Managing Hot Moments in 2025 with Rick Moore and Bethany Morrison

Share your thoughts about this episode as a text message. Here in the US, the political environment is more heated than I’ve ever known it in my lifetime, and some of that heat is coming directly at higher ed and its faculty. This episode is all about managing those “hot moments” in our classes when just about any topic can be “hot.” My guests are Bethany Morrison, assistant director at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan, and Rick Moore, associate director for faculty programming at the Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington University in St. Louis.We talk about the reasons a class discussion can get "hot," the difference between a hot moment and a high-stakes discussion, the stakes these discussions can have for us and for our students, and strategies for preparing for and managing these challenging discussions.Episode Resources“Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom,” Lee Warren, 2000“Faculty, Advocacy Groups Fear Texas A&M Firing Threatens Academic Freedom,” Alex Nguyen, Texas Tribune, September 15, 2025“Teaching in an Election Year with Bethany Morrison,” Intentional Teaching ep. 50, September 24, 2024Promoting Democracy Teaching Series, University of Michigan. See, especially, the instructor resources.“Academe Has a Lot to Learn about How Inclusive Teaching Affects Instructors,” Chavella Pittman and Thomas Tobin, Chronicle of Higher Education, February 7, 2022“Teaching in Turbulent Times,” Rick Moore, UVA Teaching Hub“Teaching for Democratic Engagement and Civic Learning,” Bethany Morrison, UVA Teaching HubSupport the showPodcast Links:Order The Norton Guide to AI-Aware Teaching by Annette Vee, Marc Watkins, and Derek Bruff.Intentional Teaching is sponsored by UPCEA, the online and professional education association.Subscribe to the Intentional Teaching newsletter: https://derekbruff.ck.page/subscribeSupport Intentional Teaching on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intentionalteachingFind me on LinkedIn and Bluesky.See my website for my "Agile Learning" blog and information about having me speak at your campus or conference.