Building engaging Zoom/Team classroom 1

4Cs model of Engaging Classroom

With issues of racial and economic inequity remaining at the forefront, we as educators—now more than ever—need to address topics in our courses that can be sensitive and challenging to discuss. To create and encourage safe spaces for these critical conversations, we must set the stage early and build trust with our students, especially now that our classrooms are largely remote. We must build inclusive classrooms, which today also means addressing the unique challenges of online environments.

On the very first day of class, I tell my students, “Let’s take a moment. Let’s look around our (virtual) classroom, our learning community and take time to know each other. The module will fly by, and we’ll reflect back on this first day. We’ll think about how far we’ve come and what a community we’ve built. And this process starts now, with establishing norms.

As in any well-functioning community, classrooms—whether in person, or online, —need norms. Right away, I set up norms that will allow my class to become a strong community of learners by introducing the four Cs framework: curiosity, candour, courtesy, and courage which I have learned from Dr. Sedlovskaya. I tell the class that, throughout the module, we will draw upon these four principles to guide meaningful in class discussions.

1. Curiosity. Note that curiosity applies not just to students, but also to instructors. When posing a question to students, I never search for the “right answer.” I am genuinely interested to hear their diverse views. This means, for example, responding with “tell us more about your thinking here” or “help us understand the connections you are drawing” or “let’s unpack that a little more” when a student’s answer is unexpected, seems tangential, or even borders on inappropriate.

2. Candour. For us to learn from the richness of perspectives in our class, we need to talk about issues candidly. I tell students how critical it is that we get to hear the diverse voices in our class. As instructors, we need to recognize that, by asking students to express their views candidly, we’re asking them to be vulnerable—and vulnerability requires trust, support, and reciprocity. I try to encourage candor by explicitly (yet supportively) asking students to offer their diverse perspectives. For example, I’ll say, “Who sees it differently?” This might also require more framing to create a safe space for students to comment: “Surely reasonable arguments can be made [on the other side]. Who would like to help us with that?” or “It is very important to understand different perspectives here. What are we missing?”

3. Courtesy. I acknowledge that our fear of offending can often hold us back from openly expressing our views. This anxiety over our comments coming across as offensive often stands in the way of difficult yet critically important conversations. We cannot let that fear stop us from having discussions that matter—so I make it clear that we will always operate from a place of good intentions. I tell students that we must express our views respectfully and respond respectfully to others who hold different perspectives.

We also have to differentiate intent from impact. While none of us mean to offend, it can happen unintentionally. I use myself as an example, letting students know that just because I teach that subject, this doesn’t mean I’m immune to blind spots. I might make or miss a comment that reflects our biases. I ask students to let us know when they feel offended.

4. Courage. I tell students that it takes courage to voice our perspectives candidly, and it takes even more courage to listen and understand the perspectives that are different from ours, especially when they contradict our views. Listening and understanding is not the same as agreeing. Being willing to listen and understand is how learning happens. Learning takes courage.

In various ways, the move to online and hybrid learning has pushed us to think even more purposefully about issues of inclusivity and how we talk about sensitive topics that matter. As educators, we also empower our students to have the courage to speak openly and pursue their curiosity—all while knowing that their pursuits will be met with courtesy.

That’s the cornerstone of an engaging classroom.