This article is a pedagogical case study reflecting on the "Teaching the Levees" curriculum (Crocco, 2007), written in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and in tandem with the Spike Lee film, "When the Levees Broke" (2006). Over 30,000 copies of the curriculum, underwritten by the Rockefeller Foundation, were distributed…

Controversial topics may be uncomfortable for teachers to include in their in-class discussions. However, there are considerable cognitive and social-emotional benefits to engagement in controversial conversations, or classroom discussion about controversial topics. It is critical that teachers support students in respectful discussion to help…

Drawing on Noddings' work on religion and education (1993), moral education (2002), and citizenship education (2005\, 2015), this article contemplates how educators both in public schools and parochial Jewish schools might teach students to care about critical issues confronting the Jewish community historically and contemporarily. Its premise is…

The article utilizes a decolonizing theoretical lens to advocate for the need to engage in a more nuanced approach to conceptualizing local/global aspect of social justice discussions within social studies education. The article engages with questions of social justice by utilizing Noddings's (2006) argument that "educational…

This article explores Nel Noddings' conception of pedagogical neutrality and its meanings and implications for classroom conversations, particularly at the elementary grade levels. It examines the selection of issues for classroom discourse and the importance of teachers purposefully exposing students to arguments and data with which they may be…

This article explores the ways in which the quantitative and qualitative tools used by risk managers can help students think critically about issues. In particular, it identifies some of the quantitative skills used for risk assessment that can be taught and used in mathematics and science classes. It also examines the qualitative knowledge of…

Scientific knowledge often appears to contradict many students' religious beliefs. Indeed, the assumptions of science appear contradictory to the metaphysical claims of many religions. This conflict is most evident in discussions of biological evolution. Teachers, in attempts to limit the controversy, often avoid this topic or teach it…

In the field of teacher education, sexual orientation (when addressed) is often addressed in one of two ways: adding to what students know, and complicating what students already know. In this article, the author reflects on his experiences teaching these types of lessons. He points to some of the unexpected ways students have responded, and…