“Conversation is everything”: How teachers and students create environments where open discussion can thrive

ABSTRACT

This article draws on qualitative case studies of student-centered classroom activities to consider how pedagogy and classroom climate interact with students’ emotional experiences in the classroom. Findings suggest that teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of classroom discussion influence their attendance to students’ emotions in a way that affects levels of safety, trust, and respect within the classroom, which affects students’ willingness to participate in class. These case studies provide examples of what open classroom environments look like in liberal, social constructivist settings and what happens when teachers attempt to incorporate more radical pedagogies. They also demonstrate the challenges that might make it difficult to maintain an open climate in light of the complex and dynamic relationships students have with one another, with their teacher, and with their social role in the classroom group.

KEYWORDS:

• Civic education
• classroom discussion
• open classroom climate
• social studies education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. In fact, Ms. Ayodele was nominated for a high-profile teaching award the year these observations took place, which suggests that she did indeed deliver high-quality instruction.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Charles Koch Foundation.