By deepening students' discussion skills, schools can play a key role in bridging communication divides in our society. As the nation has become increasingly politically polarized, how can educators teach constructive dialogue in the classroom? The authors--education experts and researchers--offer seven strategies for helping students engage in…

During an age when many adults struggle to hold civil discussions about contentious issues, authors Kristina J. Doubet and Jessica A. Hockett argue that educators are in a prime position to teach civility. In this article, Doubet and Hockett outline three approaches for teaching students to take part in civil discourse, each approach with its own…

Many teachers have expressed worry about how and if to teach the U.S. presidential election in the wake of such polarizing times. Difficult civic and political discussions in the classroom should not be avoided, argues Jacob Fay and Meira Levinson, but should be practiced. By using normative case studies to talk through highly polarized issues,…

If the authors have learned anything working with schools across the United States, they've learned this: When it comes to educational equity, the trouble is not a lack of multicultural programs or diversity initiatives in schools. Nor is it a lack of educators who appreciate and even champion diversity. The trouble lies in how so many diversity…

Many teachers shy away from conversations about diversity issues in the classroom--because they feel pressured to cover the mandated curriculum, or because they worry about students' and parents' reactions, or because they're afraid they'll say the wrong thing or won't know how to respond to comments that can make everyone feel uncomfortable. In…

Too often, the authors assert, discussion of controversial issues in high school classrooms is channeled through the teacher, rather than engaging students in discussion with one another. Teachers fear that students won't know how to talk to one another productively about issues, or that they'll end up in shouting matches. But when…

Given the prevalence of religion talk in today's world, another form of fluency is needed. Civic multilingualism is the ability to converse across different religious and ethical perspectives in search of understanding, compromise, and common ground. According to the author, this may represent the greatest social challenge of the 21st century.…

Just as people focused on education in the United States call for more content-rich curriculums, elementary schools in many areas have squeezed history and social studies out of their school day. When social studies is taught, it's often characterized by overreliance on a textbook and "covering" isolated facts; extended, engaged reading…

Adults in the United States have been migrating to ideologically homogenous communities, a phenomenon that researchers have called "the big sort." Thus, the need for young Americans to engage in civil discussion of controversial issues has never been greater. Public schools are an ideal place to undo the big sort because controversial issues fit…

When a gay male student began distributing letters at his high school alerting students and teachers to the antigay language in the school and teachers' lack of intervention, the letter was quickly confiscated. McGarry, an administrator in the central office, learned of the incident and of other incidents in which LGBT students and teachers were…

Who could possibly be against teaching social responsibility? Quite a few people, it turns out--as anyone who survived the controversy in the 1980s and early 1990s over outcomes-based education (OBE) can attest. A look back at that abandoned effort offers three lessons for those who advocate teaching values and civic virtue. These lessons are: (1)…

Typically embodied in classroom-based projects, service learning aims to link community service with the school curriculum to enhance both character development and academic skills. Service learning can also go beyond these goals to prepare students to become engaged citizens, by expanding their understanding of social problems and the role of…

In Harper v. Poway Community Unified School District, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled that a student could not wear a T-shirt to school bearing a statement that homosexual behavior is shameful. The court did not use the usual rationale, that such speech could disrupt school activities, but instead relied on the notion that such statements could…

As a high school social studies teacher, the author provides his students with a curriculum that helps them think about immigration issues. He describes the instructional units that he has developed to address two key questions about U.S.-Mexican immigration: What is the origin of the U.S.-Mexico border? and Why are so many people today fleeing…

Since the United Nations adopted the International Bill of Human Rights in 1948, the deprivation of human rights has been rampant and brutal. To help students understand human rights devaluation and protection issues, teachers in all curricular areas can use three primary elements: knowledge, values, and social participation. (11 references) (MLH)