Teaching Politics in Secondary Education

Wayne Journell

Description

Winner of the 2018 Exemplary Research in Social Studies Award presented by the National Council for the Social Studies

Many social studies teachers report feeling apprehensive about discussing potentially volatile topics in the classroom, because they fear that administrators and parents might accuse them of attempting to indoctrinate their students. Wayne Journell tackles the controversial nature of teaching politics, addressing commonly raised concerns such as how to frame divisive political issues, whether teachers should disclose their personal political beliefs to students, and how to handle political topics that become intertwined with socially sensitive topics such as race, gender, and religion. Journell discusses how classrooms can become spaces for tolerant political discourse in an increasingly politically polarized American society. In order to explore this, Journell analyzes data that include studies of high school civics/government teachers during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and how they integrated television programs, technology, and social media into their teaching. The book also includes a three-year study of preservice middle and secondary social studies teachers' political knowledge and a content analysis of CNN Student News.
List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. Creating Space for Political Instruction

2. Making Politics Engaging for Students

3. Teaching Presidential Elections

4. Teaching Students to Think Politically

5. Addressing Political Controversy in the Classroom

6. The Intersection of Politics and the Taboo Topics of Race, Gender, and Religion

7. Creating Politically Tolerant Classrooms and Schools

Conclusion Politics Moving Forward

Methodological Appendix
Notes
References
About the Author
Index

Sujets

• Secondary school
• Social studies

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 21 novembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438467719
• Langue: English

Extrait

TEACHING POLITICS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
TEACHING POLITICS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION
Engaging with Contentious Issues
Wayne Journell
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2017 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Eileen Nizer
Marketing, Michael Campochiaro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Journell, Wayne, author.
Title: Teaching politics in secondary education : engaging with contentious issues / Wayne Journell.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017000334 (print) | LCCN 2017002864 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438467696 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438467702 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438467719 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Political science—Study and teaching (Secondary)—United States.
Classification: LCC JA88.U6 J68 2017 (print) | LCC JA88.U6 (ebook) | DDC 320.071/273—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017000334
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Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction Chapter 1 Creating Space for Political Instruction Chapter 2 Making Politics Engaging for Students Chapter 3 Teaching Presidential Elections Chapter 4 Teaching Students to Think Politically Chapter 5 Addressing Political Controversy in the Classroom Chapter 6 The Intersection of Politics and the Taboo Topics of Race, Gender, and Religion Chapter 7 Creating Politically Tolerant Classrooms and Schools Conclusion Politics Moving Forward
Methodological Appendix
Notes
References
About the Author
Index
List of Tables Table I.1 Teacher and Student Demographics from 2008 Study Table 1.1 Longest CNN Student News Segments—October 2012 Table 2.1 Students’ Dispositions toward Politics at the Beginning of Each Study Table 4.1 List of Hard and Soft Money Contributions Compiled by Mr. Monroe’s Class on 10/9/12 Table 4.2 List of Electoral Votes Compiled by Mr. Monroe’s Class on 9/18/12 Table 4.3 List of Electoral Votes Compiled by Mr. Monroe’s Class on 10/22/12 Table 7.1 Students’ Political Identification and Candidate Preferences (in percentages)
List of Figures Figure 1.1 Electoral Map of the 1860 Presidential Election Figure 1.2 Electoral Map of the 2012 Presidential Election Figure 1.3 States that Voted Democratic (shaded) in the Presidential Election of 1928 Figure 1.4 States that Voted Republican (shaded) in the Presidential Election of 1996 Figure 3.1 Example of Completed Election Project Figure 3.2 Example of Completed Election Project
Acknowledgments
Writing this book was a retrospective experience for me. As I revisited all of the studies that I have conducted over the past eight years and the publications that emanated from them, I became keenly aware of how incomplete any single study or publication is. While I am proud of my earlier writings, I realized that my thoughts on several aspects of political instruction have evolved or changed since that initial study on the 2008 Presidential Election. This book provided me with the opportunity to revisit those older studies with eyes that have become more refined and critical than they were as a doctoral student or a novice assistant professor. As a result, I was able to take stock in how far I have come in all aspects of my scholarship, which was, in many ways, a cathartic experience for me.
I would like to thank the team at SUNY Press for believing in this work, particularly Beth Bouloukos, Eileen Nizer, and Michael Campochairo, who made sure the entire process ran smoothly and in a timely fashion. I would also like to thank Taylor Francis for allowing me to use portions of previously published articles from Educational Studies , The Clearing House , The Educational Forum , The Social Studies , and Theory Research in Social Education . Additionally, I am grateful to the editors of Journal of Curriculum Theorizing , Journal of School Leadership , Journal of Social Studies Research , Teachers College Record , The High School Journal , and The History Teacher for granting permission for me to use portions of my articles from those publications in this book.
In many ways, this book serves as a capstone of my first decade in academia. Much has changed professionally for me in those ten years, and there are many people who have helped me along the way. I am forever indebted to Mark Dressman, who rescued me from an abysmal situation as a doctoral student at the University of Illinois and helped me through my dissertation. I would also like to thank Marilyn Johnston-Parsons, Jeff Mondak, and Chris Span for their helpful comments on my dissertation research. I have also benefitted from great colleagues and students at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and I am especially appreciative of the work of Lisa Buchanan, who helped collect data for The West Wing study, and Cheryl Ayers and Melissa Walker Beeson, who worked on the 2012 Presidential Election study. The final products were stronger because of their efforts. I am also thankful for the generosity of all of the classroom teachers represented in this book, as well as their district and school administrators, for welcoming me into their schools and classrooms and recognizing the benefit of my research.
Finally, any professional success that I have had over the past decade is only due to the supportive network that I have at home. My wife, Kitrina, has been with me since the 2008 Presidential Election study and continues to support me today. Similarly, my parents, Allen and Brenda, have always believed in me, even when I decided to leave a stable job and travel halfway across the country to get a doctorate in education. Finally, for the past four years, I have been fortunate to have my daughter, Hadleigh, in my life. While I cannot say that Hadleigh has helped my productivity as a scholar, she has, however, given my work a clearer sense of purpose. In all of my work, I have her future educational experiences in mind, and it reminds me why I entered academia in the first place.
Introduction
Don’t talk about politics or religion in polite company.
—Traditional American saying
Although the origin of this saying has never been attributed to a specific person, variations of it have been traced back to the middle of the nineteenth century, and it has remained a staple of proper American etiquette ever since. In many ways, it is good advice. Most people can recall a family dinner or a gathering with friends that resulted in tense exchanges or hurt feelings after conversations took a political turn. In such contexts, it may well be advisable to discuss less contentious topics.
This fear of controversy, however, often causes people to avoid discussions of politics entirely or seek refuge with individuals of likeminded opinion. There is value in engaging in civil discussions of political issues among people with differing viewpoints. When contrasting opinions are shared constructively, tolerance for diverse viewpoints grows and longstanding beliefs are vetted against contradictory evidence. Even when individuals “agree to disagree” at the conclusion of a civil political discussion, both sides come away with a more nuanced understanding of the issues discussed (Mutz, 2006; Walsh, 2005). If individuals engage in these types of discussions consistently, they will develop a more accurate understanding of their own political identities.
Unfortunately, few Americans engage in this type of civil discourse on a regular basis. Although we are a pluralistic society, we tend to conceptualize ourselves in polarized terms (Chambers Melnyk, 2006; Farwell Weiner, 2000), a perception that is regularly reinforced through talk radio, cable news, and social media (Sobieraj Berry, 2011). The overarching message conveyed via these media is that not only is it one’s responsibility to advocate one’s political ideology, but one must also denounce opposing viewpoints as morally inferior and ideologically “wrong.” This perceived polarization then continues into other aspects of daily life, such as family dinners, conversations with friends, and places of worship.
Where, then, can individuals learn how to tolerantly associate with those who hold differing ideological or political beliefs? Walter Parker (2010) has argued that schools are ideal environments to develop the skills and dispositions required for civil political discourse. He contends that even in the most homogeneous communities, classrooms offer students more opportunities to interact with opinions that diverge from those which they may be exposed to on a regular basis. Social studies classrooms, in particular, are natural spaces in which to merge discussions of politics and current political events into the curriculum.
In-depth discussions of politics and current events in social studies classrooms, however, are increasingly rare (Kahne Middaugh, 2009). In some cases, the demands of high-stakes testing may be the reason why teachers choose not to incorporate politics into their curriculum (Journell, 2010b; Kahne, Rodriguez, Smith, Thiede, 2000