Transcript Teaching controversial issues

Rex Walford Memorial Lecture
Teaching Controversial Issues
Margaret Roberts
Teaching controversial issues
•
•
•
•
What is a controversial issue?
Why study controversial issues in geography?
What is the role of the teacher?
What classroom activities can be used?
What is a controversial issue?
A controversial issue is a matter about
which individuals and groups disagree.
What makes an issue controversial?
1 Insufficient evidence
• Plate tectonics – issue resolved by evidence
• Evolution – issue resolved, for most, by
evidence
• Science of global warming – scientific
consensus
• KEY POINT: scientific knowledge generated
through speculation, debate, but issues are
resolved when sufficient evidence – although
always open to new evidence.
What makes an issue controversial?
2 Different values/ideologies
• NIMBYism: Higger Tor wind farm (hypothetical)
• Conflict of values: economic/social/environment,
e.g. Hinkley Point nuclear power
• Conflict of ideologies: market forces versus state
regulation
• Uncertainty and risk: climate change uncertainty
of predictions and different views on acceptable
risk
Precautionary principle
When the health of humans and the
environment is at stake, it may not be
necessary to wait for scientific certainty to
take protective action.
What makes an issue controversial?
3 Ethical reasons
• Right or wrong: e.g. Apartheid South Africa
• Good or bad: buying Valentine roses from
Kenya in UK
Is carbon trading an ethical issue?
Is it an easy way out for governments, groups
and individuals to continue polluting without
making any changes in their behaviour?
Wicked problems
“ The kinds of problems that planners deal with,
societal problems, are inherently different from
the problems that scientists … deal with.
Planning problems are inherently wicked”
(Rittel and Webber, 1973)
Most geographical issues are wicked
• Different ways of conceptualising them
• Connected with a network of other issues
• Their solutions have wide ranging implications
Ways of framing the issues of climate
change
• As a scientific dispute: ‘man’-made or natural?
• As an environmental issue
• As an issue about differential impact and
social justice
• As a security issue: securing essential
resources
• As an economic issue
• In catastrophic terms
Who is involved in the solutions?
Is it the responsibility of:
• Individuals
• Companies – including airlines
• Governments
• International agreements
• Geo-engineers
All must be involved which makes solution ‘messy’
Super-wicked problems
• Time is running out
• The central authority needed to address them is
weak or non-existent
• Those who cause the problem also seek to create
a solution
• Reponses are pushed into the future when
immediate actions is required to set up long term
policy solutions
Why study controversial issues?
1
Geography is inherently values laden
‘To my mind, teachers do no service to their pupils if
they give them the impression that such problems
[development in towns, areas of unemployment,
pollution] are easily defined, that the processes
involved are well understood so that their occurrence
can be straightforwardly explained and that there are
always practicable solutions available. Issues such as
the ones I have mentioned are matters of legitimate
dispute precisely because there are often strong
disagreements about diagnoses, goals and strategies’
Keith Joseph, 1985
Why study controversial issues?
2 Geography shaped by decisions
Examples
Railway construction in UK in nineteenth century
Railway construction in 21st century, e.g. HS2
GNC proposed themes all involve controversial issues
KS 2
Settlement, Trade links, Energy, food, water supply
KS 3
International development, Economic activity, Urbanisation,
Use of natural resources
KEY POINT We cannot understand geography without understanding that human
processes have been influenced by debate and decision.
Why study controversial issues?
3 to guard against indoctrination and propaganda (Lambert)
Value analysis
helps students identify different viewpoints on an
issue and assess the evidence on which they are
based and examine the underpinning values
e.g. What are the economic, social, environmental
arguments for and against expansion of tourism in
Mauritius.
Why teach controversial issues?
4 Students are interested in them
•
•
•
•
David Hicks (2007) ‘Lessons for the future’.
GA IPSOS Mori (2009) World Issues survey
GLEAN (2009) ‘Our world, our say’
National Children’s Bureau (2011) ‘Children and Young
People’s Views on Sustainable Living’
‘WE ARE THE NEW GENERATION AND IT’S UP TO
US TO HELP ADULTS OUT WITH ISSUES SUCH AS
GLOBAL WARMING’ (12-14 year old, p. 2)
‘BECAUSE WE ARE THE FUTURE AND WE CAN CHANGE
EVERYTHING IF WE START TO WORK ON IT NOW ON
ISSUES SUCH AS CLIMATE CHANGE’ (12-14 year old, p. 3)
What is the role of the teacher?
•
•
•
•
Balanced
Neutral
Committed: advocating certain values
Critical
What is role of the teacher?
A: Balanced
• Information provided about opposing
viewpoints, e.g. FAO information sheets about
GMO, could be analysed for economic,
environmental and social values
• Balance about scientific aspects of climate
change?
– Viewpoint of IPCC
– Viewpoint of Martin Durkin (Channel 4
programme)
What is balanced in relation to
scientific aspects of global warming?
a. Give attention only to scientific reports and
the scientific consensus
b. Give more attention to arguments for global
warming than those against
c. Give equal attention to arguments for and
against global warming
Role of the teacher
Headlines from Express
• SNOW CHOAS And they still claim it’s global
warming
• 100 REASONS WHY GLOBAL WARMING IS
NATURAL
Headlines from Independent
• The methane time bomb
• Climate change is the major challenge facing the
world (Attenborough)
Role of teacher:
B Neutral
Humanities curriculum project characteristics
• Students learnt through discussion rather than
instruction
• Evidence was provided in form of various
resources ‘to avoid pooling ignorance’
• Teacher remained neutral to avoid influencing
students and to encourage discussion
Philosophy for children
Is it possible/desirable to be neutral?
“If you are neutral on situations of injustice, you
have chosen the side of the oppressor”
Desmond Tutu
Role of teacher: committed
An advocate:
‘someone who openly
supports, recommends
or furthers a particular
cause, policy or idea”
Acceptable advocacy
?????
(Schlottman, 2012)
Unacceptable advocacy
The Role of the Teacher: Committed
Permissible advocacy
• School behaviour policies
• School bullying policies
• School anti-racist policies
Role of teacher
Unacceptable advocacy
• Stop genetic contamination of your food
• Nuclear Power? No thanks
Role of teacher: committed
Advocating sustainability
•
•
•
•
Agenda 21
Doorways to sustainability
Earth Charter (earth charter school network)
Eco-Schools
What is permissible
permissible
advocacy?
Keeping students informed
about environmental issues
Encouraging a caring,
responsible attitude towards the
environment
Letting students know how they
could take action on
environmental issues
Getting students to put ideas,
e.g. related to waste, into
practice within the school
Encouraging students to put
ideas, into practice outside the
school
not sure Not
permissible
The Role of the Teacher: Critical
Critical Thinking
Recognize assumptions
Evaluate arguments
Draw conclusions
Core Critical Thinking Skills
Analysis
Interpretation
Inference
Explanation
Evaluation
Critical Pedagogy
• Recognise political
nature of issues
• Ask questions that
challenge status quo
• Probe ethical issues
• Expose hidden
meanings of data
• Consider underlying
political and economic
structures
Activity: Public Meeting Role Play
On OXFAM website – needs updating
Do you agree:
• something needs to be
done about climate
change?
• to an 80% cut in
emissions by 2050?
• providing money for
poorer countries so they
can pay for the damage
caused by climate
change?
UK
Canada
USA
France
Spain
Japan
China
Brazil
India
Bangladesh
Peru
Indonesia
Mauritania
Tanzania
Activity: Public Meeting Role Play
Should fracking be allowed in Lancashire?
FOR
• Cuadrilla (economic)
• Local people (employment)
• Government (economic and environmental)
AGAINST
• Economists
• Local people (health, land, jobs)
• Environmentalists (Earthquakes, water pollution)
Classroom activity: Structured
Academic Controversy (SAC)
Suitable for topic with two opposing viewpoints
Procedure
Students allocated in pairs to one viewpoint
Students, in pairs, research their viewpoint
Groups of four: each pair presents their viewpoint, the
others take notes
New groups of four: each pair presents opposing
viewpoint from notes; general discussion with attempt
to reach consensus in group
Class discussion: key arguments and evidence for and
against, underpinning values
Classroom activity: applying criteria
Peak District National Park Authority
Does the proposed project meet:
•
•
•
•
•
Sustainable development objectives
Social objectives
National Park and environmental objectives;
Economic objectives and
Other scheme objectives?
NB Criteria could be discussed critically: which are most
important? Whose interests do they serve?
Discussing resources
Classroom activity: Spider diagrams
• Studying an issue through reading or watching
film
• Analysing key points and representing them
on spider diagram
Mind Map: issues facing Singapore in
changing world
SS MM
Classroom activity: Scenarios
Hicks, D. (2001) Citizenship for the Future: A practical classroom guide.
Godalming: World Wide Fund for Nature UK.
Classroom activity: discussion
Final thoughts
Make your own professional judgements
• In what ways do the themes you are teaching
have controversial aspects? (lack of evidence,
different viewpoints, ethical issues)
• What do you think the teacher’s role should
be when students are studying controversial
issues? (balanced, neutral, committed, critical)
• Which classroom activities would you use to
help students investigate geographical issues?