Teaching controversial issues 1

1. Teaching controversial issues 1 PGCE Society, Health and Development

2. Session objectives By the end of the sessions you will have: • Considered what is meant by ‘controversial issues’ and where they might arise in schooling. • Identified the contribution to citizenship education and skills development that teaching of these issues can make. • Considered some of the challenges facing teachers working on controversial issues with learners. • Begun to reflect on your own positions, values and beliefs. • Considered the role of classroom climate for teaching in this broad context • Identified approaches to teaching controversial issues • Indentified strategies for avoiding bias • Evaluated activities and resources for teaching some controversial issues.

3. Definitions • What is a ‘controversial issue’? • What does the term mean to you? • Please , think, pair and share ideas… !!

4. Crick Report, 1998 ‘A controversial issue is an issue about which there is no one fixed or universally held point of view.’ Crick, 1998 p 56

5. Crick goes on… ‘Such issues are those which commonly divide society and for which significant groups offer conflicting explanations and solutions. There may, for example, be conflicting views on such matters as how a problem has arisen and who is to blame; over how the problem may be resolved; over what principles should guide the decisions that can be taken, and so on.’Crick, 1998 p 56

6. And… ‘… it could reasonably be argued that to omit controversial subject-matter is to leave out not only an important area of knowledge and human experience but the very essence of what constitutes a worthwhile education. For teachers to confine their endeavours to the inculcation of knowledge and the transmission of skills, no matter how useful they may be, is to restrict the enterprise of schooling to just a scheme of training. Education, as opposed to mere training, requires an encounter with other experiences, such as active participation in group decision making, and the development of further qualities of mind beyond retentive memory.’ Crick, 1998: 57 Do you agree with this view?

7. Where might controversial issues arise? (10 minutes)

8. Citizenship became statutory in August 2002. • Since then, schools have been required to teach the programmes of study for citizenship to all pupils in key stages 3 and 4 (11-16-year-olds). • now recognised that citizenship education is equally important beyond 16.

9. …now recognised that citizenship education is equally important beyond 16: • Crick Report, 2000 • Tomlinson Report, 2004 • Links to PLTS

10. Developing learners’ skills • What skills and attributes might studying controversial issues foster? • According to Crick: • ‘a willingness and empathy to perceive and understand the interests, beliefs and viewpoints of others; • a willingness and ability to apply reasoning skills to problems and to value a respect for truth and evidence in forming or holding opinions; • a willingness and ability to participate in decision-making, to value freedom, to choose between alternatives, and to value fairness as a basis for making and judging decisions.’ Crick, 1998: 57

11. Why teach ‘thinking skills’? • Live in a ‘knowledge-based’ society • People should be in charge of their own learning • learning how to think • think how to learn • More than transmission of facts & application of routine procedures • Thinking not spontaneously learnt

12. Knowledge Transmission v.Knowledge Construction • Contemporary ideas about learning focus on knowledge construction: • interactions with social environment • interactions with physical environment • reorganisation of mental structures & frameworks

13. Thinking as... • Thinking strategies • thinking acts • thinking dispositions • thinking habits • Thinking Skill • knowing how v. knowing that

14. Teaching thinking • Leads to better learning • Teaches learners how to learn • Demands interventions from teachers

15. distinguishing fact from opinion checking for bias & reliability generating ideas / brainstorming relating cause & effect designing a fair test defining problems thinking up different solutions testing & evaluating planning& monitoring Different kinds of thinking • sequencing information • sorting • classifying • grouping • analysing • comparing & contrasting • predicting & hypothesising • drawing conclusions • justifying conclusions • decision making

16. High quality thinking... • is not routine - path of action not predetermined • tends to be complex -total path not visible • yields multiple solutions • involves judgement and interpretation • involves uncertainty • involves imposing meaning - finding structure • requires mental effort

17. Developing learners’ thinking • Requires time & opportunity to talk about thinking processes • Requires skills in reflecting on thinking (metacognitive skills)

18. Approaches to developing thinking skills • General • de Bono’s ideas • Somerset Thinking Skills • CASE • Subject specific • CASE • science ‘misconceptions’ work eg CLIS • Infusion across the curriculum • ACTS project, McGuiness et al 1997 • Practical Intelligence For Schools (PIFS) Gardner, 1994

19. Thinking skills in the NC • Creative thinking • Enquiry • Evaluation • Information processing • Reasoning

20. Developing thinking skills • Information-processing skills enable pupils to gather, sort, classify, sequence, compare and contrast information, and to make links between pieces of information. • Reasoning skills enable pupils to justify opinions and actions, to draw inferences and make deductions, to use appropriate language to explain their views, and to use evidence to back up their decisions. • Enquiry skills enable pupils to ask relevant questions, to plan what to do and how to research, to predict outcomes and anticipate responses, to test theories and problems, to test conclusions, and to refine their ideas and opinions.

21. /cont • Creative thinking skills enable pupils to generate and extend ideas, to suggest possible hypotheses, to use their imagination, and to look for alternative outcomes. • Evaluation skills enable pupils to evaluate what they read, hear and do, to learn to judge the value of their own and others’ work or ideas, not to take all information at face value, and to have confidence in their own judgements. Source: Oxfam (2006) ‘Teaching controversial issues’ Oxford: Oxfam

22. Activity 15 mins - in a group of 3 or 4… Select a controversial issue • Identify several possible learning outcomes of a lesson or series of lessons on the issue • How could this issue be used in teaching an aspect of SHD? • What kind of activities and processes might support your learning outcomes? • Which of these are most relevant and why? • Prepare a brief summary for whole group plenary

23. Activity: Classroom climate • Want features would foster an appropriate classroom climate for dealing with controversial issues? • Collate ideas from a small group discussion. • What do we mean by ‘classroom climate’?

24. Some practical strategies • Examine resources from • www.transformconlict.org a citizenship development project in Northern Ireland.

25. Techniques for minimising discomfort: • people often uncomfortable addressing sensitive issues, fearing embarrassment or conflict. Start with less controversial topics before tackling more sensitive ones. • Set ground rules for class discussion, based on an agreement to honour others’ differences and experiences. • Acknowledge that a certain amount of conflict may be necessary for the learning process. • Use role-playing or debates to help students see how others might perceive issues differently. • Have students respond to controversial statements posed by the instructor. • Ask students to complete anonymous in-class surveys on controversies; use data from the surveys as the basis for discussion. • De-personalise a student’s biased or inflammatory remark before continuing (e.g., “That’s something that a lot of people believe… Why might someone think that way?”). • Identify the issue that is the source of controversy and make it an analytic question; ask for evidence. • Avoid “tokenism.” Don’t assume, for example, that a student who uses a wheelchair can represent the views of all Americans with disabilities. http://www.cirtl.net/DiversityResources/resources/resource-book/facilitatingdiscussionofsensitiveissues.htm Accessed 5.12.08

26. Guidance on teaching • Read Section 10 of the Crick Report (1998) • Small group discussion and reactions

27. Avoiding the risk of bias…(Crick, ’98:10.9) • highlight a particular selection of facts or items of evidence thereby giving them a greater importance than other equally relevant information; • present information as if it is not open to alternative interpretation or qualification or contradiction; • set themselves up as the sole authority not only on matters of ‘fact’ but also on matters of opinion; • present opinions and other value judgements as if they are facts; • give their own accounts of the views of others instead of using the actual claims and assertions as expressed by various interest groups themselves; • reveal their own preferences by facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice, etc; • imply preferences by a particular choice of respondents or by not opening up opportunities for all pupils to contribute their views to a discussion; • neglect challenging a consensus of opinion which emerges too readily.

28. Three commonly recommended approaches • The ‘Neutral Chairman’ approach • The ‘Balanced’ approach • The ‘Stated Commitment’ approach • Crick, 1998 Section 10.12 • Others you have experienced or seen?

29. Ensuring fair and thorough coverage • What are the main features and probable causes of this issue? • How, where and by whom are these matters normally resolved? • Are there other ways in which this issue might be resolved? • What are the main groups involved in this issue and what do they say needs to be done and why? • What are their interests and values? What are the likely consequences of their policies? • How can people be persuaded to act or change their minds? • How can the accuracy of the information be checked and where can additional evidence and alternative opinions be obtained? • How does this issue affect us and in what ways can we express our point of view and influence the outcome?

30. Links to SHD Level 2 • Please read the introductory scenario • Identify possible sensitive or controversial issues, which may arise from it. • Examine EITHER Unit 1 or Unit 4 in relation to the scenario, focusing on the learning outcomes • Plan an outline of an episode of teaching in relation to one aspect of the specification.

31. Teaching controversial issues 2 PGCE Society, Health and Development

32. Aim • To critically evaluate a number of sources and resources for supporting the teaching of controversial and sensitive issues.