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##  Teaching Students To Discuss Controversial Public Issues. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      

Talking with others, especially people with different viewpoints,               about matters of public and common concern is a basic pro-democracy             skill and act.  For that reason, teaching young people how to                   participate more effectively in discussions of controversial public             issues (CPI) has long been a major goal of social studies                       educators.  In most social studies classes, however, there are few              CPI discussions.  Those teachers who include CPI discussions in                 their curricula recognize that it is difficult both to teach and to             learn these skills.  Drawing on recent research, this Digest                    examines the meaning of CPI discussions and recommends how teachers             can structure their curricula and teaching methods to improve their             students' ability to discuss controversial issues. WHAT IS A CPI              DISCUSSION?A CPI is an unresolved question of public policy that            sparks significant disagreement.  Recent examples in the United                 States pertain to national, state, and local levels of government:              Should federal funding be used for embryonic stem cell research?                Should a state government mandate that students pass a graduation               test to earn a high school diploma?  Should public funds of a local             government be used to build a new sports stadium?  Should a curfew              for youth be enacted by a city council? An international CPI could              involve negotiations about a new environmental treaty or whether                nations with poor human rights records should be allowed to host the            Olympics. 
There are three attributes of a CPI: (1) the controversy            is "live," meaning it is currently on the public platter; (2)                   some "public" either informs or makes a decision about the issue;               and (3) there is significant disagreement about the best solution.              For an example of a non-CPI, consider this question: should women               have the right to vote in the United States?  This issue is not a               CPI because it is not a live controversy in the United                          States (although it certainly is one in some parts of the                       world). 
Although there are numerous ways to include controversial             public issues in the school curriculum such as simulations or role              plays, the discussion of them has long been advocated by social                 studies educators (Hahn 1991, 1998; Parker 1996).  "Discussion is a             form of group inquiry--a consciously-shared form, a                             listening-and-talking form.  It requires a group of people, an aim,             a text (broadly defined to include an issue), and a focusing                    question that is tied to one of the three aims."  The three aims are            to "reach a decision about what a 'we' should do to achieve an end;             to reach an enlarged understanding of a text; or to reach agreement             on ends" (Parker & Hess 2001, 281). While most CPI discussions are              focused on the deliberative aim (i.e., "what should we do?"), it is             important to focus CPI discussions on building a deeper                         understanding of the issue or considering the ends that a "public"              wants to achieve. 
At any given time, a plethora of controversial              public issues could be included in the curriculum.  Consequently, it            is important for teachers to establish clear criteria for selecting             issues. Successful criteria include: (1) the extent to which the                issue involves a clear conflict between competing values (such as               equality and liberty); (2) the availability of high quality                     instructional resources pertaining to the issue; (3) the connection             between a specific issue and some larger curricular goal; and (4)               the likelihood that students will be interested in the issue and                will want to discuss it. HOW TO IMPROVE CPI DISCUSSIONS.Two               recent studies of middle and high school social studies teachers                show that it is important to teach both for and with                            discussion (Hess and Posselt 2001; Hess 1998).  Teaching for                    discussion means helping students improve their discussion                      abilities.  The outcome of this type of instruction is students who             become highly skilled discussants.  Teaching with discussion extends            to such considerations as the need to develop understanding of a                specific issue, to enhance critical thinking skills, and to improve             interpersonal skills (Larson 1997).  Teachers who consider these                needs for using CPI discussions are more likely to devote sufficient            time to them and to teach explicitly the skills students need to                become better discussants. 
Teachers who are skilled at teaching               their students to become better CPI discussants do not assume that              students come into their classes with those skills already                      developed.  Successful teachers begin by helping an entire class                conceptualize what a good CPI discussion sounds and looks like by               showing examples in video programs (Miller & Singleton 1997). Then              students are asked to co-construct the rules and norms that they                will follow when participating in CPI discussions.  Specific skills             are taught explicitly through modeling and practice, such as (1) how            to ask probing questions without insulting someone; (2) how to make             a transition to another point; and (3) how to invite the                        participation of students who have yet to participate.  Throughout              this process, skilled teachers ask students to assess the quality of            their discussions and determine what they are doing well and what               still needs work. 
Most CPI discussions, especially those with a               large group, require the teacher to be a facilitator, someone who               knows the issue well and has the teaching skills to spark spirited,             widespread, and high-quality participation.  A facilitator who stays            too quiet is missing an opportunity to help students have a better              discussion.  Additionally, facilitators should work to ensure that              the content of their questions is aligned to the goals of the                   discussion.  For example, one standard for an effective CPI                     discussion is to strive for a "best case, fair hearing of competing             points of view" (Kelly 1996, 10).  Facilitator questions, then,                 should focus on raising different perspectives and ensuring that the            discussants stick with them long enough to generate a fair                      hearing. 
Another discussion goal is equality of participation.                This does not mean that every discussant will say exactly as much as            every other discussant, but that many people will participate and no            single person or small group will dominate.  A question that would              achieve that goal is: "Does anyone else who has not yet had a chance            to participate have anything to say about this point?"  In summary,             facilitators should hold their own participation in check.  But they            should facilitate strongly enough to work toward both high quality              and equality of participation in the discussion. WHAT DO STUDENTS             THINK ABOUT DISCUSSION?Recent research involving high school                social studies students shows that, for the vast majority,                      discussion is a valued form of learning.  For example, a clear                  majority of the students said they enjoyed class discussions and                that participating in discussion helps them learn more. There is,               however, an interesting contradiction between the value students                place on discussions and whether they think they have a                         responsibility to participate in them.  A strong majority of                    students said that they have a responsibility to contribute to class            discussions, that verbal expression is an essential skill, and that             students should be taught how to participate effectively in                     discussions.  They are, however, divided over whether participation             in class discussion is a matter of personal choice and on whether or            not it is fair for a teacher to base a part of a student's grade on             the quality of her or his participation.  The most important factors            that influence students' verbal participation in discussion are                 knowledge about a discussion topic, interest in the topic, and time             to think before speaking. 
Clearly, peers significantly influence              whether or not students participate in class discussions.  For                  example, receiving criticism from classmates during a discussion and            fearing that classmates will think an idea is unworthy are more                 likely to cause students to speak less in a discussion than fear                that the teacher will criticize or judge students' contributions.               What teachers do and say, however, is still critical to students'               discussion participation.  By projecting that she or he cares about             students as people, asking questions about what students say in a               discussion, and basing a part of students' grades on discussion                 participation, a teacher can stimulate most students to speak more              in discussion (Hess & Posselt 2001; Schwingle 2000).                         **Title:** Teaching Students To Discuss Controversial Public Issues. ERIC                  Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, 2805            East Tenth Street, Suite 120, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698. Tel:                  800-266-3815 (Toll Free); Fax: 812-855-0455; e-mail:                            [email protected]. For full text: http://ericso.indiana.edu.                **Descriptors:**  Citizenship Education,  Civics,  Controversial Issues (Course                  Content), Curriculum Development, Secondary Education, Social                   Studies, Teaching Methods                                                    **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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