Today’s young people will grow up to be the citizens of the future: but what that future holds for them is uncertain. We can be quite confident, however, that they will be faced with decisions about a wide range of issues on which people have differing, contradictory views.
If they are to develop as effective local and global citizens, all young people should have the opportunity to engage with these controversial issues. Teachers have a key role in enabling young people to develop the skills they need to do this. As educators, we are not expected to have all the answers. In fact, there are no “right” or “wrong” answers and discussing controversial issues enables teachers to challenge their own views and explore ideas in greater depth with young people.
“Young people need to develop the skills necessary to deal with challenging and shifting perspectives in their communities and the wider world.”
What are controversial issues?
It is impossible to define what a controversial or sensitive global issue is as it varies from school to school and community to community. However, they tend to be issues which are emotive, where different perspectives are passionately adhered to and require careful handling in the classroom. It is also important to consider what the views of the local community or parents might be on an issues and how they might react to this being discussed in school.
In general sensitive global issues can be described as issues which:
- Deeply divide society – such as immigration, austerity, Brexit
- Challenge personally held values and beliefs – racism, political stance, sexuality, religion
- Generate conflicting explanations – historical events, conflicts such as Palestine and Israel
- Evoke emotional responses – crime and punishments, animal testing, abortion
Reference: CDVEC Curriculum Development Unit
“Often values such as respect and tolerance are advocated and it is useful to reflect on what they really mean.”
Why teach difficult issues?
Controversial issues are a reality of our everyday lives. Young people need to develop the skills necessary to deal with challenging and shifting perspectives in their communities and the wider world. It enables young people to gain knowledge and understanding of global issues and opportunities to critically examine their own values and viewpoints and those of others.
Skills and values
Tackling these issues in the classroom can stimulate deep thinking and understanding. In particular it supports the development of critical and creative thinking, reasoning, processing and synthesising of information and evaluating different opinions.
While young people can find the world complex and difficult to understand it is important for them to clarify their emotions and values and learn to think for themselves. Many initial responses to controversial issues are strong and emotional and it is valuable to provide space for exploring, clarifying and understanding the values which underpin these responses.
By actively participating in difficult arguments and debates, young people learn to make reasoned judgements, respect the opinions of others, consider different viewpoints and resolve conflicts. These skills enable them to build resilience and confidence to manage conflicts that arise in response to global issues and in their own lives, whether this be in the playground, at home, or in their local community.
“While it might appear common sense that teachers should be neutral, the reality is this is almost impossible to achieve.”
Modern life
Young people in our classrooms may feel marginalised for any number of reasons, such as: poverty, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability and social group. At any age, many young people are likely to experience the effects of controversial issues in their own lives and communities, and be exposed to national and global issues through the media. Schools can (should?) provide a space where young people can safely explore and process these issues.
A Global Citizenship approach, with its core skills and values developed through participatory methodologies, supports the process of teaching difficult and sensitive issues.
Creating space for pupils to explore the issues
When introducing controversial issues into the classroom it is vital to have a safe and fair environment where issues can be freely discussed but where it is also recognised that freedom of expression must be tempered by human rights values.
Often values such as respect and tolerance are advocated and it might be useful to unpack these and reflect on what they really mean. For example, how do we respect others when we fundamentally disagree with them? Do we really believe all people are equal? Are our ground rules framed around respecting rights?
Role of the teacher
The teacher plays a pivotal role when discussing controversial issues and it is important to judge when, how, and if to express personal views and opinions. To what degree is it possible or even desirable to remain neutral about a subject?
While it might appear common sense that teachers should be neutral, the reality is this is almost impossible to achieve. We will always reveal our perspective through the tone, language and body language we use especially if we have strong views on a topic.
It can also be valuable to acknowledge that sometimes issues are complex and it can take time to think and respond thereby modelling to the class that it is ok to be unsure or to change your viewpoint.
