Freshman Grade Level Learning: Civil Discourse

“Individual Identity”

This unit helps students understand how their experiences and beliefs impact their thinking, a critical first step before engaging with others in conversation.

• Learn about the components of identity and how that can shape perspective.

• Transfer their understanding into a storytelling exercise that asks them to think about how the perspective of the narrator influences their perception of events.

• Grapple with how incomplete information can lead us to make poor judgments about others.

• Take a fun personality test that primes students to think about how they work in groups.

• Run through a team building scenario, noticing how they participate in group work.

• Reflect on the strengths that their teammates brought to that group work.

“Empathy and Vulnerability”

The next unit helps students understand how to recognize themselves in others, how to embrace their shared humanity, and how to find common ground.

• Practice active listening skills.

• Draw connections between their experiences and those of the students around them.

• Run through a number of scenarios, where an empathic response is required of them.

• Differentiate between offering advice and offering support.

“Having Hard Conversations”

The fundamental questions addressed in this unit are: What really drives conflict? How do we build logical arguments? What happens when we temporarily adopt opposing viewpoints? How can we communicate with someone who disagrees with us? How does our desire to be right affect the way we perceive new information?

• Understand the basics of what makes for effective communication.

• Learn about ideas like non-verbal communication, tone, tips for building rapport.

• Understand the concept of confirmation bias and how it affects our perceptions.

• Learn about logical fallacies and construct a sound argument that is designed to persuade.

• Practice taking an opposing viewpoint.

• Learn about common types of conflict that come up when people have opposing views.

“Digital Citizenship”

The final unit of the freshman GLL, Digital Citizenship aims to educate students on a variety of issues that are highly relevant to their lives online.

• Learn about healthy technology use and the various concerns around device addiction.

• Explore the idea of a digital footprint and grapple with the permanency of their footprint.

• Learn strategies for limiting their online visibility.

• Have a group discussion about digital privacy and security issues.

• Learn about how potential employers and colleges assess candidates’ online footprint.

• Learn skills to differentiate between a reliable news source and an unreliable one.