How do we talk about issues that matter?
I think as teachers, it is important to speak on issues, such as hard topics that are happening in the world around us. With teaching younger students in the elementary level I think it is important for them to have good comprehension of these matters just maybe not as in depth as you would with the high school level. To start off, have a question on the board that is going to have the students really think hard and give them examples of certain things. I think this will get their brains thinking of what the topic is so that they are not just blurting out things before they speak. Show a video to your students that will give them more information about the topic that will help them understand the actual facts that are happening versus what they might just be hearing from their peers or even from their parents. I think it is most important that when teaching students and talking to students about issues that matter is that we give them the true facts and not our opinion as a teacher. We are informing them of what is going on, but letting them understand for themselves.
Talking about issues that matter in the classroom can be tough because for one every student is being raised differently, so they might hear different things from different people that other people have not hear which can strike a argumentative conversation for the students. "We humanize what is going on in the world and in ourselves only by speaking of it, and in the course of speaking it we learn to be human." This is important for students to understand and to know to speak their truth but to also speak the truth on certain things but know the facts of what they are speaking on.
I like how you mentioned the importance of students speaking the truth. Something that I remember would frustrate me in discussions as a grade school student is when people share opinions that are wrong, and we were expected to respect those opinions. What I mean is that they have based their thought process on ideas that are not factual, such as believing vaccines cause Autism when the entire scientific community has proven that there is no such link between the two. I think it is a misconception that we have to respect all opinions, but we do have to respect all people. It's important when you come across wrong opinions that you use a calm tone and remember that you and the speaker are equals. People aren't likely to listen to new information if they feel under attack. Pose questions instead of assertions, so that they must think critically about their own opinion and if their ideas are supported by sound reason.
ReplyDeleteI really love this because it is so true in so many ways, every student is raised differently so sometimes when we talk about a topic in a certain way it can be different from what they've been taught to believe or told is right at home.
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