From Tension to Teaching: 10 Activities for Creating Inclusive Learning Spaces after the Election
From Tension to Teaching: 10 Activities for Creating Inclusive Learning Spaces after the Election
By Anastasia Williams
This resource is designed to help you curate a list of activities, teaching strategies, and formative assessments that will effectively help you achieve your post-election teaching objectives (you can outline them using the Beyond the Ballot: Designing Meaningful Post-Election Class Experiences resource). As you plan, it’s crucial to consider the timing, situational factors, and unique needs of your students during this challenging period.
Given the election’s potential emotional impact, you may want to explore alternative assessment formats (e.g., take-home, open book, ungraded) or extended deadlines. This flexible approach acknowledges the potential emotional impact of the election on students and demonstrates empathy while still addressing your course goals. For more ideas, read our Five Strategies for Teaching Through the 2024 U.S. Election resource.
Below are some ideas for classroom activities that can be adapted for various challenging contexts, from elections to global conflicts to national tragedies. The activities range from short, general ones to longer, discipline-specific explorations, each carrying its own set of risks and benefits, allowing you to tailor your approaches based on student needs, classroom dynamics, and disciplinary context.
If you implement one or more of these activities, you can write a TEI (Teaching Effectiveness Initiative) post-implementation reflection and earn one DEU (domain experience unit) towards a Certificate of Achievement for a TEF domain.
Learn more about the Teaching Effectiveness Initiative Program here.
1. Grounding and Centering: Opening Practice
Time Needed: 3-5 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
This activity aims to create a mindful and supportive classroom environment, particularly in a post-selection class where students may be experiencing anxiety or tension. Begin your class with an intentional mindfulness practice to help students transition into the learning space. Guide students through 5 mindful breaths using the “square breathing” technique (4 counts in, hold 4, 4 counts out, hold 4).
Lead a brief body scan, inviting students to:
- ground their feet on the floor;
- notice points of tension;
- gently stretch or adjust their posture;
- release shoulder tension
- set an intention for the class session. For instance, they might choose “to approach today’s class with an open mind,” or as inspired by Parker Palmer’s Circles of Trust “speak their truth in ways that respect other people’s truth, using ‘I’ statements,” or “be present as fully as possible: be here with doubts, fears and failings as well as your convictions, joys and successes, your listening as well as your speaking.” )
Optional: Invite students to share a word describing their current state (using a whiteboard annotation activity for an online class or take a few volunteers for large hybrid classes).
Note: Always offer students the option to participate at their comfort level and keep eyes open if preferred.
2. Review the Principles of Community
Time Needed: 5 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
Begin by revisiting the established norms and expectations for your classroom. This is an excellent opportunity to review CSU’s Principles of Community, your classroom agreements, and to incorporate elements from Parker Palmer’s “Circles of Trust” mentioned earlier. By reaffirming these principles, you create a foundation for open and respectful dialogue, setting the stage for constructive and empathetic discussions in the post-election context.
3. Conduct a Temperature Check
Time Needed: 5-10 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
Temperature checks help you gauge the emotional state of your class, allowing you to tailor your approach accordingly. You can invite students to annotate online (marking a state like surprised, excited, overwhelmed, confused, nervous, indifferent, hopeful), use iClickers, or participate in a “4 corners” activity, where each corner of the room represents a different emotional state. Students can move to the corner that best reflects their feelings, and multiple selections are welcome. Be prepared to debrief this activity in a supportive manner and share mental health resources as needed.
4. Establish a "Cool-Down Corner"
Time Needed: 10-15 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
Create a physical or virtual space where students can decompress. This could take various forms, such as:
- A designated area in the classroom filled with calming resources (e.g., stress balls, soothing visuals)
- A discussion forum for sharing supportive messages and experiences. Be sure to check the forum frequently to maintain a safe and respectful environment for all participants.
- A collaborative document for exchanging coping strategies
You might prompt students with a question like: “What self-care strategy helps you manage stress during challenging times?”
These spaces offer students a safe outlet for processing their emotions and fostering mutual support.
5. "Letter to Future Self" or "Time Capsule" Activity
Time Needed: 10-15 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
This activity encourages students to reflect on their current thoughts, feelings, and predictions regarding the post-election period, fostering emotional processing and critical thinking. Students will write reflections or predictions to be opened at a later date, allowing for introspection without immediate discussion.
Sample prompts to guide students’ reflection:
- How do you feel right now?
- What are your hopes and concerns for the coming year?
- What predictions do you have about how the election results might impact course-related topic/you as a student/your local community?
- What pressing questions do you wish to ask your future self about how you navigated the aftermath of this election?
- Based on your feelings and thoughts right now, what wisdom or advice would you impart to your future self as you reflect on this moment?
Sealing the ‘Time Capsule’: Students can seal their letters in envelopes or use a digital tool to ‘send’ their letters to the future. For a digital option, introduce them to FutureMe.org, a free service that allows users to write emails to their future selves, which will be delivered on a specified date: for example, a year from now.
6. Reflective Activities for Students
Time Needed: 15 Minutes
TEF Domain: Instructional Strategies
Reflective activities encourage students to connect course content with current events, fostering deeper understanding and personal engagement. If it aligns with your class objectives, consider incorporating a brief reflective activity that students don’t have to share, or use a write-pair-share format. Here are some potential prompts:
- How has your understanding of a course-related concept evolved as a result of this election?
- What role do you envision for our field of study in shaping society’s future post-election?
- How can we apply course or disciplinary principles to bridge divides and promote understanding across differing political perspectives?
- What lessons from historical events studied in class are relevant to our current political climate?
- In what ways has technology influenced your engagement with this election, and what implications does this have for course-related topics?
7. Solicit Questions from Students
Time Needed: 15-25 Minutes
TEF Domain: Instructional Strategies
Encourage students to generate questions that promote critical thinking and enhance their understanding of course material in the context of recent events. Collaboratively create a “Critical Inquiry Bank” to support Fink’s “Learning How to Learn” dimension by modeling inquiry skills and developing thought-provoking questions related to the election’s impact on your field of study.
Sample prompt: “What questions has this election raised for you about a core concept of the course, and how might we explore these questions?”
Invite students to submit their questions through various methods, such as a Canvas discussion board, index cards, annotation activities, or a gallery walk (e.g., Jamboard, sticky notes). Remind them of the importance of adhering to the Principles of Community and maintaining respectful dialogue when submitting their questions.
Once the questions are collected, facilitate a structured discussion where students can explore selected questions together. Consider organizing the questions by themes, allowing students to collaboratively select on which ones to discuss first. You might also integrate some questions into future lesson plans.
8. Processing Together
Time Needed: 20-25 Minutes
TEF Domain: Instructional Strategies
Collective processing allows students to learn from one another and gain diverse perspectives on the election’s implications.
Implement Scaffolded Discussions: Break down complex election-related topics into smaller, manageable parts for discussion. This approach helps students engage with potentially overwhelming issues in a structured manner, promoting deeper understanding and more productive conversations.
Focus on Skills, Not Opinions: Frame discussions around developing critical thinking and analytical skills rather than debating political views. Revise community agreements to emphasize care, respectful dialogue, and evidence-based reasoning.
Leverage External Resources: Incorporate materials created by experts in facilitating difficult dialogues. For example, share recorded lectures or TED Talks on relevant topics listed in our Election Year toolkit.
Create opportunities for collective reflection and meaning making: Hold small group discussions where students can share their thoughts on the election results’ implications for your course topics. Sample prompts for small group activities include:
- How do you think experts from our discipline will refer to this issue 50 years from now?
- What skills or knowledge from our class have you found most useful in understanding the election results and their implications?
- How might professionals in our field contribute to addressing the challenges highlighted by this election?
- As students at a land-grant university and members of this community, what civic responsibilities do you think we have in the context of elections?
9. Case Studies
Time Needed: 20-25 Minutes
TEF Domain: Instructional Strategies
Utilize election-related case studies to illustrate course concepts, grounding abstract ideas in relevant contexts and enhancing student engagement.
If it aligns with your discipline and schedule, consider activities such as:
- Discussing the role of technology in elections and democratic processes, focusing on course-related technology concepts.
- Examining historical parallels to current political situations using course-specific analytical tools.
- Analyzing political rhetoric in literature and media related to course themes.
- Conducting mini ethnographies on local political cultures, applying research methods learned in class.
- Exploring the psychological impacts of political polarization through the lens of course theories or frameworks.
By thoughtfully selecting and implementing these strategies, you can create a learning environment that acknowledges the significance of the election while advancing your course objectives. This approach not only deepens students’ engagement with course material but also equips them with valuable skills for civic engagement and critical analysis beyond the classroom.
10. Group Activity "What I Need From You: Building Post-Election Community Support"
Time Needed: 20-30 Minutes
TEF Domain: Classroom Climate
This liberating structure activity fosters authentic dialogue about mutual support needs in the post-election period. Start by arranging students in small groups of 4-6 people. Each person will take turns completing two key statements: “What I need from you is…” and “What I can offer you is…” Participants should focus on specific, actionable support related to their academic and personal well-being during this time. For example, a student might say, “What I need from you is patience when I share perspectives that differ from yours,” or “What I can offer you is a commitment to listen without judgment.”
Give each person two minutes to share, followed by one minute for clarifying questions from the group. Listening participants should prioritize understanding rather than problem-solving. After everyone has shared, allow five minutes for the group to discuss patterns they noticed and identify concrete ways they can support each other moving forward.
Close the activity by having each group share one key insight with the entire class about how they can collectively support each other’s learning in the post-election period. This might include creating informal study groups, establishing communication norms, or identifying specific ways to maintain a supportive classroom environment.
By incorporating some of these strategies into your course design, you create a rich, engaging learning experience that addresses the complexities of the post-election period while remaining true to your course objectives and teaching values.
Note: Emphasize that all needs and offers should align with course goals and institutional policies. Consider providing example statements to help students frame their contributions constructively.