When the volcano erupts: Teaching laboratory
Like a volcano, social stratification and inequity can simmer beneath the surface of our classrooms until they erupt through microaggressions or heated sociopolitical debate. The Teaching Laboratory reframes these classroom eruptions as pedagogical opportunities rather than disruptions.
What you'll find here
This page contains information about the workshop series, When the volcano erupts: Teaching laboratory. It includes specific details about the series, project leaders and partners, locations and dates of events, and further information on how to register.
About this series
This is a cross-institutional community of practice between Concordia University, McGill University, Dawson College, and Université du Québec à Montréal. At each institution, educators will meet monthly to develop responses to challenging classroom dynamics using trained student actors to stage scenarios drawn from participants’ anonymized experiences. Central to this model is Forum Theatre, a critical pedagogical approach rooted in Theatre of the Oppressed (Boal, 1979). Through role play and collective problem-solving, educators will re-enact tense moments—such as a racial microaggression, or a polarized debate about international conflict—and experiment with different interventions. Instead of suppressing or ignoring tension, the lab gives educators the opportunity to transform these conflictual moments into acts of affirmation, repair, and belonging.
Project team
When the Volcano Erupts is a project led by Dr. Jessica Bleuer, Assistant Professor at Concordia University & Drama Therapist, and Naj Sumar, Educational Developer at the CTL. The teaching labs are designed to help educators, faculty, and staff from CEGEPs and universities across Montréal create more inclusive, welcoming, and supportive learning environments.
Have questions about the project? Email polycrisis.teachinglab@concordia.ca
Upcoming events
Through Forum Theatre, a rehearsal-based approach, participants can practice navigating challenging classroom situations, from microaggressions to polarizing sociopolitical and geopolitical debates.
What can educators discover and practice in the teaching labs?
- Try out different approaches to challenging classroom moments
- Learn from and with fellow educators
- Build confidence in navigating difficult conversations
- Transform moments of tension into opportunities for connection and repair
How to register
Register for one or more teaching labs taking place at partner institutions across Montreal, including:
- Concordia University (October 23, November 13 & 27)
- Dawson College (October 30, November 27)
- McGill University (November 9, December 7)
- Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) (October 26, November 30)
Each session offers space to pause, experiment, reflect, and rehearse new ways to respond to the complexities of today’s learning environments.
Funding
This project is funded by Pôle interordres de Montréal (PIM).