Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion » (New Edition)

In a conservative educational climate that is dominated by policies like No Child Left Behind, one of the most serious effects has been for educators to worry about the politics of what they are teaching and how they are teaching it. As a result, many dedicated teachers choose to avoid controversial issues altogether in preference for "safe" knowledge and "safe" teaching practices. Diana Hess interrupts this dangerous trend by providing readers a spirited and detailed argument for why curricula and teaching based on controversial issues are truly crucial at this time. Through rich empirical research from real classrooms throughout the nation, she demonstrates why schools have the potential to be particularly powerful sites for democratic education and why this form of education must include sustained attention to authentic and controversial political issues that animate political communities. The purposeful inclusion of controversial issues in the school curriculum, when done wisely and well, can communicate by example the essence of what makes communities democratic while simultaneously building the skills and dispositions that young people will need to live in and improve such communities.

Series Editor Introduction

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction 1

Part I The Case for Controversial Political Issues

1 Why Democracy Demands Controversy 11

2 Rationales for Controversial Issues Discussions in Schools 27

3 Defining Controversial Political Issues 37

Part II Inside Classrooms

4 Skillful Teaching of Controversial Issues Discussions 53

5 Diversity in Our Midst: Ideological Diversity in Classrooms and Its Impact on Controversial Issues Discussion 77

6 To Disclose or Not to Disclose: A Controversial Choice for Teachers Co-authored with Paula McAvoy 97

Part III Controversy in the Curriculum

7 Teaching in the Tip: Controversies About What Is Legitimately Controversial 113

8 September 11: "The Ultimate Teachable Moment": How Supplementary Materials and Textbooks Deal with Controversy in the Classroom 131

9 Creating More Controversy in Classrooms 161

Appendix A Methodological Overview of Study Used in Chapters 5 and 6 175

Appendix B Views about Issues Discussions 179

Notes 181

Bibliography 185

Index 193