Some students made comments that
contextualized the initiative in terms
of tension between competing goods
and values, such as equality versus
safety. Steve, for instance, said, “I don’t
think we should risk people’s lives.
Fire departments are forced to hire
women because of affirmative action,
and women can’t do the job.” Carol
backed him up: “Many women couldn’t
pass the physical tests that men had to
pass . . . so the department changed
the tests. That’s risking people’s lives.”
A third student countered by saying
that even when women scored highest
on the local fire department’s test, they
were still discriminated against.
Ann was incredibly busy throughout
the discussion. She called on students,
assessed students by marking her
spoke. Effective participation includes
respectful listening, building on one
another’s arguments, and demonstrating
content knowledge through asking
questions and providing more elaborate
responses, rather than simply stating
factual information that isn’t used to
build an argument.
Key Practices
Ann’s format is only one model. I’ve
observed a lot of variety in how teachers successfully prepare students to
discuss controversial political issues.
Teachers use different forms of discussion, ranging from small-group models
like structured academic controversy, to
whole-class discussions, to simulations
of state legislatures that combine several
classes.
school students frequently tell me how
unusual it is for a teacher to insist that
they learn their peers’ names.
Many teachers take this further, going
to great lengths—again, early in the
school year—to ensure that all students
work with one another. Allowing students to select their own work or discussion groups is generally not a good idea.
If given the opportunity, most students
will create homogeneous groups, which
diminishes one of the key assets in most
classes—diversity. Teachers also explain
to students why they insist that students
have a chance to work with everyone in
class, reinforcing the idea that diversity
is an asset that should not be wasted.
Teaching norms for respectful exchange
is simply part of the job of teaching young
people to participate in discussion.
tally sheet each time someone spoke,
and occasionally redirected the discussion by asking clarifying questions
and raising new issues. When factual
disputes needed to be clarified, Ann
inserted short questions, such as, “Are
quotas legal?” At other times, she helped
students who were having difficulty
by rephrasing their questions or comments. The town meeting ended with
Ann directing students to turn to their
neighbors and say anything about the
initiative that they hadn’t had time to
contribute.
After town meetings, Ann’s students
generally talk about what went well and
what did not, and Ann gives students
her assessment of the town meeting as
a whole, focusing on the traits listed in
the rubric. She assesses students’ indi-
vidual participation on their role sheets.
Students understand that “participation”
is not simply the number of times they
Some teachers formally evaluate
students’ participation in the discus-
sions and count it toward a student’s
grade; others do not. Some teachers
elicit students’ participation in selecting
the issues to discuss, whereas others
make that decision on their own. Some
teachers share their own views on the
issue at hand; others never do. There is
no single approach to follow. However,
I’ve uncovered key similarities in the
practice of teachers who demonstrated
pedagogical skill and inspired the best
discussions.
Mix It Up Early and Often
Successful teachers are extremely attentive to the need to create a classroom
climate that honors both controversy
and respect. One way they do this is to
insist that students learn and use one
another’s names, starting early in the
year. This may seem trivial, but high
Prepare Students
Skillful teachers know that discussions
will not happen without careful preparation about the issues involved. Teachers
tell me that giving all students background information and preparation
time is necessary to achieve both quality
and equality of participation.
In Ann’s case, she often elicited
what students knew (or thought they
knew) about a topic before assigning
any preliminary readings. This helped
address initial misconceptions they had
as a group and alerted her to gaps in
their knowledge base that she could
help fill. She also asked questions like,
“Why might some people disagree
about whether illegal immigration is a
problem?” as a way to take the heat off
students who might feel pressured to
articulate an opinion right away.
Teachers need to prepare themselves
as well. Because teaching through issues
discussion is so tricky, it’s best if a
school provides its teachers with professional development specifically on this
pedagogy, with ongoing support available as they begin to try it.
Respect: Tell and Show
Many secondary students don’t arrive
in class with solid discussion skills.
Effective teachers take care to teach
