Following up with your students after a potentially challenging discussion is important.
Students are more likely to feel that a discussion was valuable if you work with them to synthesise what has been shared or identify the key issues explored.
What you can do
At the end of the class, summarise and relate the discussion to the course content, including any readings or theoretical frameworks as well as learning outcomes.
- Follow up with a message to your cohort that summarises the discussion.
- Thank students for respectful and thoughtful engagement on a challenging topic.
- Invite student feedback on the discussion.
- Provide relevant additional resources on the topic.
- Where points in the discussion were extraneous to the focus, or are very speculative, ask for and identify information that students would like to know to clarify their understanding on these questions or tangents, even if that information is not available.