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Principles and practices of peace education
Principles and practices of peace education

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8 Teaching controversial issues

The Oxfam publication Teaching Controversial Issues [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] includes helpful advice for teachers working with young people on what the publication terms ‘controversial issues’. The following advice is drawn from this publication, and you are strongly advised to read the full document as part of your development as a peace educator.

Activity 6 What is a controversial issue?

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes for this activity

Part A

What might make an issue ‘controversial’? Note your thoughts in the box below and compare your response to the ideas from Oxfam.

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Discussion

Oxfam’s publication Teaching Controversial Issues offers the following definition. How do your ideas compare?

  • Evoke strong feelings and views.
  • Affect the social, cultural, economic, and environmental context in which people live.
  • Deal with questions of value and belief and can divide opinion between individuals, communities and wider society.
  • Are usually complicated, with no clear ‘answers’ because they are issues on which people often hold strong views based on their own experiences, interests, values and personal context.
  • Arise at a range of scales affecting local, national and global communities.
  • Include a wide range of topics such as human rights, gender justice, migration and climate change.
  • Can vary with place and time, and may be long-standing or very recent. For example, an issue that is controversial in one community or country may be widely accepted in another.

Part B

Now take a moment to reflect on what you have read so far in this session.

Why teach controversial issues?

Use the box below to note down your responses.

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Discussion

Oxfam suggest many reasons for teaching topics such as human rights, gender justice, migration and climate change. You have seen examples of teaching on this topic throughout this course. Teaching Controversial Issues stresses the importance of children and young people gaining knowledge and understanding of issues that affect their lives, as well as learning to listen to the ideas of others and evaluating their own stances. You saw examples of all of these developing competencies in the videos from Oakgrove Primary School and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School. However, the publication stresses the importance of carrying out such discussions in a safe space. As you have seen, the peace educator has an essential role in this.

What might be considered ‘controversial’ might differ between educational settings. It’s important to be sensitive to the needs and wellbeing of all members of the school community, ensuring that everyone feels upheld, even during learning that is challenging. Teaching ‘controversial’ issues requires careful research, thought and planning. If you are in the early stages of your development as a peace educator, you are strongly advised to seek further training and guidance, such as that offered by the organisations referred to throughout this course, as well as the support of your colleagues.