Controversial Issues in the Classroom

Discussions of politics, religion, social issues, sexuality, race, or gender have often been seen as loaded. This is particularly true in a classroom where students come from different backgrounds and there could be a mix of privileged and underprivileged individuals. The debate on whether to incorporate controversial-issue discussions in the classroom has raged since the early nineties, and is still ongoing today (Long & Long, 1975). But what defines a controversial-issue discussion, exactly? It is a dialogue among people on a topic that could potentially be of emotional content or disagreement. Often they are issues that divide societies and can lead to conflict. A particular topic of controversy can vary from a local matter to a global one (Harwood & Hahn, 1990). A discussion of the hallmarks of a ‘strong’ student versus a ‘weak’ student would be specific to a particular classroom, while the topic of religious wars can be seen as a global issue. Both these topics could be uncomfortable to discuss and yet many educators promote the need to engage students in topics that have the potential for discord. Why?

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            Involving students in controversial-issues discussions has benefits for building future citizens. Indeed, students will be confronted, as adults, with divisive issues and if they do not learn to address them at school, then they will struggle later on. Harwood & Hahn (1990) give three reasons of why discussing controversial issues in the classroom is important. For one, it allows students to develop critical thinking. When engaged in discussions, students develop skills such as generating ideas and hypotheses, debating their points and evaluating solutions. The National Council of Social Studies (NCSS) also supports this claim. It promotes the idea that teaching students to be critical thinkers needs to be done through controversial-issues discussions in the classroom (Byford, Lennon & Russell, 2009). Second, students are able to develop interpersonal skills when engaged in controversial-issues discussions (Harwood & Hahn, 1990). They learn to understand the format of proper communication by developing listening skills, responding respectfully and delivering convincing points. Last, students get the opportunity to prepare for citizenship. Newmann (1989) explains how for there to be citizenship—particularly in a democratic setting—individuals need to debate on the issues of the community. As such, the classroom needs to be a laboratory in which students practice their future roles as citizens (as cited Harwood & Hahn, 1990, p. 3). Another benefit to discussing controversial issues in the classroom is argued by Long and Long (1975) who found that students who engaged in these debates tend to follow news and current events more, and speak with their friends and families about varied social or political issues. In addition, they tend to develop civic tolerance and increased interest in social issues and politics (Harwood & Hahn, 1990).

Incorporating controversial-issues discussion in the classroom definitely promotes a sense of citizenship in students. It allows them to learn about freedom of speech (and the tolerance that it entails), develop critical thinking skills and improve communication abilities. Yet, many teachers and students remain reluctant to talk about topics that are controversial in the classroom (Long & Long, 1975; Misco, 2013). 

References:

Byford, J., Lennon, S., & Russell, W. B. (2009). Teaching Controversial Issues in the Social Studies: A Research Study of High School Teachers. Clearing House, 82(4), 165-170.

Harwood, A., M. & Hahn, C., L. (1990). Controversial Issues in the Classroom. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education Bloomington IN. ERIC Identifier: ED327453

Long, S. & Long, R (1975). Controversy in the Classroom: Student Viewpoint and Educational Outcome. Teaching Political Science 2, 275-299.

Misco, T. (2013). ‘We do not talk about these things’: the promises and challenges of reflective thinking and controversial issue discussions in a Chinese high school. Intercultural Education, 24(5), 401-416. doi:10.1080/14675986.2013.842663