In the days following the election faculty and students across the country were faced with 
teaching and learning in a climate that made both activities difficult. The issues that divided our nation could not be ignored in the classroom. The Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University published a thoughtful guide for faculty: Teaching in Response to the Election, by Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director. The suggestions are practical, reference additional resources, and are useful not just today, but in thinking about supporting students in general. Three other CFT guides are referenced: Teaching in Times of Crisis for when “communities are united in grief or trauma,” Difficult Dialogues will be useful whenever topics of discussion in the classroom touch on “hot button” issues, and the guide for Increasing Inclusivity in the Classroom is relevant at all times.
We welcome your suggestions in the comments for facilitating difficult discussions and teaching in challenging times.
Macie Hall, Senior Instructional Designer
Center for Educational Resources
Image source: Pixabay.com
Another resource to consider: from the Chronicle of Higher Education’s ProfHacker blog, a post by Anastasia Salter, 6 Games for Talking About the Election (November 16, 2016)–http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/6-games-for-talking-about-the-election/63202.
Another blog that may be of interest is “Teaching in Troublesome Times ~ Making the teaching moment matter” written by Theresa Earenfight at Seattle University. https://theresaearenfight.wordpress.com/