Negotiating Controversial Issues in the Classroom
Many of us would like to discuss controversial topics in the classroom. Social studies after all is full of issues that often create heated debate between two very polarized sides of the aisle. The trick is how to do it without drawing the ire of students, parents, and administrators. Some social studies teachers shy away from these types of discussions for this very reason. This post contains some tips on how to walk the fine line between informing about controversy and indoctrination.
Set Expectations Up Front
Tip number one is to set expectations up front with students and parents for the types of topics that will be covered and the materials used. It is much harder for a parent to object to a liberal or conservative article assignment if you have already warned them ahead of time that it is coming. Another important consideration to get across is that the opposing viewpoints won’t always be shared simultaneously in the same class due to time constraints. What I mean by this is that is that you might expose students to one side of the controversy in Tuesday’s class but not be able to present the other point of view until Wednesday’s session. This prevents parents from jumping the gun until you’ve had a chance to cover both sides of the issue.
Present Both Points of View
This last point sets up tip number two. When discussing controversial issues, it is important to present both sides of the argument and not indoctrinate students on one particular viewpoint. Our job as teachers is certainly to expose students to different points of view and get them to consider alternate positions, but we should avoid telling them what to think. Of course there are exceptions to this rule (racist statements or others that belittle or mock a group of people based on religion or sexual orientation come to mind), but for the most part I try and make my classes as viewpoint neutral as possible. Therefore, I try and find conflicting articles that present both points of view and let students determine which side makes the better argument. Yes, we as teachers can certainly point out what we think our weaknesses in one side or the other but our goal should be to produce students who can make their own minds up and be independent thinkers, not convert them to our way of thinking. In other words, our goal is to instruct students on the proper debate process, not win the debate itself.
Teach Students to Back Up Their Assertions with Facts and Research
Nothing frustrates me more as a teacher than to hear students making assertions that are baseless or ungrounded. These students are simply parroting something they heard from friends or relatives or read about on Social Media. If we’re going to produce civic-minded individuals, we need to teach students how to make an argument, how to identify strong, relevant evidence to support that argument, and perhaps more importantly, how to identify logical fallacies and other weak evidence that does not support that argument.
Preach Tolerance
I think it is imperative to establish a classroom environment that promotes discussion and a healthy respect for fellow students’ ideas. Too often today it is common for people to cast aspersions on the opposing side’s viewpoint and treat those people as if their very existence represents the most vile threat to the nation. Classrooms should be incubators for ideas and a place where young people feel comfortable expressing those ideas. Don’t let one group dominate discussion or bully other students into submission. Again, let students know up front what type of behavior and conduct is expected during classroom discussions. Give explicit examples of the type of behavior you want and model it. You may even have to reteach those behaviors at some point if students violate your terms.
Case Study
The case of Tennessee social studies teacher, Matt Hawn, is a cautionary tale. His case has made the news recently because he was fired after reportedly using a video of a poem entitled “White Privilege” and assigning an article by Ta Nehisi Coates entitled “The First White President” that was critical of President Trump in a Contemporary Issues class. While the topics were deemed appropriate for the course, the school board alleged, among other things, that Hawn had failed to provide access to varying points of view as required by Tennessee law and used materials inappropriate for classroom use (the video of the poem). The video contains several F-bombs, explicit references to sex, and use of the N-word. Although it is a powerful poem that I wouldn’t hesitate to use in a college classroom, I would be leery of using it in a high school environment, especially without signed parental consent and administrator approval ahead of time. Hawn’s intentions seemed benevolent in this instance and many of his students protested his firing. His firing can be seen as both chilling yet at the same time emblematic of a broader problem–some teachers may not know how to properly address these issues in their classrooms. Interestingly, this controversy arose before Tennessee’s recently passed law banning the teaching of white privilege and other Progressive points of view on race and racism. That law doesn’t go into effect until later this year and is quite controversial. I will be blogging about laws like this in a future post. .
