ETEC 531- Forum Post: The Value of Controversial Issues in the Classroom
Media and controversy often seem to go hand in hand. Part of media education pertains to teaching students how to be critical thinkers, as they wade through vast quantities of information that is instantly available with a few clicks of a mouse, in search of the ‘truth.’ In society today, it would seem that an important question to ask when using media of any sort is ‘whose truth is it?’ It is critical that we arm students today with the media literacy skills that allow them to effectively locate, gather, evaluate and think critically about the information that they are accessing both in their personal lives and in their academic endeavours. This course provided me with the opportunity to look at the history of media studies and the way in which our overall approach to teaching media education and media literacy has evolved along with the technology that we are using to access media.
I am including this forum post as an artifact of my learning for two main reasons. The first reason is that I think it is important that as a classroom teacher, I am aware of how I can mindfully and ethically use controversial issues to effectively engage my students in learning activities and critical thinking endeavours. The second reason for selecting this forum post as an important pillar in my learning is that I am not just a classroom teacher, I am also a Social Justice educator as well. For 9 years now, I have been running a social justice club at my school. The club is open to students of all ages and we meet weekly. I often let my students’ areas of interest shape the topics that we delve into in our meetings. When local and global events are making headlines, these topics often come up in our discussions. Since I often cannot anticipate what topics will arise in our next meeting, it is important that I am aware of what I can and cannot do and say for my own protection. This post also highlights a key piece of learning for me. During this particular week of the course, I was introduced to a new teaching strategy that could have far reaching implications for me in both of my roles. This new learning was the ‘de-mystification strategy’ as discussed by Clarke (1993) and I feel that it is an excellent approach to add into my teaching repertoire. Below you will find my discussion forum post titled ‘The Value of Controversial Issues in the Classroom.’
I am including this forum post as an artifact of my learning for two main reasons. The first reason is that I think it is important that as a classroom teacher, I am aware of how I can mindfully and ethically use controversial issues to effectively engage my students in learning activities and critical thinking endeavours. The second reason for selecting this forum post as an important pillar in my learning is that I am not just a classroom teacher, I am also a Social Justice educator as well. For 9 years now, I have been running a social justice club at my school. The club is open to students of all ages and we meet weekly. I often let my students’ areas of interest shape the topics that we delve into in our meetings. When local and global events are making headlines, these topics often come up in our discussions. Since I often cannot anticipate what topics will arise in our next meeting, it is important that I am aware of what I can and cannot do and say for my own protection. This post also highlights a key piece of learning for me. During this particular week of the course, I was introduced to a new teaching strategy that could have far reaching implications for me in both of my roles. This new learning was the ‘de-mystification strategy’ as discussed by Clarke (1993) and I feel that it is an excellent approach to add into my teaching repertoire. Below you will find my discussion forum post titled ‘The Value of Controversial Issues in the Classroom.’
Forum Post
As there are many questions provided for us this week to guide our discourse, I selected a few of them to respond to.
What are the primary reasons for teaching controversial issues?
One of the roles of teachers today is to prepare our students to be responsible citizens who are ready to participate in and contribute to a democratic society. This is one of the primary reasons for teaching controversial issues. Controversial issues present a jumping off point from which teachers can teach, develop and have their students explore with skills such as critical thinking, moral and ethical reasoning, gathering and interpreting data to arrive at a ‘truth,’ reflecting and re-evaluating personal beliefs and values after critical inquiry etc. Although many of these skills can be targeted by educators using less controversial topics, using controversial issues that are relevant and directly related to the students’ own lives or current events can provide for more student engagement and richer learning. It is important that students know how to “deal with controversies critically and sensitively” (course notes for Module 5).
What are the key steps in protecting oneself when preparing for and teaching controversial issues?
Restrictions/Limitations:
Using controversial topics in the classroom is not one of those situations in which we may take some professional risks and then ‘plead ignorance and beg for forgiveness later,’ because our careers can be put on the line, as we saw in many of the readings this week. We may even unknowingly be pushing the boundaries in our classrooms. Something as simple as allowing the students’ use of profanity in their own poetry as in the case of Cissy Lacks, can be a very costly risk for an educator.
What are the best methods for teaching controversial issues?
One of the techniques that stood out to me from the readings was the ‘de-mystification strategy’ that was covered in the Clarke (1993) article. I appreciated the simple four question structure, but also the way in which the process that is used within this model pushes students to think more deeply about the topic being covered. Each step is framed with an inquiry question:
Step 1.) What is the issue about?- students begin to question and analyze the issue to identify the nature of the controversy
Step 2.) What are the arguments?- students are required to think analytically at this stage to consider the arguments supporting various positions on the issue in order to help them determine if there is adequate support for the claims being made by the parties involved
Step 3.) What is assumed?- students take a closer look at what the assumptions being made in the arguments are. They need to examine if these assumptions are based on things like prejudice, ethnocentric, racist etc. motives as this warrants grounds for criticism and reduces the legitimacy of the arguments being made
Step 4.) How are the arguments manipulated?- questions are asked by the students on the politics of the issue. This can help students understand how information can and is used to influence opinion.
I think that the use of the word manipulated in step #4 is very important and that this step is particularly valuable in that it allows students to ‘begin to see how information can be selected, emphasized or ignored according to its value to various positions on the issue,” (Clarke, 1993, p. 11). This is also where Media Literacy plays a critical role as well, as media becomes more and more of a factor in controversial issues today. Media can muddy the waters in regard to controversial issues and it is imperative that students (and all citizens) have the skill set to think critically and to logically evaluate the information being presented. I also see this four step process as valuable in that it allows teachers to ‘take a complex and controversial issue and have their students study it in a way which helps them clarify their views, critically analyze the information they received and form an opinion based on universally acceptable principles,’ (Clarke, 1993, p. 12).
References:
Salas, K. D. (2004). How to teach controversial content and not get fired. In The new teacher book. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Clarke, P. (1993). Teaching controversial issues. Green Teacher, 31, 9-12. (in Library Course Reserves)
What are the primary reasons for teaching controversial issues?
One of the roles of teachers today is to prepare our students to be responsible citizens who are ready to participate in and contribute to a democratic society. This is one of the primary reasons for teaching controversial issues. Controversial issues present a jumping off point from which teachers can teach, develop and have their students explore with skills such as critical thinking, moral and ethical reasoning, gathering and interpreting data to arrive at a ‘truth,’ reflecting and re-evaluating personal beliefs and values after critical inquiry etc. Although many of these skills can be targeted by educators using less controversial topics, using controversial issues that are relevant and directly related to the students’ own lives or current events can provide for more student engagement and richer learning. It is important that students know how to “deal with controversies critically and sensitively” (course notes for Module 5).
What are the key steps in protecting oneself when preparing for and teaching controversial issues?
- where possible, use district approved resources or evaluate the appropriateness of your resources based on the guidelines and criteria provided by your district and/or the Ministry
- if you choose to use resources that are not district/Ministry approved, you need to plan ahead and seek approval for the media and resources that you will be using
- “inform parents and administration about what you will be teaching and explain how it fits into the school’s curriculum and standards” (Salas, 2002, p. 2)
- Salas also mentions knowing the community in which you teach, researching what other teachers have done when teaching the same topics, and previewing all of the materials that you plan to use (Salas, 2002, p.3)
Restrictions/Limitations:
- planning ahead and getting pre-approval would be challenging to do when current events arise that would be valuable topics to utilize
- district and Ministry approval processes may be lengthy and by the time the approval process is complete, the current event may no longer be ‘current’ and has lost its appeal as a powerful topic of study
- in a nutshell, be careful and mindful of your professional choices!
Using controversial topics in the classroom is not one of those situations in which we may take some professional risks and then ‘plead ignorance and beg for forgiveness later,’ because our careers can be put on the line, as we saw in many of the readings this week. We may even unknowingly be pushing the boundaries in our classrooms. Something as simple as allowing the students’ use of profanity in their own poetry as in the case of Cissy Lacks, can be a very costly risk for an educator.
What are the best methods for teaching controversial issues?
One of the techniques that stood out to me from the readings was the ‘de-mystification strategy’ that was covered in the Clarke (1993) article. I appreciated the simple four question structure, but also the way in which the process that is used within this model pushes students to think more deeply about the topic being covered. Each step is framed with an inquiry question:
Step 1.) What is the issue about?- students begin to question and analyze the issue to identify the nature of the controversy
Step 2.) What are the arguments?- students are required to think analytically at this stage to consider the arguments supporting various positions on the issue in order to help them determine if there is adequate support for the claims being made by the parties involved
Step 3.) What is assumed?- students take a closer look at what the assumptions being made in the arguments are. They need to examine if these assumptions are based on things like prejudice, ethnocentric, racist etc. motives as this warrants grounds for criticism and reduces the legitimacy of the arguments being made
Step 4.) How are the arguments manipulated?- questions are asked by the students on the politics of the issue. This can help students understand how information can and is used to influence opinion.
I think that the use of the word manipulated in step #4 is very important and that this step is particularly valuable in that it allows students to ‘begin to see how information can be selected, emphasized or ignored according to its value to various positions on the issue,” (Clarke, 1993, p. 11). This is also where Media Literacy plays a critical role as well, as media becomes more and more of a factor in controversial issues today. Media can muddy the waters in regard to controversial issues and it is imperative that students (and all citizens) have the skill set to think critically and to logically evaluate the information being presented. I also see this four step process as valuable in that it allows teachers to ‘take a complex and controversial issue and have their students study it in a way which helps them clarify their views, critically analyze the information they received and form an opinion based on universally acceptable principles,’ (Clarke, 1993, p. 12).
References:
Salas, K. D. (2004). How to teach controversial content and not get fired. In The new teacher book. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
Clarke, P. (1993). Teaching controversial issues. Green Teacher, 31, 9-12. (in Library Course Reserves)