Teaching during and Post Election

Posted on November 01, 2024

The UTLC has gathered several resources to aid faculty and instructors as they teach during the 2024 U.S. election cycle. The resources below offer ideas and perspectives on how to handle discussion and dialogue in your classrooms during and after the election.

Emotions And Learning

Though the election is not necessarily a trauma-based event, research from the neuroscience of trauma-informed teaching provides a strong foundation for understanding how students may or may not be engaging in our courses. Understanding how emotion impacts learning and engagement is the foundation of trauma-informed teaching. The graphic below outlines three levels of brain engagement that maybe impacted by the emotion of the current election cycle:

Green Brain, Yellow Brain, red Brain

Brain with text showing Green Brain, Yellow Brain and Red Brain.

When students are preparing to learn, they are often in one of three brain states: Green Brain, Yellow Brain, or Red Brain.

  • Green Brain is the optimal state for learning, as the brain is attentive and ready to focus. This brain state is often associated with calm and rational logic.
  • Yellow Brain is indicative of a someone dealing with something difficult, but not life threatening, outside of the classroom space. This brain state is often associated with an emotionally heightened state. For example, if a student’s car didn’t start in the morning, they may be present in class but likely still holding mental and emotional space as they try navigate getting their car fixed. Though the student may want to engage in the learning, their mind is occupied with other things. The Yellow Brain state can happen for a number of situations and scenarios, including the outcome of a large national election.
  • Red Brain is indicative of someone dealing with a life or death situation or something that has the potential to significantly change their life. This brain state is often associated with instinctive response. Many neuroscientist call this a survival state – “I am on high alert and preparing for threats.”

During and after the national election, students may experience any variation of these brain states. Instructors should be prepared for students to have varying or weaning engagement levels as the election nears and as we move just beyond the election.

Strategies for Learning

  • Lighten the Load: The week of the election is likely to be the most difficult for students to engage and stay focused. Plan or reorganize your course content during this week to focus on application of concepts already learned. It is likely that new content will not be retained during this week.
  • Provide Space: Depending on your subject matter, consider how you can provide students with the opportunity to process or acknowledge the emotion of the moment. Providing time during election week for students to independently reflect on what they are feeling can be helpful. You may be able to provide space for students to share with each other, but it is okay if you do not have the space or capacity in your course. Simply providing space for students to acknowledge their emotion can be helpful.
  • Connecting to Your Content: Depending on your subject matter, you may be able to connect the moment to your course content. This can provide students with an academically detached outlet. Academic detachment is often our first space of learning, it is when we focus on the scholarship of an idea and not our personal emotions, such as “what does the literature tell us about…” or “what do scholars say about…” Academic detachment can help students remove their personal feelings and focus on something concrete that is outside of themselves as a starting place.
  • Differences Between Dialogue and Debate: As instructors, we often hope to get our students to a place of dialogue with one another about difficult topics. This can be difficult if our students have not spent time learning about the difference between dialogue, discussion, and debate. Consider giving your students a brief primer on dialogue/discussion/debate and be explicit about which of the three you are asking them to participate in.
    • Debate focuses on the development of counterarguments. Often used to arrive at a winning conclusion, debate can be useful for weighing ideas against each other. Emotion can be high during debate.
    • Discussion focuses on the conceptual and is rooted in academic detachment. Often used to explore concepts using established data, discussion can be helpful for developing understanding of new ideas.
    • Dialogue focuses on establishing shared understanding and meaning. Often used to build community and understanding the lived experience/perspective of others, dialogue can explore areas of differences and conflict, while focusing on shared meaning making.
  • Intention and Impact: Helping students understanding the connection between intention and impact can help ground conversations in the humanity of others. Every action has both an intention and impact that are intertwined. Sometimes the negative impact of an action can outweigh the positive intention with which that action was taken. Helping our students acknowledge the impact of an action, while also understanding the intention, can allow students to see the humanity of the other person and keep learning moving forward.

Campus Resources

Frequently Asked Student Questions

Post election students may have questions regarding the election outcome. Though the questions are important, they can often put us in a difficult position, as we process our own feelings about the election and try to remain neutral in our response. ChatGPT and other generative AI software can be helpful in preparing for these difficult discussions. By asking generative AI to anticipate potential student questions and helping you craft neutral but caring responses, you can anticipate and practice how you might engage. Here are several questions that we anticipate may come up, note that this list was generated by several students in the UTLC and augmented by ChatGPT.

  1. “What do you think of the election results?” 
    • Preparation: This is an opportunity to focus on students’ emotions rather than your own stance. Though, students may be looking for your perspective or affirmation of their own feelings, we can focus on acknowledging emotions in a way that respects diverse views, without stepping into partisan perspectives.
    • Possible Response: “I know many of us have strong reactions to the election results. My role here is to support each of you in processing how you feel, no matter your stance. Let’s think about ways we can take care of ourselves and each other as we move forward.”
  2. “How do you think the results will impact certain communities?” 
    • Preparation: Students may feel worried or uncertain about the effects on marginalized groups or communities they’re passionate about. Acknowledge the question thoughtfully without speculating on specifics.
    • Possible Response: “It’s understandable to be concerned about how these outcomes might affect different communities. We’ll continue to learn about and discuss how [a concept, such as social and cultural issues] intersect in our class, and we’ll pay attention to real-world impacts as they unfold.”
  3. “What should we do if we feel overwhelmed by the results?” 
    • Preparation: Many students might look to you for guidance on managing stress related to the election. Offer general support for well-being.
    • Possible Response: “It’s natural to feel a range of emotions, and it’s healthy to take time to process them. I encourage everyone to find ways to decompress, whether that’s through a favorite activity, talking to someone you trust, or using resources on campus for support, such as Counseling and Psychological Services.”
  4. “Can we discuss the election more openly in class?” 
    • Preparation: While some students may want to discuss the election openly, it’s helpful to gently redirect the focus back to the course. This question opens up the possibility of moving away from course content,
    • Possible Response: “I appreciate that the election is on many of our minds. While our focus will stay on our course topics, there are safe spaces and resources on campus where these discussions can happen more openly. For example, the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Office of Intercultural Engagement.”
  5. “Do you think the future is in jeopardy, are you scared, do you care? 
    • Preparation: Faculty can prepare by focusing on fostering critical thinking, helping students analyze the situation objectively. Encourage students to explore reputable sources, evaluate diverse perspectives, and consider long-term and short-term factors that influence political and social change.  
    • Possible Response: “In education, our goal is to foster critical thinking, helping students analyze events thoughtfully rather than reacting quickly. Discussions like these can provide us with an opportunity to explore complex issues, teaching us how to engage respectfully and with empathy for differing viewpoints. Our focus is on helping you develop resilience and intellectual flexibility, both of which are essential skills for learning and navigating a changing world.” 
  6. “Considering UNCG is an Minority Serving Institution (MSI), how do you think the results of the election will affect the student body?” 
    • Preparation: Acknowledge the unique concerns students may have regarding UNCG’s identity as an MSI and the potential for political changes to impact the campus environment. This response can center on the values of support and commitment rather than specific predictions.
    • Possible Response:“As a Minority Serving Institution, it’s natural for us to wonder how political outcomes might affect our campus community. While we can’t foresee specific impacts right now, UNCG remains dedicated to providing a supportive environment for all students. Whatever changes may come, we’ll continue focusing on the well-being and success of our community.” 
  7. “As a faculty member do you think you’ll be able to keep your political views apart from your lessons?”
    • Preparation: Acknowledge that students may have concerns about objectivity in the classroom during politically charged times. Emphasize your commitment to creating a balanced learning environment focused on the course material, regardless of political events.
    • Possible Response: “I understand that, especially during charged times, students might worry about political bias in the classroom. My goal is to keep our discussions centered on our course material and to create a learning space where everyone feels safe to engage and express ideas. I’m committed to teaching in a way that respects all perspectives, so you can trust that I’m here to support your learning, not to bring politics into our lessons.”

Resources from Around the Country

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