Many GSIs think of conflict in the classroom as a worst-case scenario. However, bell hooks suggests that constructive conflict makes classrooms more inclusive. She observes that, “few of us are taught to facilitate heated discussions that may include useful interruptions and digressions, but it is often the professor who is most invested in maintaining order in the classroom. Professors cannot empower students to embrace diversities of experience, standpoint, behavior, or style if our training has disempowered us, socialized us to cope effectively only with a single mode of interaction based on middle-class values” (1994: 187).

We encourage you to reflect on hooks’ insight and your own orientation to conflict as you prepare to teach. Consider taking some time to write your responses to the following questions: How comfortable are you with conflict? What factors have informed your orientation to it? Thinking back on your experiences as a student, have you ever experienced constructive conflict in the classroom? If so, what made it constructive? Have you experienced conflict in the classroom that the instructor could have handled better? How can you incorporate what you learned from these experiences into your own teaching?

The following discussion draws on Managing Classroom Clashes: Hot Moments in Teaching and Learning, a workshop by Dr. Margaret Hunter, Professor of Sociology and Strategic Advisor to the Dean for Faculty DEI Initiatives at Santa Clara University. We describe several approaches that Dr. Hunter uses to make space for constructive conflict in the classroom: The “Five-Minute Rule,” Grounding Conversations in Empathy, and Cooling Things Down.

The “Five-Minute Rule”

When students are in agreement on a given topic, Dr. Hunter sometimes uses an activity from Vanderbilt University’s Difficult Dialogues webpage called the “five-minute rule.” She invites students to imagine that someone with an opposing viewpoint is in the room and asks students to spend five minutes articulating that person’s possible reasoning. The time limit fosters engagement by moderating what may be an uncomfortable exercise; GSIs can acknowledge this when they introduce the five-minute rule and invite students to record their emotional responses as they work.

Of course, some topics are not appropriate for the “five-minute rule,” and GSIs must carefully consider which counterpoints merit articulation. GSIs should also carefully consider how their own identities might impact students’ experience of this exercise. For example, when inviting students to identify reasons why someone might oppose school desegregation, a white GSI might specifically prompt students to consider what Black students and teachers lost through desegregation (for a first-person account, see bell hooks’ Introduction to Teaching to Transgress [1994]). When used skillfully, the “five-minute rule” can build students’ resilience in challenging conversations; Dr. Hunter also notes that this exercise can spark engagement with topics that are not charged.

Grounding Conversations in Empathy

Another important way to make space for constructive conflict is to ground sensitive conversations in empathy. Dr. Hunter does this by introducing potentially divisive topics “from the side.” For example, rather than opening a discussion about gender in sports by asking if transgender athletes should be allowed to compete at various levels, Dr. Hunter begins by inviting students to share  their own experiences of sports—whether in high school, college, or recreational settings. After students have reflected on the meaning of their own experiences, they are better prepared to consider what is at stake for trans athletes.

Cooling Things Down

In addition to strategies for encouraging constructive conflict, GSIs need to be ready to cool things down in the event that an exchange gets too heated. Dr. Hunter does this by taking a pause and asking students to write about their thoughts and feelings. This gives students an opportunity to clarify their thoughts and identify their emotions while allowing the instructor a moment to decide how to productively continue the conversation or bring it to a close.

In the rare cases when classroom conflict gets out of hand, GSIs can remind students of the class’s community agreements, make immediate requests for behavioral changes (e.g., “please lower your voice”), or state that they need to end the conversation. If a student continues to be disruptive, the GSI can ask them to leave. GSIs should also immediately follow up with their instructor of record and, when appropriate, consider filing a Care Report or Incident Report.

Please see this resource sheet for further practices that you can use to make space for constructive conflict in your classroom.