Teaching During Election Season
We are entering an election season that is likely to be relatively charged, and at times probably a little distracting for all of us. In any classroom, you might see the effects of a highly emotional news cycle, or topics that elicit strong responses arising in conversation; you may also be teaching topics that specifically intersect with the events of the election. In any case, it is worth giving some advance thought to the ways in which current events may impact your students and classroom practices.
Four key recommendations in this guidance are as follows:
- Consider how you will establish a robust classroom community in your class, including agreeing expectations early on for respectful communication.
- Prepare some go-to strategies for bringing the temperature down as ‘hot moments’ arise.
- Give some thought ahead of time to whether and how you will disclose your own beliefs and politics, and how you will respond as students disclose theirs.
- Be conscious of key election dates as you plan your programming and assignments.
Acknowledging important current events can be important to trust and student well-being, whatever the relationship your class or expertise have to politics.
Pacific University is the first and only Voter Friendly Campus in the state of Oregon, and the McCall Center for Civic Engagement is here to make sure every Pacific student has the resources they need to vote. You can access resources to support student voting on the Pacific Votes page.
Table of contents
How can I acknowledge current events in my class?
What methods can I use to establish a strong and respectful classroom community?
What are some effective strategies for managing ‘hot moments’?
How might I facilitate a class discussion on a charged topic?
What kind of political expression is acceptable in the classroom?
What key dates should I be aware of in my planning?
Further resources
How can I acknowledge current events in my class?
Research on student experience during major events shows that students tend to have a negative experience when educators fail to acknowledge what is happening in the wider world, and to appreciate even modest recognition and adjustment in the classroom. The topic may feel daunting, but you do not need to say a lot about the election to help students to feel supported and recognized during this time. Consider making some kind of short statement, in class or in an email, recognizing the context you are operating in and its possible impacts, and promoting thoughtful and respectful interactions.
Here is an example statement, that can be adapted for different circumstances and classrooms:
I recognize that
Consider student well-being during this time. It may be appropriate to be flexible with schedule or deadlines around key dates. Also be aware of institutional resources for student support such as the Student Counseling Center.
What methods can I use to establish a strong and respectful classroom community?
Working with students at the beginning of the semester to intentionally agree community standards for respectful engagement can give you all valuable resources to draw upon later, while building trust and community and allowing students to feel heard.
You can approach something like this by planning a class activity to collectively draft out a Classroom Community Agreement, working in small groups to suggest principles to adhere to before agreeing to a final list as a class. There are some principles that you might consider suggesting if they do not come up organically, such as these:
- Assume good will.
- We all have responsibility for the quality of the discussion.
- We are here to understand, not to convince.
- Speak for yourself, not others.
- Practice confidentiality when it comes to personal stories or statements.
You may be able to anticipate some possible challenging moments and talk through with students some go-to strategies that you can adopt. Here are some examples:
- A heated discussion should trigger a ten-minute break for reflective writing.
- When another person’s perspective offends you, say so and say why.
- Take time out to write within another person’s perspective, or to ask clarifying questions.
Facilitating Political Discussions from the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (p. 7-8) offers some guidelines and suggestions for such activities.
Beyond the beginning of the semester, the Constructive Dialog Institute (CDI) recommends offering low-stakes dialogue opportunities ahead of the election to allow students to develop their skills in discourse, and CDI’s 2024 Election Guidebook (p. 42 onward) suggests some example activities.
What are some effective strategies for managing ‘hot moments’?
Discussing challenging or controversial topics can lead to some charged moments in the classroom, and it can be difficult to respond in the moment when emotions are running high. Below are some guidelines to keep in mind, adapted from Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom from Harvard University’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
- Step back from the emotional confusion, and consider what the situation offers pedagogically. Is this a moment to explore contrasting viewpoints? What are the sub-texts? Why is this coming up now?
- Consider generalizing the discussion, to take the pressure off of a particular student, and encouraging the class to consider different perspectives. You can say something like: Many people think this way. Why do they hold those views? Why do others hold opposing views?
- Reframing the situation can be a good way to defuse tension. You can ask students to write reflectively about the topic as a precursor to discussion, to try to adopt a contrasting perspective to their own and explain it, or to reflect on their own reactions and behaviors.
- Consider talking about what happened with students outside of class, especially those who were most involved in the hot moment. You can take that opportunity to make sure that they continue learning, consider other viewpoints, and come to class with an open mind.
At moments like these, you can also refer back to a Classroom Community Agreement to encourage reflection and intentional behavior.
One of the most important things is not to ignore the issue, since this can leave students with the sense of a lack of resolution, missing an opportunity to learn from mistakes, or feeling that there is a lack of safety in the classroom environment. If you are unsure how to respond in the moment, a good fallback position is to tell students that this is an important issue and that you will take it up at a later time, giving you time to plan strategies.
How might I facilitate a class discussion on a charged topic?
If your class topic or discipline intersects with issues that are coming up in the election season, you may wish to plan dedicated class discussions or activities to address those questions with enough preparation and time to promote positive results.
Amanda Stead in her faculty teaching profile discusses some of the measures she takes to make for successful discussions of challenging topics:
- Giving students plenty of notice of when and how difficult topics are coming, and why they are important to cover, allows them to be prepared and empowered when they come up.
- It is important to consider whether you are able to give the discussion enough time to address it really well–and only begin the discussion if so.
- A substantial debrief, at the end of and after the session, is an important way to make sure that students are really supported all the way through the process.
In Creating Safe Spaces for Communication, Julia Chaitin makes a number of further recommendations for managing difficult conversations:
- Allow students to leave, rather than forcing them to be uncomfortable participants.
- Act as a moderator to balance power in the classroom, ensuring that no one student or group dominates the conversation.
- Encourage empathy and perspective-taking.
- Allow students to set the rules, and provide a consistent, predictable forum. You can lay the groundwork for this by drafting a Classroom Community Agreement.
What kind of political expression is acceptable in the classroom?
Freedom of speech is protected, and in general this includes the display of symbols by educators or students. Pacific University supports the principles of Academic Freedom and encourages free and open discussion of ideas and opinions.
Educators should be conscious of the employee code of conduct, which states:
Those acting on behalf of the university have a general duty to conduct themselves in a manner that will maintain and strengthen the public’s trust and confidence in the integrity of the university and take no actions incompatible with their obligations to the university.
Employee Code of Conduct
In that code of conduct, emphasis is placed on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and on evenhandedness; in particular, it is important to be accurate and fair, and to consider any potential impacts of positions you express on the experience of students, particularly those with different viewpoints.
Students may express their political beliefs, but may not undertake actions that impact on the ability of others to learn. Pacific also promotes civility and respectful interaction.
Pacific University is an academic community – a community where the pursuit of knowledge, understanding and skills are the common ideals, which unite us as its members. An academic community in which students, faculty and staff members come together in voluntary association is based upon the fundamental respect members maintain for themselves and for others.
Student Code of Conduct
Educators can work to encourage and model the respectful consideration of multiple viewpoints.
As a tax-exempt entity, Pacific University is prohibited by federal law from participating in or attempting to influence campaigns for any elective public office or any political initiative (such as a public referendum). As such:
Use of University facilities and resources in support of a political candidate, party, referendum or political action committee (PAC) that could give the appearance that the University is supporting one candidate or position over another is not permitted.
Political Campaign Activity Policy
Policies and resources:
A Handbook to Freedom of Expression at Pacific University
Pacific’s Political Campaign Activity Policy
American Council on Education Issue Brief on Student Voting and Campus Political Campaign Activities
What key dates should I be aware of in my planning?
It may be beneficial to keep key dates in mind in your class planning. For example, scheduling heavy deadlines or a test the day after a major election event may not set your students up for success.
September 10: Potential presidential debate
October 1: Potential vice presidential debate
November 5: Election day
December 3: Georgia runoff
December 7: Louisiana runoff
Be aware that election results may take several days, or even longer, to be finalized. Consider discussing possible timelines with your students to manage expectations and combat disinformation.
Further resources
Issue Brief on Student Voting and Campus Political Campaign Activities from the American Council on Education
Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom from Harvard University’s Center for Teaching and Learning
Facilitating Political Discussions from the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education
2024 Election Guidebook from the Constructive Dialogue Institute