I was walking by a classroom last week and I heard what was music to my ears. Students were arguing and questioning the teacher. I know this might sound bad to most but I am a former social studies teacher and debating social issues was at the heart of many days in my classroom. What was the issue, net neutrality. Yes this has caused a ruckus all over the country and I was tired of the negativity I was seeing from it also. So why is this music to my ears? Introducing problems and conflict is the best way to teach middle and high school kids.
The most striking thing I heard was, "Why hasn't anyone told me about this?" and "Am I going to lose my internet?" When they demand answers to questions that are important to them, you must seize the opportunity to teach. It is truly difficult to engage students from a textbook or to force them into issues that are not relevant to them. As educators we have to use these moments to build on and capture their attention. For too long we have made them slaves to a textbook and demanded compliance over learning and growth. Now to be fair, this is not really just the fault of less creative teachers. We have created a policy culture of demanding standardized test scores over true, empowering and enriching learning experiences. We have all succumb to this culture and we share accountability for it.
I remarked to one of my teachers a few days ago during a post conference that I would love to teach now with the resources we have now. It's not just the technology that fascinates me but the learning demands of the Millennial generation is truly unique. I know they frustrate so many of us but I always look for opportunities for growth. These kids are completely saturated with things that were not in existence when we were kids. Do you remember ever having to consider what fake news was? That's a no for me but now I am in a position to teach kids how to sort the good from the bad and because that is part of their reality, I see it as our duty.
Teaching social issues should be part of your curriculum. Moan and groan if you want but we have certain realities we should face. Otherwise, we will just be miserable that the cycle is continuing. We have a unique duty and opportunity to lead this group into a better learning experience and also a better way to live. We can't prevent them from being saturated by the negative things of the world but we can teach them how to use the opportunities they get. I'm pretty sure that's what schools are supposed to do.
Illinois Computing Educators-Southern Illinois Chapter will be hosting a Twitter Chat on social issues in the classroom. Feel free to join us to talk about how you do this in your school.
