Teaching About Current Events and Controversial Issues
Steven Weber
Community Member Posts: 6 ✭✭✭
Teaching About Current Events and Controversial Issues
What is the best approach to teaching about current events and controversial issues? Americans are divided on issues related to race, war, politics, immigration, gender, and local politics. Teaching about current events and controversial issues “cultivates civic reasoning and discourse, which embody the skills, understandings, and habits required of democratic citizens” (Pace, Soto-Shed, and Washington, 2022). Students are living in a world of constant change, conflict, and innovation. Should teachers avoid addressing topics that could be controversial?
If we want our students to become informed, engaged citizens, we need to teach them how to ‘do’ democracy by practicing the skills of discussing controversial issues in the classroom and learning how to respectfully disagree” (New Jersey Center for Civic Education, 2023). Teaching may be more complex, but our students are bombarded by social media, elections, and issues that impact their lives. The issues facing our youth will not disappear if we simply avoid discussing these topics in classrooms.
What is the best approach to teaching about current events and controversial issues? Americans are divided on issues related to race, war, politics, immigration, gender, and local politics. Teaching about current events and controversial issues “cultivates civic reasoning and discourse, which embody the skills, understandings, and habits required of democratic citizens” (Pace, Soto-Shed, and Washington, 2022). Students are living in a world of constant change, conflict, and innovation. Should teachers avoid addressing topics that could be controversial?
If we want our students to become informed, engaged citizens, we need to teach them how to ‘do’ democracy by practicing the skills of discussing controversial issues in the classroom and learning how to respectfully disagree” (New Jersey Center for Civic Education, 2023). Teaching may be more complex, but our students are bombarded by social media, elections, and issues that impact their lives. The issues facing our youth will not disappear if we simply avoid discussing these topics in classrooms.
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