confidence with controversial issues transforming lives through learning confidence with...

Confidence with controversial issues Transforming lives through learning

Confidence with Controversial IssuesProfessional Learning Resource for Practitioners


Contents

1. Defining what a controversial issue means and why we should discuss them

2. Creating a safe and conducive climate

3. Different practitioner roles

4. Framing controversial issues

5. The Great Divide method

6. Other suggested methodologies


Defining controversy

“A controversial issue is an issue about which there is no one fixed or universally held point of view.”

(Education for Citizenship - Crick Report, 1998)


Conflicting values that can make an issue controversial

Values

Parents’ /Carers’views

Young people’s

views

Teacher’s views

Political and social

climate

School ethos and location

Media


Why teach controversial issues?

DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING

SKILLS

SAFER TO RAISE AWARENESS

ABOUT ISSUES AT SOCIETAL RATHER THAN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

FOSTER

CONFIDENCE IN

YOUNG PEOPLE’S

SPEAKING SKILLSFOSTER VALUES

SUCH AS TRUST,

TRUTH,

HONESTY AND

JUSTICE

SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE

INFORMED, ACTIVE CITIZENS AND MAKE WISE CHOICES

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES APPEAR IN THE CURRICULUM AND OUR DAILY

LIVES: LEARNING ABOUT REAL LIFE

CHALLENGES


The role of education

BUT if learners are to develop as global citizens all young people should have the opportunity to

engage with these controversial issues. Practitioners have a key role in enabling young

people to consider controversial issues and begin to formulate their own values and opinions in the

safe space of the classroom.


What is a controversial issue?

• Scottish independence referendum

• Capital punishment • Euthanasia• Genetically modified crops • Immigration• Global Warming

MOST CONTROVERSIAL

LEASTCONTROVERSIAL

In groups, rank the following issues/themes from 1 (most controversial) to 8 (least controversial)

Hint: Without going into the issues or arguments in depth, consider what it is about the nature of the issues that make them more or less controversial.


How might they arise in the classroom?

When I look up global warming on the internet it’s impossible to decide whether it’s happening or not

You tell us that we should sort problems out non-violently, but my mum says if anyone tries to bully me I should just hit them

My dad says that all black people should be sent home

I looked at a website that says that the Holocaust never really happened


Common features of controversial issues

How many of these are features of the controversial issues discussed previously?

• Entrenched views • Often relate to a choice or

decision to be made by individuals or society

• Children may hold views contrary to values of school and teachers

• Difficult to separate subjective from objective views

• Polarised views • Strong/persuasive

arguments on both sides • Use of emotive language

and means of persuasion • Evidence may be limited,

contradictory or suspect


Creating a safe and conducive climatefor discussion

Set the ground rules

with the students


Example of a ground rules mnemonic

F - freedom of expressionR - within a respectful environmentE - where everyone is seen as equalD - and diversity is celebrated


Practitioner roles in running a debate / discussion

• Judge / Impartial Chair • Devil’s Advocate• Ally• Advocate • Declared Interest • Official View

AIM:To encourage critical thinking and inclusion of a range of perspectives.

Practitioner roles duringdebate / discussion

Judge / Impartial Chair Devil’s Advocate

Official View

Declared InterestAdvocate Ally


Judge / Impartial Chair

This requires the practitioner not to express any personal views or allegiances whatsoever, but to act only as the facilitator of a discussion, ensuring that a wide variety of evidence is considered and that opinions of all kinds are expressed.


Devil’s Advocate

The practitioner adopts provocative and oppositional stances irrespective of own viewpoint. This enables the practitioner to ensure that all views are covered and challenged if a consensus view emerges early on. It also helps to challenge young people’s existing beliefs.


Ally

Support a minority viewpoint among the students to ensure the majority seriously consider all aspects of an issue. You become their ally.


Advocate

The practitioner presents all available viewpoints then concludes by stating own position with reasons. The practitioner can then make the point that it is important for pupils to evaluate all viewpoints before forming their own opinions.


Declared Interest

The practitioner declares own viewpoint so that pupils can judge later bias, then presents all available positions as objectively as possible.


Official View

The practitioner takes the official view – representing the majority (or governing) view of the school, community or state.


When are different roles appropriate?

When is it appropriate or inappropriate to adopt these different roles?

Which roles would you be more or less comfortable with adopting? Consider using the topics above or issues related to your setting.

• Judge / Impartial Chair • Devil’s Advocate• Ally• Advocate • Declared Interest • Official View


Framing controversial issues or themes

•Human rights declaration (UNDHR)•Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)•Provides universally agreed foundations for examining issues•View issues from a structural rather than personal perspective

Using a Rights Framework

•“What does the law say about…?”•Space for students to present their own moral perspectives•Within a context of the state’s responsibility towards all its citizens

Using a Legal Framework

•Look at the roles of the individual, family, school, community, society and state in relation to addressing controversial issues

Using a Social Responsibility

Framework


Personal or public focused question?

Personal Focus Questions

1. Have you ever been involved in a racist / sectarian incident?

2. Have you ever made racist remarks or jokes?

3. What would you do if your friends made racist remarks or jokes?

4. Would you be friends with someone from a different religious background, cultural group or someone with a different skin colour

Public focus Questions

1. Are you aware of examples of racism / sectarianism incidents in society?

2. How could an individual respond if someone told a racist or sectarian joke?

3. How can schools deal with racist or sectarian incidents?

4. How well are religious and cultural diversity accommodated in school? In the community?


What would the public focused questions be?

Personal Focus Questions

1. How do you feel about growing diversity in Scotland?

2. What do you think about migrant workers coming here?

3. Do you think they should receive the same benefits as native people?

4. Should migrant workers adapt to our way of doing things?

Public focus Questions1. ?2. ?3. ?4. ?

Are Personal Questions ever Appropriate?• Doesn’t mean students can never reveal

personal views.• Important to encourage empathy.• Strong views safer to express in small

groups.• Creating a safe climate for discussion is

crucial for this to happen.


The Great Divide: a method developing young peoples’ skills to discuss controversial issues

• Boys and girls should work and play separately

• Children should help at home if they get paid for it

• A dustman should be paid more than a dentist

• Children who hurt other children should be sent to another school

• People who work hard and earn a lot of money should share it with people who don’t have a job

• It is wrong to eat meat

• Red is better colour than blue• Football is a boring game• Dogs are better than cats• Children should not do tests at

school• Children should have longer

playtimes• Football trading cards should be

banned in all schools• Children from other countries

who have no home should be able to come to our country and go to my school


The Great Divide: purpose

• To advance children’s understanding of social and moral issues• To allow children to reflect upon their developing values in a safe environment• To help children understand and value other perspectives• To support the development of confidence in voicing opinions• To help children understand that we can disagree but still be friends• Begin with more general statements and then introduce more controversial

issuesThis activity can be used to introduce or explore particular issues byrelating all statements to that specific theme e.g. sustainability

It could be developed into a more persuasive activity and made more pupil –led in encouraging pupils to write their own statements


The Great Divide: more ideas – ensure they arerelevant to young people’s lives

Can you think of some that relate to your subject,

stage, children or young people?

• It is wrong to steal food from a shop• It would be wrong for a starving child to steel

food• from a shop• Money makes people happy• Parents should be able to smack their children• Most children have too many toys• Everyone should be able to say or write what

they really think• Pupils should be able to know about decisions

which affect them• Pupils should have the right to make mistakes• Teachers should have the right to make

mistakes


Suggested methodologies

• Philosophy 4 Children • Circle time• Cooperative learning• Formal debates and informal discussion techniques such as Think, Pair, Share and

Carousel Discussion• Using objects or photographs to generate group discussions• Thinking skills activities like Diamond Ranking and other sorting activities • Use media such as newspapers / news sites / radio / YouTube videos / social media

and other web resources• Take topics from the children’s interest and experience – research together and

discuss• When difficult issues arise or there is strong disagreement in the class, recording

these on a No Easy Answers Board allows you to come back to them at a later date.


Education Scotland

Denholm House

Almondvale Business Park

Almondvale Way

Livingston EH54 6GA

T +44 (0)141 282 5000

E [email protected]

www.educationscotland.gov.uk

Image Copyright - The Noun Project: Mazil, Ryan Beck, Luis Prado, Marek Polakovic, Blake Thompson, Creative Stall, Darin S, Brennan Novak, riyazali, Ahmed Elzahra, Desbenoit, Julynn B, Baruch Moskovits, Simple Icons, Geral Wildmoser, Mathieu Dedebant, Jon Prepeluh, Mourad Mokrane, Sarah Joy, Evan MacDonald, Juan Pablo Bravo, Dan Hetteix, Arthur Shlain

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/

confidence with controversial issues transforming lives through learning confidence with...

Documents