Transcript Teaching Controversial Issues (Powerpoint)

Teaching Controversial
Issues
Newbridge Integrated
College
August 2013
Aims of Session 9.3011.00am
 Raise your awareness of context and
scope of addressing the teaching of
controversial issues.
 Constraints and limitations
 Some examples of effective practice
 Some ideas for the way forward
 (ensuring good practice is disseminated and relevant
materials made available)
Different viewpoints
Interpretations
identity
Commemoration
What makes an issue contentious?
 Relevant because of what is happening in the world now
 Deal with issues of injustice, intolerance and/or suffering
 Deal with religious tensions
 Deal with racial tensions
 Deal with treatment of others, in terms of attitudes towards,
repression of or retaliation of individuals and/or groups
The Decade of Anniversaries
2012-2022
 Ulster Covenant 2012
 Labour Movement 2013
 World War 1 2014
 The Battle of the Somme 2016
 The Easter Rising 2016
 Women’s suffrage 1918
 The Partition of Ireland 2022
Context and scope
Where does the teaching of these controversial
issues sit?
 ESAGS
 School Development Planning
 C.R.E.D
 DEPARTMENT
 TEACHER
SCOPE
 ESAGS 2009
 Quality Indicator is Child Centred Education
 “A clear commitment exists to promoting equality of
opportunity, high quality learning, a concern for individual
pupils and a respect for diversity.”
School Development Plan
 1.Schedule and Requirements 2010
A statement and evaluation of the ethos of the school.
 2. Together Towards Improvement 2009
Under Strategic Leadership
 - Equality of opportunity, diversity and good relations

CRED GUIDANCE
 “One of the tasks for education is to prepare children
and young people for living in a society that is diverse.”
 1.8 Community Relations, Equality and Diversity is
about working towards a society in which there is a
sense of belonging by all communities; a society in
which the diversity of people’s backgrounds and
circumstances is appreciated and valued; a society in
which similar opportunities are open to all; and a
society in which strong and positive relationships exist
and continue to be developed in schools, youth groups
and the wider community.
QUALITY INDICATORS FOR
C.R.E.D.
 Q2a The participants work collaboratively with others
from different traditions and backgrounds and gain
positive learning experiences in a safe and caring
environment which promotes equality, inclusion,
reconciliation and values difference.
DEPARTMENT
 RATIONALE
MAPPING TO CRED POLICY
(See quality indicators 1a and 2)
 See Statutory Requirements for areas of learning Northern
Ireland curriculum (2006)
 Ethical Awareness
 Personal Understanding
 Mutual Understanding
 Moral Character.
Teacher
 Finding appropriate strategies which allow pupils to explore
and face sensitive issues in the context of the subject.
 Professional training and development.
CONSTRAINTS and LIMITATIONS
 CRED
5.3.10 As such they may require teachers to explore subjects
and issues which are sensitive and/or controversial. This in
turn may require appropriate professional development and
personal reflection.
 5.4.2 Bringing young people from differing religious and
cultural traditions together to focus on the significant issues
which have caused conflict and distress in the past is seen as
an integral element of education which works toward
insuring a peaceful and stable shared society in the future.

Teaching is also limited by

The GCSE specifications, which make no explicit demand to examine ‘difficult' issues.

The emphasis on results, which leads to an understandable focus on the knowledge and
understanding of key concepts and processes to pass the exam.

A lack of time at KS4, particularly where there is a large amount of content specification
to cover.

Teachers' subject knowledge, which may hinder their ability to exploit potential
interesting aspects of the past.

Resources that focus on the exam requirements rather than encouraging pupils to
explore more fundamental issues about human action in the past

Teachers' pedagogical ability to handle sensitive debates and discussions.

Some teachers' unease when dealing with ‘difficult' issues.
Some guidance for the
Community Relations Council
 Start from the historical facts;
 2)
Recognise the implications and consequences of
what happened;
 3)
Understand that
different perceptions and interpretations exist; and
 4)
Show how events and activities can
deepen understanding of the period.
 All to be seen in the context of an ‘inclusive and accepting
society’
Some ideas for effective practice

Start the teaching of a contentious issue in history. An historically grounded approach is
adopted both in terms of historical content and historical process; this would look at what
happened, how we know, why there are differing accounts, why does it matter today and
in the past?

The use of an enquiry approach, encouraging pupils to ask and answer complex
questions the human experience.

History provides suitable context is provided within which to study a topic, for example a
broader study of Jewish persecution to avoid seeing it as a ‘German' problem in a study
of the Holocaust. English and Media Studies provide rich contexts in which sensitive
issues may be explored through texts, films, novels, plays , poems, websites.

Citizenship /English/RE /Art- Stereotypes are confronted by identifying pupil
preconceptions and devising exercises and examples that challenge these

Drama - Pupils are helped to access the issues through role play, reconstructions or
choice of examples that are initially within the compass of a child's experience.
Why are these issues difficult to
teach?
 They can sometimes provoke emotional and unreasoned
responses from pupils and teachers feel uncomfortable and under
prepared to deal professionally with the situation.
 Significant events in history can be emotive and controversial
whenever there is actual or perceived unfairness to people by
other individuals or groups. Sensitivities exist where there are
disparities between what is taught in school history and other
histories such as family and community history. Often they create a
strong resonance with the students. There can also be sensitivity
when confronting some uncomfortable themes such as death.
Good Practice
 For example, there needs to be a clear rationale in the
school for teaching such issues—it is not just a matter
for history teachers. The rationale needs to emphasise
identity, values and diversity.
 Teaching emotive and controversial history is more
likely to succeed when it is taught both as a body and
form of knowledge, where there is a strong emphasis
on independent enquiry, time to reflect and where
students understand the complexity. It means building
in enough time to consider multiple narratives and
explore the past from different perspectives.
WHERE DO THINGS GO FROM HERE?
 The T.E.A.C.H Report in 2009 recognised that things will not
change without some action. More attention certainly needs
giving to this area in schools and through continuing
professional development. It needs to be seen as a wholeschool issue to help provide coherence and progression.
There also needs to be cultural change—supporting rather
than discouraging debate and risk taking in classrooms.
There are also resource issues—new ones are needed to
allow schools to introduce a more varied and relevant
curriculum. Above all the Report is not the final word. We
need to improve the research and evidence base related to
the teaching of emotive and controversial history.
Some examples of effective
practice
 A rationale for the school that emphasises identity, values and diversity.
 Inter disciplinary approaches
 Multi dimensional approaches.

Narratives, stories and biographies are used as a means of getting closer to
individual experiences and providing a strong context for the events.
 Multiple perspectives are adopted to provide alternative points of view. These
should encourage a sensitivity towards inclusive language and an
understanding of divergent views within the same groups.
 There is an awareness that studying certain topics is a qualitatively different
experience for some pupils compared to others.

Possible ways forward for schools
 Develop some guidelines of teachers on how to deal
with these issues as a school website.
 Work with CRED team to edit and consult .
 Be ready for staff consultation by October half term