This September I returned to the classroom after a leave and for the first time in my two decades of teaching, I worried I did not have one essential educational tool I had always taken for granted: hope. I had it on a personal scale, for myself, my family, my school community and students; however I did not have it in any abundance for the world at large.
It was hope and optimism about the future that allowed me to explore tough topics with my students in past school years. As the summer unfurled, I looked for new tools, new sites, new resources to help me safely examine the state of the world around us. As sourcing sites and trying to fact check each article became more and more convoluted, I returned repeatedly to the organizations i knew had reliable, engaging materials.
The name Facing History and Ourselves reminds me of a line in a poem by E.E.Cummings: as small as a world and as large as alone. Events in any country affect all of us. Daily news of crises and suffering can make all of us feel alone and powerless. It was with these two understandings in mind I returned to one of my foundational educational resources, Facing History. I wanted to find a handful of tools I could use again and again in my class to create consistency and develop mastery. Teaching Grade 11 History of Canada in Manitoba meant I was preparing for a class that was full of the same quagmire all too present in the news today. The Fostering Civil Discourse educators guide became the blueprint I used to navigate the course in my planning individually and with my students.
Fostering Civil Discourse: Difficult Classroom Conversations in a Diverse Democracy
Planning for Learning Journey that Supports Students' Safety, Empathy and Understanding
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Safety First (and Last)
Before I introduce a tough topic to the class, i select a strategy to safely introduce and conclude a lesson so that students are not left in a space of pain when the bell rings. At the beginning of class, I often use gallery walks with art or images, or ask students what they see, think or wonder about a visual or quotation. This allows me to begin teaching with a sense of what students already know and to use the questions they have to guide our learning.
At the end of class, I often plan a wraparound to help students listen to each other, an iceberg diagram to help the class examine deeper questions or reveal underlying causes of an event, or turn to a simple 3-2-1 to consolidate their learning from a new resource or activity.
To close a challenging discussion, I might ask students to create a toolbox for care, journal or create responses to works such as Amanda Gorman's "A New Day's Lyric" or American Congressman and activist John Lewis' Walking with the Wind: projects and poems that invite students to anchor into hope, resilience and community.
Facing History and Ourselves' teaching strategies, opening and closing routines provide structure, flexibility and time to hear students' voices. -
Select Topics with Care and Craft Strong Discussion Questions
One important message the Fostering Civil Discourse guide taught me is that not every tough topic is appropriate for my students. As educators, we often think about this in terms of students' age or stage of development, but now I also am more mindful of the emotional fatigue and lived experiences of my students.
My class - like many of yours - has students who have arrived in Canada because of war, violence, and instability. I don’t need to make the decisions about what topics to discuss in a vacuum - I talk with students, guidance counsellors and colleagues to help navigate these decisions. Leaning on Dr. Diana Hess' settled and open questions analytical framework is also important. I ask students if a particular issue is ‘settled’ or ‘not yet’; this allows some universal values like gender and identity rights to be removed from debates on their merits, while opening up other specific questions where students can explore the many nuances of an ethical issue.
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Have a Strategy for Unplanned Moments
I find that the head, heart, conscience strategy is my go-to for spontaneous moments of unexpected topics or news that arrives in your classroom in real time. I have about 100 student response sheets for this ready at all times so that when world events enter the students’ awareness through social media or from their peers. Typically when an unplanned topic arrives in my classroom, not all student know about it and there can be conflicting accounts. Taking a few minutes as a class to use reliable news sites to try to gain a better picture and then discuss what happened as a class helps ensure we are all informed and allows for a clearer dialogue. Using the Head, Heart, Conscience handout allows students to reflect after a discussion and self-check what they know with how they feel, questions they may still have, and what they find challenging in an issue.
Facing History and Ourselves' Pedagogical Triangle for Historical and Civic Understanding informs the Head, Heart, Conscience reflection tool -
Giving Space for …
I have to accept I will not be able to make space for every event that arises, that some tough topics do not have a neat and tidy conclusion, that this discussion may need 2 classes, or maybe ongoing. We all go into the week with a plan for our courses but if our ultimate goal is to help students develop into critical thinkers and active citizens, we need to be flexible, aware of the world around us, and willing to lean into messy topics.
I have never really thought very deeply about the name, Facing History and Ourselves previously. This year, I am aware of what it means to me: Daring to face all the injustice and pain behind the events taking place all over the world demands resources and support like never before.
