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.
About the 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.
Have questions about the project? Please get in touch with polycrisis.teachinglab@concordia.ca
Upcoming events
Register below for one or all of our upcoming Teaching Laboratories, held Fridays from 9:00–11:30 a.m.
Funding
This project is funded by Pôle interordres de Montréal (PIM).
