CIVIL DISCOURSE
“We have seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. At times, it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity. Disagreement escalates into dehumanization. Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions—”
Definition
If you found this page, you know the most popular political position in the U.S. today is “I’m right, and you’re evil.” As an antidote, my working definition of civil discourse is respectful conversation about areas of shared concern about which reasonable people are apt to disagree.
vision
A world where schools provide possibilities for students to engage in respectful, reason-based discussion. Moving beyond debates with “winners” and “losers,” students learn that they are capable of participating in meaningful conversations in which they help each other think through matters of genuine, mutual interest.
In my dream schools, the topics students discuss aren’t necessarily the most charged, hot-button issues—at least, not right away. (You can’t engage such subjects productively before respect and trust have been established over time.) However, teachers can identify opportunities for lower-stakes civil discourse in every classroom: How much homework is reasonable? What makes this approach to solving this proof more reliable than that one? Could we try class outside today? Why should students (and the rest of us) deliberately spend time apart from our phones?
Caption by high school artist Camila Hernandez for her silkscreen in a public school district’s art show (2015): “Technology is a growing phenomenon that has no stop to it. Over the years, people of different ages have gotten way too attached to their devices. We are losing our communication and socializing skills because of how much time we spend on our iPads and phones. We are imprisoned in our own lives, with the ability to be free.”
citizens (not just consumers)
As a classroom teacher for 18 years, I focused on designing some school experiences such that students could see themselves as citizens possessed of the power to engage the larger world—and change it. Their role as citizen, of course, is only one of the ways I would like for students to see themselves, but it is a public identity that should be available to everyone.
It’s unfortunate the “politics” is often a dirty word these days. The Greeks who gave us the root didn’t regard it that way. Thoughtful educators can help reclaim it. (Slide from CD deck)
Not all citizens run for office, or engage frequently in political discussions; but neither can a citizen view themself as only a consumer. A citizen possessed of the power to change the world knows how to read advertising, understands how to spot fallacies and how to construct a strong argument. They know how to ask questions, how to demonstrate respect for other parties in a conversation, how to collaborate. A citizen understands the value of history, including its misuse as propaganda. They appreciate research as a way to understand a situation or culture or problem more fully. The citizen recognizes that everyone’s perspective will be slightly different, so they need to get better at listening. When the time comes for action, action can take many forms.
Like critical thinking, civil discourse is a skill students need practice to develop. Very few kids learn how to change their minds at the dinner table, and actual hard conversations yield such poor video content that they’re unlikely to appear on YouTube or TikTok.
If schools don’t provide opportunities how to have reasonable, non-threatening, respectful conversations about topics that are difficult to talk about, how can we expect students to become thoughtful, engaged citizens?
Beginning with the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, I co-moderated a series of after-school discussions open to all members of the high school community. We were explicit about ground rules, especially that the point was not to debate. Participants were welcome to challenge each other, but the point was to explore thoughts, questions, and concerns together.
In 2015, my last year leading Project ‘79 in New Jersey, a student commandeered the board in our common room to share thumbnail biographies throughout Black History Month.
related podcast episodes
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![case for contention book cover]()
THE CASE FOR CONTENTION WITH JONATHAN ZIMMERMAN
Penn education historian Jonathan Zimmerman examines how education practices and policies have developed over time, and the myths that often cloud our understanding of teaching and leaning. This conversation from February 2020 focuses on the teaching of controversial issues in U.S. schools.
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![peter horn podcasting]()
CIVIL DISCOURSE 101
The nuts and bolts of respectful conversations about hard topics, including many of the concepts I talked myself out of recapping on this page! Probably the most concise introduction to my approach to civil discourse, featuring Q&A with a high school politics club one week after the January 6 invasion of the Capitol in 2021.
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![jonathan haidt the atlantic rob kim getty]()
US + THEM with JONATHAN HAIDT
NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across culture—including the culture of progressives, conservatives, and libertarians. His goal is to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other, despite moral differences. We spoke in June 2020.
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![paula roy teaching]()
SUPERVISION, POETRY, AND FEMINISM WITH PAULA ROY
Among the topics master teacher Paula Roy and I discuss is how to establish a classroom community prepared for real conversations about complicated topics. (July 2017)
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![summertime by al morales]()
SCHOOL AND CIVIL DISCOURSE WITH BOB PETIX
Dr. Robert G. Petix was the longest-tenured principal in the State of New Jersey by the time he retired in 2006, nine years after he endorsed my appointment to serve at a high school that had a tradition of encouraging students to find their voice and use it. We caught up in the spring of 2017 to discuss preparing students to participate as citizens. (Image by Al Morales)
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![peter horn and melissa friedman]()
EPIC CITIZENS with MELISSA FRIEDMAN
Melissa Friedman is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Epic Theatre Ensemble in NYC, which is dedicated to fostering dialogue about current civic, social, and ethical issues. Although many theatre companies boast education programs, Epic focuses at least half its energy on its award-winning education programs. (December 2018)
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![superintendent errick greene jackson mississippi]()
leading with heart and mind: errick l. greene
My conversation with Jackson, Mississippi Superintendent of Schools Dr. Greene from August 2020 includes a powerful public discourse dimension, as well as a deft description of what civil discourse can look like vis-à-vis team leadership.
