Teaching About Controversial Topics Led by Dr. Diana Hess

Grade
K-6
6-9
9-12
Lesson Duration

This hour-long virtual professional development session (recorded) for social studies educators addresses the following questions  - and more:

  • What is the relationship between controversial topics, problems, and issues?
  • What are controversial political issues?
  • What is the difference between an open and a settled issue, and an empirical and a policy issue?
  • Why should we include controversial political issues in the school curriculum?
  • What are key best practices about teaching young people to engage in discussions or deliberations of controversial political issues?

Presenter - Dr. Diana Hess, Dean of Education at the University of Wisconsin, co- author of The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education and author of Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion

Host - Joe Schmidt, Social Studies Specialist at the Maine Department of Education

Source

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT021uiMWZM&feature=youtu.be

The Maine Department of Education - Social Studies