Issues and Contentions

***It is important to be able to distinguish between an event and an issue . The former is simply something that has happened. These are the ‘facts’ that are reported in the media. An issue, on the other hand, can be defined as a contentious or complex situation, usually having its origins in an event.***

***One event can spark any number of related issues, and in a broad range of areas. Consider the following example:***

***Late last term, schools across the state of Victoria were closed in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Students and teachers moved to a model of online learning for the first eight weeks of Term Two, before transitioning back to face-to-face teaching under strict health and safety guidelines.***

***If a journalist were to write about the situation above, they may focus on several issues, including:***

*Students' right to learn in schools*

*The role of Government policy in schools*

*The provision of adequate health and safety supplies in schools*

*The risk of transmission in schools and public places.*

## Your Turn

***What is your opinion in relation to the example above? Write three or four sentences to explain your point of view. Alternatively, debate the issue informally with your classmates and teacher, establishing clear arguments for and against whether schools should have remained closed for as long as they did.***

The schools shouldn’t have closed and done Online Learning for 8 weeks, here are my 3 reasons why.

8 weeks of online learning would mean less social interaction, students not being able to interact with friends and teachers would make students feel troubles as they would not be able to get the help from teachers they need and the company of their friends to keep them going through out the day. Students have also become anxious and some have became depressed due to not being able to socialise with others. Students have also became stuck in piles of work due to them not being able to get the help from teachers they would normally get.

***Decide whether each of the following is an issue or an event, then match each event to its resulting issue***

 a principal suspends an entire Year 12 cohort of students for poor behaviour on ‘muck up day’
 Beijing authorities shut down a website that denounced the use of violence by police on Tibetan monks
 an English teacher asks students to write a poem in the language of text messages
 the ‘Bali bombers’ are executed after a string of unsuccessful appeals by their lawyers

a woman is harassed after requesting a salary increase to an amount in line with her male colleagues

***In small groups, discuss various events that have been in the media recently (if you're not sure, have a look at the front page of The Age and see what has been reported) - what issues are being discussed in the Australian media?***

In Australian Media, issues displayed are:

* New Covid exposure sights
* New Covid case numbers
* Covid vaccination numbers

### Contention

***Have you ever heard people arguing about any of the following circumstances?***

* *the place of religion in government schools*
* *the Australian ‘obsession’ with sport*
* *public versus private education*

***Why are people arguing about these things? Usually they are arguing because they have a point of view—or a contention—to share. A point of view is a particular opinion or belief on a topic, based on prior knowledge and experience. It is important to be able to identify a writer or speaker’s point of view and contention. If you can do this accurately, you will find it easier to analyse the language and how the writer or speaker is trying to persuade you.***

***A strong contention should be logical, factual and ‘watertight’ (that is, it would be difficult to find fault with the underlying logic). It should make clear an author’s broader point of view, but it should also provide fairly specific detail and a good level of insight with respect to the issue at hand. Put simply, a good contention should make it clear that the author knows what they are talking about!***

## YOUR TURN

***Think about Australia's 'obsession' with sport - what different points of view exist around this issue? List them in your work book or on your laptop.***

FOR

* Sport brings people and family together
* Sport entertains people

         AGAINST

* Betting and gambling ads make use of sport by making people spend money to see of their team wins for money
* Can cause big arguments and fights over which team is “better”

***Pick an issue that is relevant to your life. It can be anything, but it should be appropriate for the classroom. Develop one contention for and one contention against a part of this issue***.

Issue: Screen Devices

 Has lots of good resources on the internet
 Can keep us entertained at times