Elevate Learning: Create Powerful + Uplifting Classroom Discussions

Discussions are an important part of transformational learning. Together, we can learn more. But all too often, discussions (especially in online learning), become dry and transactional.

In Dr. Catherine Denial’s new book, A Pedagogy of Kindness, she reminds us that we can create and facilitate authentic, invigorating discussions – about topics we love.

“I worked at discussion questions until they gained enough speed to lift us off the ground, generating conversations about topics I love,” Denial (2024, p. 4) writes.

And why not? Why not have conversations about things that matter? To all of us.

I learned early on in my career that if I was bored, my students likely were, too.

So, let’s make a commitment this year to ensure our discussions, and other assignments, are the type that “lift us off the ground” (Denial, 2024, p. 4).

Last spring, I taught an oral and digital communications course in which my doctoral students and I explored together the ways we can share our leadership stories, lead others in our organizations and communities, and amplify the voices and causes we believe in.

My students experimented with Canva, Pecha Kucha presentations, LinkedIn posts, QR codes, Instagram stories, and websites. They got creative and we had a lot of fun, all while learning how to tell powerful leadership stories that have the potential to drive positive change in our world. Their creativity was truly impressive.

And yes, their creativity and powerful commitment to social justice and lifting people up also lifted us all up.

So, tell me, what conversations can you have in your classes, that will “lift us off the ground?”