In today’s polarized society, discussing politics in the classroom is a challenge. The fear of alienating students, amplifying divisions, or even risking your job can lead many teachers to avoid discussing current events altogether. In fact, it raises the question: do politics belong in the classroom at all?
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Even if politics aren’t a part of the lesson plan, discussions about current events are sure to come up throughout the school year, so teachers should be prepared to address these issues with their students. If embraced in a constructive way, discussing politics in the classroom can be an invaluable experience for students of all ages.
Standard-setting conversations like these can be tricky; today’s students often have a hard time drawing a line between productive and unproductive classroom contributions. For example, they might say ad hominem attacks are wrong but disagree about whether characterizing a whole group (such as liberals or Trump supporters) rather than a. Election 2020: Classroom and family discussions during a contentious election year can be difficult, but all students should have a safe space to develop trust, practice respectful dialogue and learn how to engage in the democratic process.
In their book The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education, Diana E. Hess and Paula McAvoy contend that deliberating political questions is a crucial component of a democratic education and has wide-ranging benefits for students. They stress the importance of creating a culture of fairness in the classroom and offer guidelines for discussing politics in the classroom based on the results of a comprehensive years-long study that involved 21 teachers and over 1,000 students across 35 schools.
Benefits of Discussing Politics in the Classroom
There are many benefits to discussing politics in the classroom and, with a careful approach, doing so can be a tremendous learning opportunity for students, and even teachers. Engaging in constructive conversation with fellow students can improve kids’ listening skills, teach them to respect the opinions of others, and develop their ability to think critically about complex topics. Sharing ideas about important current events can help build invaluable social and emotional learning skills that can last a lifetime. It can also encourage students to become actively engaged in the democratic process when they reach voting age.
Leading Constructive Discussions
There are a number of things to keep in mind when discussing politics in the classroom. Establishing ground rules for respectful classroom behavior early in the school year is a vital first step in creating a safe and fair environment for constructive dialogue. Other good things to keep in mind are to:
- Avoid letting discussions turn into competitions or debates.
- Ensure that students do not resort to personal attacks and are making valid, evidence-based contributions.
- Encourage students to have an open mind about issues and to draw conclusions based on a variety of objective sources.
Ultimately, everyone should respect each other, so be sure to model appropriate behavior for your students and monitor for anything that deviates from thoughtful consideration of their peers and their ideas.
Sharing Your Viewpoint in a Nonpartisan Way
Discussing politics in the classroom requires a cautious approach. Knowing your students and the environment you’re teaching in will play a large role in how you lead these conversations. Consider school policy, state laws, and a variety of socioeconomic factors before choosing specific topics to discuss.
Educators have a tremendous responsibility to be fair and nonpartisan when leading political discussions. Whether or not teachers choose to reveal their own beliefs or experiences is up to the individual, but this should always be done with respect to diverse viewpoints. Being completely open and accessible to students will help foster an ideal atmosphere for political discussions. Teachers should challenge students to form their own opinions about issues while being careful not to inject their own partisan beliefs. The goal should always be to inspire students to have confidence in themselves as they seek to discover their own identities.
Positive Lasting Effects
Discussing politics in the classroom can have a long-lasting positive impact on students if approached with care. Doing so teaches students how to have mature conversations while also helping them to further develop empathy and understanding. And finally, it can spark a deep thirst for knowledge within students that empowers them to take ownership of their learning as they prepare for college and career.
Sources
Drummond, S. (2015, August 6). Politics in the classroom: How much is too much? NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/08/06/415498760/the-role-of-politics-in-the-classroom
Hess, D., & McAvoy, P. (2014). The political classroom: Evidence and ethics in democratic education. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Lutz, A. (2019, January 10). How did we vote? State education 2018 election results from the midterms. Where Learning Clicks. Retrieved from https://blog.edgenuity.com/education-2018-election-results/
Lutz, A. (2018, September 20). The importance of being vulnerable in the classroom. Where Learning Clicks. Retrieved from https://blog.edgenuity.com/the-importance-of-being-vulnerable-in-the-classroom/
- Contact
- Elizabeth H. Simmons, Dean, Lyman Briggs College & Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development
- Phone
- 517-353-6486
- esimmons@msu.edu
- Website
- http://aan.msu.edu/node/70
MSU Resources
Learn at Lunch Series: Facilitating Difficult Dialogues
(program flyer pdf here)
Sponsored by the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Academic Advancement Network
Thursday, October 13, 12:00 - 1:30 PM in 222 Erickson Hall
Participants will learn effective strategies for facilitating difficult dialogues on current social and cultural issues in the classroom (e.g. climate change, stem cell research, politics, racism). Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss ongoing issues in the classroom related to this topic and problem-solve with colleagues.
Moderator: Dr. Jessica Garcia, Sociology; Panelists: Dr. Austin Dorell Jackson, RCAH and Dr. Gerald Urquhart, Lyman Briggs College and Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife
Academic Advancement Network Resources
Books available in the AAN Office Library
To borrow any of the following titles, stop by Room 308 of the Hannah Administration Building.
- Brookfield, Stephen D. The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking.
- Chickering, Art (Foreword) Encountering Faith in the Classroom: Turning Difficult Discussions into Constructive Engagement
- Nash, Robert J. How to Talk About Hot Topics on Campus: From Polarization to Moral Conversation.
- Nash, Robert J. Start Talking: A Handbook for Engaging Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
- Roderick, Libby. Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education.
- Wheatley, Margaret J. Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
Categories of the Online Instructional Resources Database
- Inclusive Teaching Methods http://fod.msu.edu/oir/inclusive-teaching-methods
- Incorporating Multicultural Content into Your Teaching http://fod.msu.edu/oir/incorporating-multicultural-content-your-teaching
- Teaching for Diverse Populations http://fod.msu.edu/oir/teaching-diverse-populations
Other MSU Resources
Bias Busters: Guides to Cultural Competence
- Website Project of the MSU School of Journalism, College of Communication Arts and Sciences http://news.jrn.msu.edu/culturalcompetence/
i3 Education and Training Opportunities
- Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiativeshttp://inclusion.msu.edu/education/index.html
Ideas for Disciplinary Content
- Compiled by the MSU Libraries https://www.lib.msu.edu/inclusiveteaching/
Office of Institutional Equity Policies
Promoting Inclusion in Academic Environments
- Presentation pdf by Jim Lucas, Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education http://fod.msu.edu/sites/default/files/UGAAD%20Presentation%20Fall%202016.pdf
To My Professor: Student Voices for Great College Teaching
- Book by MSU School of Journalism students and editor Joe Grimm,College of Communication Arts and Sciences http://www.readthespirit.com/explore/msu-journalists-publish-to-my-professor-student-voices-for-great-college-teaching/p://news.jrn.msu.edu/culturalcompetence/
External Resources
ELECTIONS
Teaching and Learning in a Tense Election Season
- Webpage produced by the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at the University of Michigan http://crlt.umich.edu/node/92763
Election 2016: Lesson Plans and Digital Resources for Educators
- Resource produced by the George Lucas Education Foundation (online article) http://www.edutopia.org/blog/US-election-teaching-resources-matt-davis
Producing and Consuming the Controversial--A Social Media Perspective on Political Conversations in the Social Science Classroom (article)
- Andersson, E. (2016). Producing and Consuming the Controversial–A Social Media Perspective on Political Conversations in the Social Science Classroom. JSSE-Journal of Social Science Education, 15(1), 6-16.
BIAS AND RACE
#Charlestonsyllabus
- Resource produced by the African American Intellectual History Society http://www.aaihs.org/resources/charlestonsyllabus/
#FergusonSyllabus
- Resources produced by Sociologists for Justice https://sociologistsforjustice.org/ferguson-syllabus
Learning to Talk about Race in the Classroom
- Resource from Inside Higher Ed.'s Gradhacker (blog article) https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/learning-talkrace-classroom
Project Implicit (Implicit Bias)
- Project by Harvard University https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Promoting Racial Literacy in Schools: Differences That Make a Difference
- Book by Stevenson, H. C. (2013). Teachers College Press.
Responding to Incidents of Hate Speech
- Webpage produced by the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at the University of Michigan http://crlt.umich.edu/node/93036
Teaching Tolerance
- Program of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Resources for K-12, but many transferrable ideas http://www.tolerance.org/lets-talk
GENERAL RESOURCES
Difficult Dialogues Guide
- Annotated resources produced by Vanderbilt University https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/difficult-dialogues/
Difficult Dialogues Handbook, Strategies and Resources
Tough Talk.. Political Conversations In The Classroom Answer
- Resources produced by the University of Alaska Difficult Dialogues Project and the Ford Foundation
Handbook for Facilitating Difficult Conversations
- Resources produced by Queens College, City University of New York (pdf) https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/Centers/Democratic/Documents/Handbook%20for%20Facilitating%20Difficult%20Conversations2.pdf
Inclusive Practices for Managing Controversial Issues
- Online document produced by Flinders University of Australia http://www.flinders.edu.au/equal-opportunityfiles/documents/cdip/TIPS_controversial.pdf
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Inviting Dialogue
- Resource produced by Clark University (pdf) http://www2.clarku.edu/difficultdialogues/documents/ClarkUnivInvitingDialogue.pdf
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Managing Challenging Moments in the Classroom
- Online Document produced by the Derek Bok Center Staff of Harvard University (online document) http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/hotmoments.html
Mindfulness and Discussing 'Thorny' Issues in the Classroom (article)
- Alexakos, K., Pride, L. D., Amat, A., Tsetsakos, P., Lee, K. J., Paylor-Smith, C., ... & Smith, T. (2016). Mindfulness and discussing “thorny” issues in the classroom. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1-29.
Toolkit for Inclusive Learning Environments
- Project by the Sheridan Libraries of Johns Hopkins University http://guides.library.jhu.edu/c.php?g=213732&p=1410321
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