Dealing with Difficult Issues in the Classroom
14 February, 2023
03/10/2022
We know that managing difficult issues in the classroom is not new but we know that local and global situations can have an impact on students. We’ve gathered together some resources which may help you in supporting students to explore their understanding and responses to issues they are seeing unfold.
Deconstructing Rumour
We have always valued these student videos created by Digital Disruption as classroom dialogue starters to think about how to deconstruct propaganda and rumour.
Fake News
This TLN resource was written in response to the amount of fake news stories that surfaced on the web at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic.
This aim of this session is to give young people an opportunity to explore why it is good to be sceptical about what we read on the web
Peace Rainbow
The aim of this activity is to allow pupils to reflect and explore ways to respond to a difficult events in a thoughtful way. Hopefully, it will also remind pupils that the acts of one group or groups does not reflect the beliefs or practises of the majority. It should also allow pupils to reflect on positive ways forward- following an incident or events that may disturb or shock them.
Guidelines for teaching difficult topics
These TLN guidelines help to provide a practical checklist of the emotional aspects of teaching difficult topics like racism and intolerance in the classroom. The guidelines would also apply to teaching about all forms of hate and could be used to develop a thoughtful response to global or local tragedies.
Guidelines for teaching difficult topics
Teaching Controversial Issues – A Guide for Teachers (Oxfam)
Young people frequently face making decisions about a wide range of issues on which there are many different views. Issues like sexuality, religion, bullying, and war can provoke strong, varied and often contradictory responses.
Oxfam’s popular guide recognises the seismic shifts in social and political contexts in recent years. It seeks to support educators in developing essential skills that allow learners to constructively discuss their own values and ideas and develop as active global citizens.
