Current conceptions of citizenship favour public involvement in dialogue on controversial issues such as GM food. ‘Students with higher levels of civic knowledge are more likely to expect to participate in political and civic activities as adults’ (Kerr et al., 2003, p. 4). Young people need to be aware of the nature of controversy and be able to see how arguments are constructed to sway our opinions if they are to be fully scientifically literate. A survey of the literature suggests that the principles and methods relating to the teaching of controversial issues are themselves controversial. This irony is more relevant to teachers now than ever before. In England, the teaching of ‘Citizenship’ has been compulsory for students aged 11–16 in the state sector since September 2002. As it is currently framed, ‘Citizenship’ includes education for sustainable development and the teaching of the nature of controversy. This paper explores the issue of teachers' readiness to use controversial issues in the classroom, and reports on research involving focus groups and questionnaires. We suggest that many teachers are under‐prepared and feel constrained in their ability to handle this aspect of their work. We conclude by offering a set of foci for developing support materials to help teachers be more effective at teaching controversial issues.

Controversial issues: teachers’ attitudes and practices in the context of citizenship education

Increasing teachers’ intercultural competences in teacher preparation programs and through professional development: A review

The modern classroom is becoming increasingly diverse, with many countries seeking to develop teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms (TSMC) to effectively teach diverse students by offer...

/pdf/enhancing-teacher-self-efficacy-in-multicultural-classrooms-pmtcrf12vb.pdf

Enhancing Teacher Self-Efficacy in Multicultural Classrooms and School Climate: The Role of Professional Development in Multicultural Education in the United States and South Korea:

This methodological guidance paper discusses the craft of reviewing qualitative research for a systematic review. Qualitative research is an expansive and wide-ranging domain that includes research...

Methodological Guidance Paper: The Craft of Conducting a Qualitative Review:

This review focuses on students’ perceptions of their rights in elementary and secondary schools. The conceptual framework of rights consciousness was applied to understand how students’ knowledge,...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3102/00346543211031642

Students’ Perceptions of Their Rights in School: A Systematic Review of the International Literature:

When their teachers are well equipped to foster inclusive and equitable classrooms, students from marginalized communities show higher rates of academic achievement, motivation, self-confidence, an...

Multicultural Education Professional Development: A Review of the Literature:

Institutions of higher education continue to emphasize the need to create and develop global citizen graduates who will face challenging global issues in the workforce. A systematic literature review of empirical studies on global citizenship in higher education was conducted to understand the various ways this term is being studied, measured, and operationalized. The process of inclusion and exclusion criteria identified 57 studies. A content analysis revealed global citizenship is being included into higher education through scales of measurement, studying abroad, faculty and student perceptions, coursework, and university programs. The results are discussed in relation to the current literature on global citizenship along with future avenues of research.

/pdf/global-citizenship-development-in-higher-education-3682zo8egh.pdf

Global Citizenship development in higher education institutions: A systematic review of the literature

“Calling Out” in class: Degrees of candor in addressing social injustices in racially homogenous and heterogeneous U.S. history classrooms

Latinos labeled “English learners” by the school system face social and systemic barriers that limit their access to postsecondary opportunities. Using a multilevel model of intersectionality, this...

Virginia R. Massaro

Papers

Multicultural Education Professional Development: A Review of the Literature:

Global Citizenship development in higher education institutions: A systematic review of the literature

“Calling Out” in class: Degrees of candor in addressing social injustices in racially homogenous and heterogeneous U.S. history classrooms

Beyond the label: Using a multilevel model of intersectionality to explore the educational experiences of Latino English learners

Fostering greater equity for emergent bilinguals through dual language programming