Evening Program
Wednesday, May 25

Conflict in the Classroom , presented by the CRLT Theatre Program

Click here to visit the CRLT Theatre Program website.

You thought that you were prepared to teach today's lesson on correlation coefficients.  You had carefully selected a variety of graphs to illustrate the new concept, and you even planned to incorporate an in-class writing activity to draw in quieter students.  But when you and the students discussed the graph on infant mortality and mothers' income levels, your plans went awry.  Within seconds, an interesting classroom conversation quickly escalated into a heated argument about the parenting abilities of low-income mothers-culminating in harsh words that leave some students very upset.  Disconcerted, you raised your voice to bring the class back to order, which elicited stony, tense silence from the students for the remainder of the class time.  Now, several hours later, you can't begin to imagine how you will approach the next meeting of your statistics class.  How can you salvage the class from here? 

Magically, the lights in your classroom go up again.  You return to the very same moment of conflict, but to your surprise, this time you can look into the minds of your students to discern their thoughts, concerns, and perceptions.  You become deeply aware of the subtleties and nuances of the classroom dynamics, and you begin to understand the ways that gender, social class, race, and power are playing out in the most everyday exchanges between you, the students, and their peers.  With new insight, you modify your responses to the students in the very moment of the heated argument.  Essentially, you have the opportunity to replay the classroom conflict and transform it into a respectful disagreement and opportunity for learning. 

Through the medium of interactive theater, the University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) regularly proves that this sort of "second chance" can be a reality.  Since its inception four years ago, the CRLT Theatre Program has conducted more than 100 performances, reaching over 5000 instructors. It has developed thirteen scripts and numerous other specialty performances that are offered regularly as a faculty development resource at the University of Michigan and beyond, including topics such as women in science and engineering classes; classroom experiences of students of color; gender dynamics in faculty meetings; and responses to students with physical and learning disabilities.  Staffed by a troupe of local professionals and student actors known as the CRLT Players, the Theatre Program is the first and only full theatre program in the United States devoted to performing for faculty and graduate students to improve instruction.

This is how a typical theatre performance works: after the facilitator briefly summarizes relevant research findings and prepares the audience members for their participation, actors perform a sketch that dramatizes issues of diversity in the classroom or academic setting.  Following the scene, audience members engage in a facilitated conversation with the characters to explore the dynamics in the classroom scene, eventually generating strategies for improving the learning environment. This discussion is followed by a second scene that incorporates the suggestions offered by the audience members.  In some performances, audience members themselves take turns stepping into the role of the instructor to act out proposed strategies. 

The CRLT Theatre Program presented Conflict in the Classroom, a presentation that focused on a classroom conversation that suddenly turned contentious, exploring questions surrounding students'  backgrounds and conflicting perspectives, instructor responsibility, and what does or does not constitute subject-appropriate discussion in the classroom.

Sponsored by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning; the Office of the Dean of Students; University Housing; the Diversity Education Program; the Office of the Provost; the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate; and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning.