ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the meaning, emotion, and stress of disruption, rather than the pedagogical, androgogical, or methodological changes one might make in response. It explores forms of resistance, a systemic approach, and Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT)-related concepts. A learning space needs to be structurally sound and is ideally aligned with intended teaching approaches. Transparency also serves as a strategy for dealing with some forms of live disruption, allowing people to reassure students and teach an additional lesson. A systemic approach that acknowledges student and faculty presence, as well as the dynamic of the interaction and larger contextual forces, provides us with a comprehensive framework, one that can be enacted by moving from the dance floor to the balcony and one that aligns with RCT’s attention to power dynamics and cultural context. RCT provides a powerful lens through which to examine the two forms of student resistance: asserting autonomy and preserving self.
