Creating a Classroom Environment in Which Civil Discourse Can Thrive

This guide empowers instructors to intentionally design the first two weeks of a course as fertile ground for inclusion and dialogue. By combining evidence-based activities and digital tools, it shows how early trust-building, clear norms, and structured practice in listening and perspective-taking can transform classrooms into communities where students engage challenging ideas with confidence and respect.

Week 1 focuses on creating trust, belonging, and social connection through inclusive, low-stakes activities. Students learn names and pronouns, share experiences, co-create class norms, and participate in interactive tools like graffiti boards, polling, or digital icebreakers. These early, research-based strategies lower anxiety, build respect, and establish the supportive classroom community necessary for later civil discourse.

Building on the foundation of Week 1, Week 2 applies the principles of trust and inclusion to deeper conversation—inviting students to engage complexity, examine multiple viewpoints, and practice the habits of reasoned, respectful discourse.