Skip to main content
Education Now

Teaching Students to Listen and Talk Across Differences

How can educators help young people engage respectfully and constructively with people who have different points of view?

In our polarized times, how can educators help young people cultivate the mindsets and skills needed to engage respectfully and constructively with people who have different points of view? In the latest episode of Education Now, our panelists discuss ways to guide students to listen to different perspectives, navigate conflict, and seek common ground. 

Guests:

  • Carlton Green, Assistant clinical Professor and Co-Director of Intergroup Dialogue Training Center, University of Maryland
  • Kara Pranikoff, Education Consultant and Coach
  • Richard Weissbourd, Senior Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Host:

Meira Levinson, Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society, Harvard Graduate School of Education  

Key Takeaways

  • Educators can play an important role in teaching students how to navigate their emotions effectively and develop empathy. This work can be advanced by educators practicing vulnerability and modeling how to repair relationships with others.
  • This work is hard to do on your own — find someone you trust to skill-build with, in or outside your school community, and be honest about the challenges.
  • Understand why these conversations are important and how they fit into broader principles about human rights, justice, inclusion, and fairness. Keep parents informed. 

Education Now

A webinar and newsletter series to shape new approaches to challenges in education

Related Articles