Civic Discussion & Deliberation
How do I help students have productive discussions about current events and controversial issues?
Engaging young people in discussions of local, national, and international issues has long been regarded as a core component of civic learning. When youth engage in discussions of current events and decision-making, they report being more engaged in school. They also report greater interest in politics, improved communication and critical thinking skills, increased civic knowledge, and a higher chance of participating in civic life as adults.
With the rise of the internet, civic and political dialogue increasingly occurs online. These new opportunities for civic participation are particularly salient for youth, and, yet, they also pose unique challenges. Therefore, supporting youth to engage in productive online civic and political dialogue is increasingly critical. Explore the resources on this page to learn more.
Civic Discussion & Deliberation
Check out this series of videos on Civic Discussion and Deliberation produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools. Learn why and how schools and teachers should help students have civic and political discussions with people who have different opinions from their own. And watch teachers implement two strategies you can use in the classroom - Structured Academic Controversy and the Co-Pilot Discussion Strategy. These two blog posts can also help you learn more about the strategies:
Leading researchers, district leaders, teachers, and students discuss the importance of high quality civic discussions in this video.
Learn more in this video about student-centered discussion and deliberation strategies from teachers, researchers, and students, including the co-pilot strategy.
In this video, students deliberate suffrage at age 16 through an approach called Structured Academic Controversy.
Digital Civics Toolkit
In the DIALOGUE module, you will find activities, resources, and tools to help youth consider the features of good dialogue and navigate the affordances digital and social media provide for dialogue about civic issues.
Blogging & Youth Civic Voice
Listen to teachers and students talk about the benefits of blogging in the classroom and how it promotes productive online dialogue, provides students with an authentic audience, and develops young people’s civic voice in the video Blogging & Youth Civic Voice featuring students from Oakland.
To learn more about how to integrate blogging into your classroom, check out these strategies from veteran teachers Jason Muniz, Johanna Paraiso, and Nina Portugal.
Resources
AERA Spencer Lecture 2017: The Political Classroom (by Diana Hess)
Talking Across Divides: 10 Ways to Encourage Civil Classroom Conversation on Difficult Issues (by Katherine Schulten, New York Times)
Current and Societal Issue Discussions (Illinois Civics)
Dialogue Toolkit (Project Zero)
ProCon.org (Britannica)
Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter? (Facing History and Ourselves)
Current Events in Your Classroom (Facing History and Ourselves)
The Choices Program (Brown University)
Background Info
Teaching for Civic Engagement: Academic Discussion (by Matt Colley, Teaching Channel)
Teaching for Civic Engagement: Individual and Systemic Responsibility (by Matt Colley, Teaching Channel)
Politics in the Classroom: How Much is Too Much? (by Steve Drummond, NPR)
The Case for Contentious Curricula (by Jonathan Zimmerman and Emily Robertson, The Atlantic)
How Classroom Political Discussions — Controversies, Too — Prepare Students for Needed Civic Participation (by Holly Korbey, KQED)
Learning from Conflict: Discussing Controversial Issues in the Classroom (by Chris Sloan, Common Sense Media)
Educating Youth for Online Civic and Political Dialogue (by Erica Hodgin, Journal of Digital and Media Literacy)
Getting Into the Fray: Civic Youth, Online Dialogue, and Implications for Digital Literacy Education (by Carrie James, Daniel T. Gruner, Ashley Lee, and Margaret Mullen, Journal of Digital and Media Literacy)
Social Media and Online Communities Expose Youth to Political Conversation, But Also to Incivility and Conflict (by Ellen Middaugh, London School of Economics)