Learning Through Discomfort

Part of learning is being uncomfortable and being uncomfortable is difficult. Nevertheless, examining long-held beliefs about the world and engaging with new perspectives is the pathway to intellectual growth. Students often must grapple with points of discomfort to develop the ability to reason and to articulate reasoned ideas. In art, design, and art history classrooms, this might mean engaging with difficult or controversial works of art. Or it might mean acknowledging the lack of a “correct answer” to embrace nuance, complexity, and ambiguity. At times, it might mean approaching a dense reading or actively joining a challenging class conversation. These moments of discomfort can be some of our most demanding and potentially rewarding in the classroom.

This panel invites papers from educators exploring strategies for “learning through discomfort.” How can we encourage students to tackle big, difficult ideas? How do we create classroom communities that cultivate a climate of open inquiry, where students participate in good faith and expect the same of their peers? How can we establish norms that guide educational spaces, allowing students to engage with art and their peers? Papers might address strategies for teaching difficult works of art, artists, or movements; methods to establish classroom communities; or ways of embracing collective, productive discomfort in the classroom.