Chapter 6: Covering Controversial Issues in Social Studies
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This chapter focuses on the study of controversial issues in social studies. It really made me realize that social studies presents a lot of controversial issues, something that I had never considered before. Our society is inherently controversial as you have a variety of different people attempting to work together in a common environment, and this will inevitably result in issues. This has been shown repeatedly throughout history, such as the Apartheid in South Africa and the segregation in World War II. Though these are extreme examples, they highlight that issues naturally arise when people are kept together who have different beliefs and wants. This is found in any community. As such, this will affect your students as a simple result of being part of a community. Maynes and Straub point out that “the school is a microcosm of the community in which it exists” (136). The main point that is presented is that controversial issues can be used to benefit students. This is because students can be taught how to adapt to others’ points of view as well as become caring citizens that can exact positive change rather than becoming overwhelmed when faced with these issues later in life. I believe that this is a very important lesson to realize: that I can help students adjust to common every day issues through the way I approach this topic in my social studies lessons, and use their own experiences as citizens to help them learn these lessons. This will make my lessons more effective as they have a personal tie to it. This chapter was very effective at showing how you can utilize personal involvement in the community to prepare students for issues arising later in life.
Maynes, N., & Straub, J. (2012) Social Studies: Innovative Approaches for Teachers, 1st ed. (pp. 136). Toronto: Pearson Canada.
Maynes, N., & Straub, J. (2012) Social Studies: Innovative Approaches for Teachers, 1st ed. (pp. 136). Toronto: Pearson Canada.
Additional Resources:
1) http://www.coe.uga.edu/gssj/files/2010/09/S-Philpott-et-al-2011.pdf
This link shows the results from a study into how a number of different teachers approach teaching controversial issues in their classroom
2) http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/teachersupport/cpd/controversial/
This website shows the different techniques teachers can use to address and teach controversial issues in the classroom. Click on the "Teaching Controversial Issues" tab at the bottom of the page for further information
This link shows the results from a study into how a number of different teachers approach teaching controversial issues in their classroom
2) http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/teachersupport/cpd/controversial/
This website shows the different techniques teachers can use to address and teach controversial issues in the classroom. Click on the "Teaching Controversial Issues" tab at the bottom of the page for further information
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