Learning skills necessary to communicate in a given format. Oral discussions, round tables, panels, debates; written letters, position papers, or editorials.
Knowing the ground rules which relate to each format. No personal character attacks or monopolizing of time; citing sources of information, listening to others, speaking the truth, looking at all sides of an issue, and taking ownership for personal statements. Controversial issues involve some type of conflict. The conflict may be inner, personal, or private.
It might be interpersonal, local, regional, state, national, or international. Topics such as drugs, sex, crime, philosophies and beliefs, economics, responsibilities, power, prestige, and discrimination have long generated controversy.
Creating a cognitive map related to a topic under discussion can be beneficial to both the teacher and the students. The word conflict has been analyzed by branching off of main ideas. Listing ideas is helpful to some; placing ideas in web form may help others visualize relationships. After cognitive maps or webs have been made, create lists which help organize, develop, and teach lessons.
Keep the lists available when planning questions to ask. Teaching Controversial Topics. In higher education today, there are two prominent paradigms: Liberation Pedagogy. She should allow the students to bring their own experiences and perspectives to the problems investigated in class, with the aim of having students come to a new understanding of their place in the world.
In this view, the classroom should not be seen as a world separate from wider society, but as enmeshed and invested in the problems of the social and political world.
Teaching should prepare students for the responsibilities of active citizenship. Teaching should be concerned, in part, with developing moral virtues, such as religious and cultural tolerance, a sense of social responsibility, etc. Derek Bok, Our Underachieving Colleges Once you decide which approach is yours, or what aspects of each approach you will incorporate into your teaching, you should employ some specific strategies to give your students the best chance for success.
Establish clear ground rules see below. Clarify what will and will not be permitted in terms of arguments and rhetoric, and make it clear to students what the consequences will be if they ignore these rules. Model civil behavior through your own actions. Louis, Missouri. Her lesson focuses on a population simulation that explores world economics, demonstrating the inequalities in land, food, energy, and wealth distribution in the world today.
Using a global map on the classroom floor, students are able to visualize how resources are distributed in both wealthy and under—developed nations of the world. In a civics lesson on landmark Supreme Court cases, the students focus on the tension between the rights of the individual and the good of society.
In the lesson, students work in groups, presenting various cases to the class in the form of a press conference. Key issues include the right to privacy, equal protection, and the First Amendment. On day two, students hold a town meeting to discuss whether the burning of the American flag is protected under the right to freedom of speech. Ewbank provides clear rubrics, which help students understand the expectations and goals for the lesson.
Zimmerman explores the claims to land in the Middle East from three major religions — Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. After learning about the geography of the area, the students begin to explore the region's political unrest and discuss the controversy over control of the land of Israel. Through this lesson, the students begin to make connections that relate their own lives to the political and religious struggle.
This program shows a variety of complex topics from high school lessons, illustrating how the NCSS standards and themes can be integrated into teaching in grades 9— Teachers will be able to see how the curriculum can be expanded to address complex issues and content in meaningful ways and become much more sophisticated in exploring all areas of social studies.
In a lesson on the Vietnam War, Ms. Morrison explores how public opinion was shaped by key events. Students create a timeline and work in groups to discover how public opinion changed from approval to disapproval.
The students view television footage from this period and listen to popular music that reflects both sides of public opinion. Morrison helps her students make connections from the Vietnam War to their world today. In this lesson, students explore the various reasons people emigrate from their homeland. The class is broken up into six separate groups, each representing a different Latin American country with its own set of resources.
Using both primary and secondary sources, students examine the economic, political, and environmental circumstances that cause people to emigrate. Each group presents their findings through a variety of creative presentations that include theatrical skits, artwork, and music. Brooks' ninth—grade history class focuses on a variety of political ideologies present during the period of World War I. His class includes lively discussion on capitalism, communism, totalitarianism, and Nazism, as portrayed by leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini.
In his lesson, Mr. Brooks incorporates a Socratic discussion into his lesson, as well as group activities and presentations. In this lesson, students review and interpret the government's role in the economy. Working in groups, students examine economic dilemmas, including the implications of human cloning, year—round schooling, and drug legalization.
Students then reach consensus on a "proper" economic decision and present their findings in the form of a skit, followed by a group discussion. Rockey reviews the concept of civil rights, with a focus on women's rights. Students evaluate the "reasonableness" standard as set by the court and come to understand where the court has drawn the line for gender—based decisions.
They explore the following questions: Can public taverns cater only to men? Can females be excluded from contact sports? And can a state military college exclude women? After examining Supreme Court cases, students render a judgment as to the validity of the standard of equal rights. Poon's 12th—grade philosophy lesson focuses on the role of the individual in society. Based on readings by various philosophers, including Reinhold Niebuhr, Thomas Hobbes, Mao Zedong, Martha Nussbaum, and Plato, students apply the philosophers' viewpoints to solve the dilemmas of a fictitious nation called "Fenway.
This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can use groups, projects, and presentations to help students become actively involved in their learning. Topics range from structuring groups to creating scoring guides and rubrics. Through examples of cooperative learning, decision making, and problem solving, teachers can examine how to use groups, projects, and presentations to promote powerful learning.
This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can embrace both unity and diversity in their classrooms. Topics range from exploring democratic values to building awareness of student diversity.
Through examples of students connecting with one another and embracing the different cultures within their community, teachers can reflect on how to best address issues of unity and diversity in their classroom.
This program examines how social studies teachers in any grade level can encourage open and informed discussions with their students while dealing with controversial issues. Topics range from stereotypes and gender—based discrimination to the conflict in the Middle East. Through clearly identifying issues, listening to multiple perspectives, and formulating personal positions, teachers can explore a variety of strategies that can be used to teach challenging issues such as these in their own classrooms.
This program explores how social studies teachers in any grade level can help their students develop the democratic values that will make them effective and responsible citizens.
Teachers are shown helping students see their community in a broader sense and inspiring them to think about ways they can make a difference. The classroom lessons emphasize how civic processes work, how to discuss issues from multiple perspectives, and how teachers can inspire their students to take social action.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for announcements, education- related info, and more! What role does social studies play in helping students deal with controversial issues? How provocative should social studies topics be? Applying What You've Learned As you reflect on these classroom activities from the video, think about how you might adapt and extend them to your own teaching. Fifth-grade teacher Libby Sinclair personalizes the concept of stereotyping by having students recall examples of stereotyping that they have encountered.
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