work contracts, and providing problem resolution guides (all strategies I highly recommend for any classroom), there will usually be one or two major disagreements I am asked to mediate during the semester.
Almost all of these disagreements occur during group work and center around what my students feel are irreconcilable differences of opinion. Often, my students communicate that the project cannot move forward if they can't agree. They ask that either one of the parties is declared "correct" or that I deliver a proclamation in the discussion. Unfortunately, this is where I have to disappoint them. It's just not in my teaching style to declare a "winner", and it does very little to help them flex their interpersonal communication skills. Plus I try to teach my students that disagreements are a sign of critical thinking and can enhance the discussion if everyone takes the time to practice listening, clarification, empathy, and an open mindset.
So what do I do?
Now I am far from perfect, and to be honest, I fell flat on my face the first few times I tried to use this approach. However, I learned from reflections with my students, peer input, guidance from my lead professors, and iteration. I will continue to update this post as I grow in my teaching. I have also found that if I provide the following as a conflict resolution guide as a part of the assignment, many groups take it upon themselves to explore the disagreement and find a growth point on their own.
Creating a disagreement dialogue:
Book a 90-minute meeting in a conference room with all students involved in the disagreement.
Before the meeting, ask your students to write down their thoughts about the disagreement.
In 2-3 sentences, ask the student to summarize their viewpoint.
In 2-3 sentences, summarize the other viewpoint.
In 2-3 sentences, describe the difference between these viewpoints.
Do you feel emotionally invested in your viewpoint? If so, why?
Do you think the other person feels emotionally invested in their viewpoint?
In 2-3 sentences describe what you think there might be to learn from the other viewpoint? Is it possible to adapt or grow your view to see both sides?
In 2-3 sentences describe what you think would be an ideal outcome from this discussion?
In 2-3 sentences, what do you think would be an ideal outcome for the alternative viewpoint?
Is it possible to create a win-win from this discussion? If so, what does that look like? If not, briefly describe why not.
For the first 15 minutes, have the students share their answers and write down their reactions or thoughts. Be clear that this is not a discussion. The students are to share their answers to each question one side at a time (a then a, b then b, and so on) and write down their thoughts.
After 15 minutes, check in. Give everyone a copy of the discussion questions. Give everyone 5-10 minutes to write bullet points for the discussion.
Ask them if they feel comfortable discussing using the following questions or if they would like meditation.
Did the way your viewpoint was described align with your perspective? If not, try to clarify in 2-3 sentences.
In 2-3 sentences, describe how you heard the other viewpoint described. (repeat a and b until both viewpoints feel the other description aligns with their own).
Did the other party state that they were emotionally invested in their viewpoint? Why?
Does the other parties description of your attachment align with your description? If not, can you clarify? (Repeat C and D until both descriptions align).
Describe what you think is a win-win for this discussion?
Do your descriptions of a win-win align? If not, what specifically would need to happen for you to walk away in agreement? (repeat E and F until an agreement is reached).
Is there any piece of this that feels unfinished?
Sometimes no agreement is a win-win as long as both sides feel that they have been heard and the other understand their viewpoint and emotional investment.
After the discussion, ask everyone to spend 5-10 minutes answering the following questions:
Do you think you better understand the other perspective than when you started?
Do you feel you were empathetic as to why the other party was emotionally invested in their viewpoint?
What do you think you can learn from the other viewpoint?
You flexed your interpersonal communication skills today by listening, asking for/providing clarification, practising empathy, and finding solutions that activate multiple actors. What is one thing you can take away from this disagreement to keep growing your interpersonal communication skills?
A few things to keep in mind:
1. It is not your role to make a judgement on who is right or wrong in the group.
While we must make sure proper learning happens, you can correct misunderstandings in a separate, private meeting. This allows the group to benefit from working through a disagreement, avoids doubling any embarrassment the student(s) might endure, and offers an opportunity to the individual(s) for targeted learning.
2. Allow the students to self-resolve before you get involved.
Providing the steps for resolving differences of opinion gives the students a guide they can use on their own. If students do ask you to mediate, follow steps 1-3 and allow them to practice communicating independently. When you check back in, if the students still want a mediator, then step in. As the mediator, it is your job to keep the discussion flowing, but try to refrain from offering help unless they seem very stuck in one of the clarifying circles. It's surprising how often just taking the time to listen to the viewpoint of the other with no response leads to its own resolution, and they can find common ground on their own with the guided discussion sheet.
The steps above can also help bridge a rift after a, particularly heated class discussion. Even just the practice of writing answers to the questions in step 2 can often help students grapple with enhancing their interpersonal communication skills.
If you are hosting a debate for a particularly heated topic, try pre-assigning popular arguments and having the students prepare the questions in step 2 ahead of class. During class, guide them through 3-6 and assign step 7 as homework. This is another great way to help the students grow their interpersonal communication and help them see differences as an opportunity to grow and explore another perspective.
References:
Wiek, A., Withycombe, L. & Redman, C.L. Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustain Sci6, 03–218 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6
Heitler, S., 2020. Positive Psycology.com. [Online] Available at: https://positivepsychology.com/conflict-resolution-worksheets/ [Accessed 13 September 2020].
Further Reading:
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