DISCUSSING CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS WITH YOUR STUDENTS

It is better to avoid controversial topics with your students. I agree. Avoid controversial topics. I disagree. Controversial topics are OK. Don't know / Not sure

esults o! voting so !ar "# I agree. Avoid controversial topics. )# I disagree. Controversial topics are OK. +# Don't know / Not sure -otal votes so !ar# )., $% & "%'( )$$ & *+'( , & )'(

Your comments Anon I believe the ability to !ace and deal with controversy is like !acing adversity in li!e. It is a skill that a person needs to survive and succeed in whatever !ield he/she is in. /chools and educators will have to train students in this relevant area and hence0 will have to be provide e1posure through activities based on contoversial topics. O! course0 it goes without saying that teachers will have to be sensitive and well2planned0 pre2e3pting all the issues that 3ight co3e up so that they are 3ore e4uipped to deal e!!ectively as !acilitators. Anon Assisted debate is a practical way o! developing listening and reasoning skills !or learners o! any !oreign language. It's i3portant to consider that controversial topics are great sti3ulants !or healthy debate but o!!ensive topics are not. Any teacher wishing to introduce a controversial topic there!ore should be con!ident in the social2cultural 3ake up o! their students. Edy Isabel Torres, Peru I would like to say that Controversial topics usually generate lively debates and not always end up in bitter argu3ents so we should 3anage the3 ade4uately and it is up to the teachers i! they know how conduct debates at any class activity !or practicing speaking and this is why teachers should use !or. /o we the teachers have to take into consideration the age0 interests0 background knowledge0 level and students' needs in order to conduct the proposed activity success!ully . 5urther3ore0 teachers have to have enough knowledge about the topic they want to teach. AbderRahim Chalfaouat, Morocco I believe that avoiding the introduction o! controversial issues in the 67- classroo3 is rather a li3itation to the teaching process. -he 67- classroo3 is a societal 3icrocos3 wherein students e1pect to discuss topics that concern their li!e as a whole. Nevertheless0 the scope0 a3ount and i3portance22 or lack thereo!22 o! controversy di!!ers !ro3 one topic to another depending on its sensitivity and awareness2gap. -he cultural background &religion0 race0 custo3s0 traditions0 socio2econo3ic class0 ethnic origin0 etc( has a signi!icant say and needs care!ul consideration be!ore raising any controversial issue. Care should occur also while the discussion is at work to shun !allacies0 pre8udice0 bias and negative washback. 6rror correction at the level o! ideas is advisable without i3position or indoctrination. Fitch O'Connell, Portugal Obviously any discussion0 controversial or not0 needs to be appropriate to the linguistic0 sociological and e3otional needs o! the class. I would have thought that denying students the chance to get involved in discussing sub8ects which 3ay cause !eelings to run high is to do the3 a disservice# students need to learn how to e1press their opinions in a way which gets across their point without causing o!!ence0 and they are hardly likely to learn the appropriate skills i! sub8ects are kept sa!e. -here will be risks0 but what o! that9 One way to concentrate on the skills re4uired rather than 8ust the argu3ents is to depersonalise the process 2

students being asked to assu3e the role o! a !ictitious character0 or being re4uired to argue !ro3 the opposite point o! view !ro3 their own belie!0 thus creating a class !ull o! devil's advocates: I have !ound0 however0 that it is i3portant !or the teachers to re3ain !airly neutral0 and to be seen to encourage and understand views !ro3 both sides. onia !elgado, Colombia I basically agree with 3ost o! the participants who voted ;yes; since we are living in a controversial world nowadays. -his kind o! activities can pro3ote respect towards other people's opinions0 it is a way o! beco3ing 3ore tolerant. <owever0 I would try to avoid sub8ects such as religion and politics because they can cause 3ore trouble than bene!it. -he group o! students 3ay indicate the teacher how to deal with this situation. Anon I'3 a =ra>ilian /tate /chool 6nglish teacher. I think it's a wonder!ul idea to duscuss controversial topics in the classroo3. It encourages students to practice the !oreign langauge. I've been teaching !or over +? years and I've never had proble3as with 3y students !or that. I think it all depends on the kind o! interaction the teacher stablishes with his/her students in every day teaching. I! the classroo3 environ3ent is a !riendly one0 it seee3s that every sub8ect that is allowed to be discussed in local co33unity can also also be discussed in the !oreign langauge classroo3. Audrey "au, inga#ore <i everyone0 I teach 657 to 3ainly Chinese0 -hai and Indonesian young adults and have !ound that students at high inter3ediate to advanced levels o! co3petency do en8oy discussing controversial topics. I couldn't agree 3ore with those who've written to say that it's i3portant that the classroo3 environ3ent is right !or it. It usually helps to set the stage by re3inding the class that views are personal and although they 3ay not all agree with so3e o! the views0 they are to respect the30 and any disagree3ent is not to be taken as a personal attack. I think !or the students0 controversial viewpoints are an eye2opener and broaden the scope o! the learners' thinking and hori>on. 5ro3 the language learning point o! view0 controversial topics give students a plat!or3 !or 3ore authentic co33unication within the con!ines o! the classroo3 to practise the use o! !unctional language !or agreeing and disagreeing. It also serves to build con!idence in e1pressing and articulating personal opinions in a non2 con!rontational way in a !oreign language 2 a use!ul skill especially !or those preparing !or undergraduate studies. onia Fernande$, Cuba I disagree. Controversial topics are OK. I agree with 6sther !ro3 Israel. -here are two i3portant areas to look at in the classroo3 2educate and instruct2 '6ducate' has to do with 3oral values0 sel!2estee30 and e3power3ent o! the spirit0 and 'instruct' has to do with speci!ic knowledge and skills o! a given sub8ect. @hat I 3ean by all this is that one way o! educating is precisely by adopting a critical pedagogy0 which 3akes use o! all this debate and discussion in which the teacher is a !acilitator and in!luences on the !or3ation o! i3portant values in his/her students. -his way o! teaching would also strengthen the learners' national and cultural identities. 5or advanced learners0 it is a rich source o! language practice as well. %uan Mendieta, #ain I think we all teachers agree that it is i3portant to pro3ote discussion in the classroo30 so that students get to speak !reely in 6nglish about topics they !ind appealing.It is also an enriching e1perience !or the students as they learn about points o! view which 3ay be 4uite di!!erent !ro3 their own. -ruly we all have to learn !ro3 others and to be tolerant even though we don't share the sa3e opinions. <owever0 the point I want to 3ake is that not ANA topic is suitable to be discussed in the classroo3. -here are topics that are controversial such as s3oking/not s3oking0 driving on the right/driving on the le!t0 wearing tattoos/not wearing tattoos. -hese kinds o! topics can generate healthy discussion. On the other hand0 there are controversial topics such as abortion0 ani3al rights or the Ira4 war. -hese topics a!!ect 3uch deeper !eelings or convictions.I! they were raised in the class0 they could have the e!!ect o! a bo3b. Although this 3ay sound e1tre3e0 what about having a discussion on the Israeli2Balestinian proble3 between students !ro3 both e1tractions9 Anon, Italy As a teacher o! 6nglish at an Italian secondary high school0 I think it is essential to !oster discussion in a classroo3 !or several reasons0 so3e o! which 3ay be#

teach students to care!ully listen to one another without pre8udices try to clearly interpret the other's 3essage gather di!!erent points o! views try to e1plain their own ideas in a logical and clear order without shouting0 attacking or surrendering to the others.

It's not always easy with our adolescents: Obviously it all depends on the age0 the culture and other !actorsC in 3y reality0 I think it is a good ai3 as I strongly believe that it's 3ore i3portant to teach students to use their 3inds in a critical way0 a!ter having ac4uired also so3e !unda3ental knowledges o! course0 than cra33ing heads with notions and no critical support.

ian "und I agree with the 3a8ority o! other co33ents 3ade. It is necessary to bring reality into the classroo3. I do0 however0 believe that it is the teacher's role to steer the conversation0 3aking sure no2one is bullied0 and everyone is allowed a !air chance at participation0 i! they wish. It is also i3portant to encourage skills o! reasoning0 and the ability to support state3ents in a cal3 and e!!ective 3anner. I have o!ten !ound that it is the person who 'shouts the loudest' at the beginning o! a discussion that is later !ound to be the person with little evidence or support !or their opinion. It is 3ore o!ten the tentative student who0 given the chance0 will contribute valued0 well reasoned argu3ent. &i'iane (irmeliene, )ra$il I basically work with adult students in 657 classes here in =ra>il. @hat I learned !ro3 3y e1perience is that we should be care!ul when selecting controversial topics. -hey can usually raise lively debate0 but they don't suit all groups. -he teacher 3ust care!ully analy>e the group pro!ile and be aware o! the kind o! relationship students have be!ore deciding on using a controversial topic or not in the classroo3. <is/her role 3ust be as neutral as possible0 but I 3ust con!ess that I have played devil's advocate so3eti3es0 having told students be!orehand what 3y role in that debate would be. I believe that the teacher should decide when debating controversial topics is suitable because it's a sha3e to si3ply eli3inate such everyday issues !ro3 657 classes. *an %ing Mei, China I think this issue is too co3plicated to vote si3ply !or a yes or no answer. I! we always avoid controversies0 then students 3ay !ind it hard to endure a co3ple1 li!e situation when out o! the schools because in!or3ed decisions also takes ti3e to 3ake and need practice. -o e3brace cultural diversity and di!!erences is essential knowledge and skill !or students to learn in all countries !or the sake o! a better world: <owever0 we have to take into considerations o! the settings0 the ai3s o! the classes and the age o! the students0 etc. It 3ay be ok to discuss such issues through li!e e1periences with 3ature age students but it would be hard !or younger people to take side as to the role o! wo3en until perhaps so3e o! the3 beco3e an adult wo3an or 3an the3selves. -hey 3ay run the risk o! generalising it si3ply !ro3 the e1periences with !a3ily and !riends.... /o I cannot say yes or no to this 4uestions as I need to know the studentsD background0 their age0 settings0 and the ai3s o! the classes0 etc. be!ore I 3ake a decision whether or not to discuss a controversy topic in class. It will depend on why0 how and with who3 we should discuss the controversies0 etc. Margot McCamley 5ro3 3y e1perience0 I have !ound students want to talk about controversial sub8ects. -he world is !ull o! controversy as is everyday li!e. @hile teaching in Eapan I was advised not to talk about 'the war'0 but the war was brought up by students0 particularly a!ter I visited <iroshi3a. In so3e instances it was with so3e sense o! ire0 in other instances it was with the desire that war should not happen again. Never. -he pro1i3ity o! Eapan to China and North Korea also raised issues o! war particularly when 3issiles were !ired over the country. I 3ight also add that controversial sub8ects I did not want to discuss in the classroo30 such as se10 were also raised. -hese had to be addressed diplo3atically and not dis3issed. I believe that teachers need to be aware o! the cultural boundaries be!ore controversies should be discussed and then to be so diplo3atically and in an unbiased !ashion. I! the latter cannot be e1ercised then the 3atter should not be discussed0 but 3aybe put o!! !or a later discussion when 3aybe a supervisor can be present0 or when the teacher knows enough about the sub8ect to discuss it openly and without bias. )arbara Admoni, Israel -oday's school children live in a world which gives the3 total access to all 3anner o! in!or3ation0 be it television0 Internet0 newspapers. @e can neither protect children nor hide controversial topics !ro3 the3. It is !ar better to discuss such 3atters in the classroo30 allow students to air their opinions !reely and hope!ully give so3e kind o! perspective. !r+ ,a#an (umar )aner-ee, India I think contoversial topics should be allowed in the classroo3 to develop debating skill and unbiased attitude in the students. -he teacher's 8ob should be con!ined to co2ordinating the views o! the students and restraining the3 !ro3 4uarrels and personal aspersions. Broperly conducted0 it can i3part students skills to think rationally and speak without bias and pre8udice. It is high ti3e that students developed this analytical skill without which they cannot see through the constant brain2washing by the politicians and advertising agencies. Careerwise0 it will lead to better per!or3ance in Froup Discussion in all sorts o! ad3ission tests. *atice alih (erimgil, .orth Cy#rus As long as the teacher does not try to i3pose his/her own views and allows everyone to e1press their views all topics are ok. In !act giving groups o! students a topic and asking the3 to research it be!ore the discussion is an e1cellent e1ercise. -he teacher 3ust be well versed in the topic and 3ust not allow the discussion to deteriorate into a slanging 3atch. -his is also a very good listening e1cercise and one which helps teach students 0especially high school students0 to learn respect !or others. Gery o!ten the 'controversial ' topic chosen is one that the students really need to talk about. /o prepare !or the topic and get discussing. /o3e o! 3y best lessons have been like this and 3y students have really learned to e1press the3selves0 listen and have learned the !acts about a topic too. Alain */ron I believe that controversial topics should be discussed during class. At least0 i! we are talking about de3ocracy... 5reedo3 o! speech and o! opinions is o! the ut3ost i3portance in this world.

hrimathy, India -he 4uestion as to whether controversial topics can be used in the language classroo3 can best be answered by taking into consideration culture. In India even in 3a8or cities it is better to leave out controversial topics. It is not that students are unaware o! issues relating to wo3en's e3power3ent but they do !ind it di!!icult to react to controversial topics at least in 3y country in an ob8ective way and this de!initely does not pro3ote good interaction between the students. Angela Es#indola, )ra$il In 3y point o! view we have to talk about di!!erent topics in classroo3s0 controversial or not. I believe it is our role as teachers to respect the opinion o! our students. *en0 Pri-s, The .etherlands I don't subscribe to the point o! view that controversial topics should not be dealt with in classroo3. -eachers prepare students or pupils !or their lives and careers a!ter school. I think it is essential to con!ront the3 with the ways o! thinking and their own point o! view on these sub8ects. A teacher should never try to convince a pupil o! his way o! thinking but he should con!ront a pupil with his own way o! thinking and the way other pupils can react. =ecause that is the real world. 6verything you will say and think aloud !orces or evokes other people to react. I! you don't want that in your class0 you shouldn't even let the pupils 3ake the e1ercises because there is always controversy in the 3ethods used as well. As long as you allow pupils to think !or the3selves and allow the3 to e1plain why they have a certain opinion. Paul In 3y e1perience as a teacher only once has a 'controversial' topic caused any proble3s in the class0 and that's in ", years in various conte1ts. Food prep0 a healthy0 positive class dyna3ic and skil!ul 3oderation are needed0 yes0 but 6nglish in the classroo3 3ust be real in content i! not in !or3. 5aced with the choice o! talking about shopping !or a !ictional 3eal you are never going to prepare or the rights and wrongs o! ho3ose1ual 3arriages/globalisation/!ootball as culture what would you choose9 *aya Talmi I believe that once we step into a classroo3 we beco3e educators and not only teachers. @e should educate our students to tolerance and !reedo3 o! thought. @e should educate our students that each individual has the right to have his own thoughts and the !reedo3 to e1press the3 2 even i! others don't agree with hi3/her. @e should educate our students that de3ocracy is not only the way you elect your leaders and vote !or laws but it is a way o! li!e: @e do not ;prepare; the students !or the ;real; world outside. @e have the real world right in !ront o! us# 2 in the classroo3: I believe that i! we do that all over the world 2 the new generation will lead true and genuine de3ocratic li!e and eventually0 our world will be a better place to live in. A place where one respects the di!!erence and rights o! the others and has the right to be respecterd by the others. -his is why e1pressing controversial ideas is a great opportunity to practise it. Irina @ell0 I voted against the idea that controversy should be avoided in the class. Hy students are o!ten school graduates or older and they en8oy those tasks which 3ake the3 e1press their personal views and !eelings. Horeover0 so3eti3es I see that they say a lot o! things in 6nglish on such topics which would 3ake the3 shy i! they spoke their native language. -he point is how the discussion on a controversal topic is organised. -he teacher should be wise enough to keep a ;de3ocratic at3osphere; in the class and re3ind the students that it is only a lesson and not a session o! a local court. -hrough 3uch e1perience I !ound out that those ite3s taken deeply personally are 3ore pro!oundly learnt and re3e3bered and used later by students. Phili# Mathias, )ang0o0 I'3 the &!irst( one who voted 'Don't know / Not sure' but would actually like to vote !or 'It depends'. It depends on the culture o! the students. Hany Asian students &3y e1perience is 3ainly with -hai students( would keep out o! a !ull2blown debate0 !or e1a3ple. -hey would not want to disagree directly 2 it's too con!rontational. It 3ay also depend on the topic and how strong !eelings beco3e over the issue. Again this 3ay vary between cultures and nationalities. -he 3ost i3portant !actor0 I would suggest0 is the role o! the teacher. It is up to the teacher to 8udge the sensibilities o! the students and to direct the discussion i! it is too heated or going in a direction that is o!!ensive to so3e. -he teacher 3ust also be care!ul about e1pressing their own opinion. In -hailand0 students would probably !eel the teacher was 'against' the3 i! he / she took a strong line on one side. -he notion that 'the teacher is right' would leave the3 !eeling that their views were wrong. /o0 it depends. I! the debate can lead to genuine discussion and e1change o! ideas0 then I believe it can be very use!ul to introduce controversial issues. -he teacher0 though0 needs to think clearly about the topic to be introduced0 the students involved and his / her own role in the activity.

Andy Mortimer <ello to everyone in here. I think it is not only a good idea to discuss controversial topics but it is essential. <ow else are people going to be able to see things !ro3 others' points o! view9 <owever0 it is necessary to !irst 3ake sure that students not only know how0 but are willing0 to listen0 that's where the real lesson is. espect cannot be en!orced or bought0 it is so3ething precious and !ragile lent to us by others. Robert M "ennon, ri "an0a I think that debate is !ine I an opportunity to encourage0 and e1press0 respect !or the views o! others. Esther Mus0al, Israel In 3y opinion0 one can discuss controversal topics in class providing the teacher !eels strong enough to debate the topic and be able to steer the conversation away !or3 a potential argu3ent. Disagree3ents are healthy and children should be taught the skill to listen and pay attention to each other. -he goal is to convince the other person o! another train o! thought and barring that0 the ability to tolerate and respect another person's opinion.