Social Studies Teachers Should Be Taught

After my first semester in college, I was left with a new and exciting learning experience. I engaged in discussions on controversial topics and was exposed to various reading and media material which opened me up to new perspectives. In classrooms, questions about politics, abuse, drugs, death, relationships, religion, and ethics were discussed without restrictions. I enjoyed this learning experience on the most part due to the professors announcing the topics to be discussed the first day of classes. Being fresh out of high school, such a practice relieved the transition into a new academic environment. However, I cannot solely rely on my personal experience when deciding on where to stand regarding the controversy that has students, parents, educators, and administrators in disagreement. In my research I plan to explore the controversy over the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces by analyzing both sides of the debate. My goal is to come to a conclusion concerning the proper use of trigger warnings and safe spaces; specifically, when should trigger warnings be given, where is the use of trigger warnings and safe spaces appropriate, and most importantly, what subjects should students be warned or protected from. I

Graff states that, “In the dark, all intellectual disagreements are gray”(7). This displays that what people say and what people hear is vastly different. When there is a disagreement between two intellectuals in the same field, they “share a public language of ideas and arguments that transcends their ideological differences and separates them from many students and other Americans” (7). Therefore, when students hear these, they clearly experience a misunderstanding that can, and will not be understood unless these students experience the same intellectual thinking that these intellectuals

She begins by asking teachers to exam their own biases before starting the conversation and then allowing the students to be “in front of what they are feeling rather than reacting to it”. This shows educators how to begin talking to the students, and motivates them to do so. Though some may object the true significance of speaking out about these topics, Pitts suggests that at any age, students will appreciate the “humility, compassion and vulnerability” of educators when they take responsibility of that role.

I chose to read the article “Leveraging Conflict for Social Justice: How “Leadable” Moments Can Transform School Culture” by Enrique Aleman, Jr. The article discusses how an elementary school principle implements her vision of success within a school district that has a diverse group of students with low socioeconomical status. She envisions an environment where faculty, staff, students and parents are working together to create an idyllic school atmosphere. Whenever conflict manifests itself between key stakeholders the principle capitalizes on the instances as “leadable” moments associated with social justice. This case describes how a principle is tested by a teacher’s response to racist and bigoted language, and the implications surrounding the parents and district concerns regarding diversity and equal education opportunities for all students involved (Aleman, 2009).

There are a great number of things that can create problems for students in regards to their academics. One such issue is misunderstandings. There are some that are more common than others and will be identified in order to recognize potential problem areas and solutions. In addition, there are some misconceptions that are associated with particular content areas. One content area that will be under scrutiny will be the Social Studies classroom. These potentially problematic instances will be identified and methods will be devised using the “Backward Design” (Wiggins, & McTighe, 2005) approach in an attempt to reduce issues the teacher may face.

In recent years, changes have been made because social issues and the dramatic increase of minority in the communities. An example of these changes is primarily due to the large migration of English Language Learners that are entering the school systems. This is a positive change for the social studies education. However, this can overload the teacher and curriculum that is bursting at the seams with programs that lack clear purpose (Pace,J.L.,2011). This is why the NCATE had embodied that all teacher programs be aligned with professional and ethical standards to prepare teachers to facilitate learning that will enable our students to acquire the knowledge and be productive citizens that can compete in society.

“The Coddling of the American Mind” by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt is a short work written to inform people on an epidemic that is affecting colleges and universities around America. The article talks about certain “words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense” (Lukianoff) and how students are asking for them to not be said. Much is covered on the topic including specific examples of how people were persecuted for saying such things and various opinions on if this trend is for better or worse. I believe the article highlights a problem in the educational system and in order for improvement these topics need to be taught and discussed.

She states “Because of identity politics and partisan propaganda, classroom debates are dominated by absolutisms rather than facts and historical context. Students who can’t “pick a side” are left feeling isolated and politically apathetic.” (Brooks, “Diverse Effects”). I have never personally experienced this in the classroom. Every time a debate happens in one of my classes they provide logistical facts and respect the other opinion. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen, but I feel like people are more civilized and educated to have a discussion. I can’t find a single point in her article that I agree with, she seems angry at her college

We should not be blind to arguments made by our peers and professors, rather we should argue for our specific beliefs. If these beliefs turn out to be incorrect, we should be willing to change our stance on the issue.

One aspect of this class that makes it not only memorable, but influential as well, was the professor’s ability to ask the questions that nobody else wanted to ask. With every discussion that took place in the class, there was rarely an instant where the professor had trouble posing questions and making statements about many sensitive and controversial topics. Whether those topics consisted of race, racism, discrimination, slavery, etc., it seemed as though the professor did not mind making people uncomfortable. From doing so, the class was much more insightful than I originally intended. More people were open to speaking their minds and sharing their experiences, regardless of if they happened to be negative or positive. With that, I also found that there was rarely a moment where the professor did not proceed to pull an answer out of one of the many students in attendance as she posed these controversial questions. Even so, this was a class, and at some point, the questions required answers so that learning would be able to take place. But, I could help to think that when it comes to asking these questions outside of a classroom setting, there

"The Big Uneasy," by Nathan Heller addresses one of the biggest topics on college campuses today: the safe space vs. the need for diversity of opinions. “Shielding students from unwelcome ideas (is) unhealthy for the workforce and the democratic commonweal.” Students believe they have a right to decide what information they learn and liken it to their choice in diet. However, just as the body needs a varied diet to thrive so too does the mind. Many of the educators struggle how to balance the demands of students with their lesson plans and learning goals. “The trick is to find a way to get us open and receptive rather than defensive,” says Wendy Hyman. The other side of the coin is that many of the students protesting for changes came from

In Fish’s article in the New York Times, he aims to show both sides of the controversial assignments given to students. These assignments aim for the belief and strong views that students hold. They start discussions and many students even refuse to complete them due to their insensitivity to their beliefs. Fish tries to persuade the readers that when something attacks someone’s personal belief, they tend to react and fight for what they think is right. Fish also shows both sides of the arguments by talking about how the assignments are uneasy. Furthermore, how the professors do not mean to attack anyone they simply want to engage students in controversial topics and allow students who do deny the assignments to reaffirm their faith. Fish uses various examples in order to get his point across to the readers.

On college campuses, a common discussion is whether or not professors should talk about a certain subject without “repressing unpopular views” or putting anyone down with “micro aggression”. Trigger warnings, which tend to prevent people with “weak minds” to become offended easily and overreact, are not helpful or academically supportive as means to develop a students ability to learn and develop intellectually and academically, yet it is these controversial issues that allow in-depth academic discussion and learning to take place.

First, I will start out by talking about the importance of a socially just education. As our world becomes more diverse every day, as teachers we need to understand how to be mindful of every student’s beliefs and culture. In order to give every student, the education they deserve, teachers need to teach as if everyone is the same, not to treat one culture better than the other. It is in human nature to divide up into groups of people that are like you, so naturally this would happen in a classroom. I hope that in the new age of teaching, that myself and other teachers will break this notion apart. Cultures should be brought together in order to understand one another and their views. Teaching is not always about curriculum, but rather an introspective look on bringing groups of students together to learn as a whole.

4. What conflicts did you observe in this classroom? What conflict resolution methods could you use to resolve the conflicts in this classroom? Are there any peer mediation methods that you could use in this scenario?