In light of recent events there seems to be no better time
to teach children how to practice civil discourse and listen to and understand other
perspectives. However, it is often easy/wiser (and in fact
sometimes even mandated) to avoid polarizing and emotional topics in the
classroom. So, how do we teach kids
about them? OR what do we teach kids
about them?
It is difficult for any of us to get a clear understanding
of what is going on through the filter and sound bites of the media. One thing that has become clear (and is a
lesson in itself) is that violence does nothing to solve problems and in the
case of Ferguson, only clouds the issues or polarizes people even more. The lesson that we want our children to
understand can be taken right from the common core – to be able to develop
arguments backed by facts and evidence.
We want to teach our kids how to think, not what to think.
Critical Thinking
Our children need to see that clear thinking is the only
pathway to a solution to these complex problems and that there are ways to
promote that clear thinking. Once again,
the simple critical thinking strategy SCAN (based on asking the right
questions) can help you get kids to take apart complex issues, clarify them and
create solutions. A powerful way to get
our children to practice civil discourse!
It doesn't matter whether you use the 4 step SCAN strategy to
look at very tough emotional-ridden events like those in Ferguson (or desegregating
schools from a historical perspective) or use it on simple situation like having
cell phones in school (or should we be allowed to wear hats?) – The important
thing is that we teach the kids (and adults for that matter) a way to deal with
complex situations using a formula that helps them see different perspectives,
weigh them and create solutions.
The SCAN
tool (housed on the TregoED site) is an online discussion tool that has the
SCAN strategy built in. The advantage of
using this tool, rather than just asking the questions in class are many: kids find it engaging, roles and perspectives
are built in, students use screen names, all students contribute, etc. Students
read a scenario (write your own or use one from the library), select a point of
view and discuss it guided by the questions that make up the four steps of
SCAN.
Some typical SCAN lessons in our library:
Who owns Egyptian Artifacts?
Cyberbullying
Senior Pranks: Crime
or Tradition?
Cell Phones in School
Should there be zoos?
Who
gets the Ebola Vaccine? (NEW!)- Have your students look at the perspectives of ethicists, scientists, health care workers and vaccine makers and discuss how the Ebola Vaccine should be tested and distributed.
Write your own!
In addition, you can write your own lessons to meet the
needs of your class. Some hot topics in
the media right now that are perfect for SCAN lessons:
Should
kids be punished for parent’s behavior?
Parent’s brawl cancels children’s football championships.
Should
students have to do school at home on snow days? Using technology at home can replace lessons
in school.
Supreme
Court tests the limits of free speech on social media. Can you land in jail for something you said on
Facebook?
Should
we regulate E-cigarettes? Should the
same rules apply as regular cigarettes?
Who
owns fashion? Can you copy designs?
Bottom Line
The bottom line is that you may be able to avoid topics that
you are uncomfortable with in the classroom, but you should never avoid the
opportunity to demonstrate that clear thinking- seeing other perspectives,
clarifying issues, evaluating importance and creating solutions- is a skill
that can be learned and transferred to any problem.
