A model of essential actions influencing extension agents' participation in a program identified four primary motivating factors: (1) clarity of program participation; (2) availability of resources; (3) freedom of choice; and (4) relevance to job description or work plan. (SK)

Presents a classroom which teaches coalition building skills as a means of resolving controversy, based on finding common ground between disputants. (SR)

Thanks to certain "common ground" statements, the study of religion may gain a legitimate place in the curriculum and help stem an exodus from public schools. Textbooks have obliterated economics' religious connections. Ignoring religious perspectives about the world is profoundly illiberal, politically unjust, and unconstitutional.…

Combines a discussion of classroom uses for the children's book "My Two Uncles" with one on bibliotherapy with children. Explains that bibliotherapy provides information about confusing or sensitive topics through literature. Suggests that "My Two Uncles" can be used to reassure students who know homosexual couples and to encourage tolerance. (DSK)

Discusses two children's picture books: "Smoky Night" and "The House that Crack Built." Notes that the books deal with the Los Angeles riots and the use and distribution of crack cocaine. Concludes that each book treats important issues with sensitivity and honesty and is engaging, even when dealing with controversial topics in…

Discusses how religion and fiction can be a troublesome blend in literature for young people. Notes that many writers have found it simpler to avoid spiritual issues altogether, to stay with the safe and secular. Describes that one solution a number of writers have grasped is to portray protagonists as learning to seek the answers within…

Describes the controversy and eventual success of the use of "Heaven's Coast" by Mark Doty (an account of the author's mourning of the loss of his partner Wally to AIDS) as a common text for students at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. (EV)

Describes a strategy for a study of social problems in social studies classes that involves selecting brief excerpts from various literary genres that focus on a key social issue. Notes the students identify the problem, consider its implications, and offer solutions--then the students are encouraged to read the entire text to see how the problem…

Discusses where censorship comes from, taking a positive approach to censorship, how to make censorship work for teachers in the classroom, teaching through controversy, teaching students to become critical readers, and using controversial literature in the classroom. Appends a 24-item list of children's classics and books for young adults often…

Describes an exercise used in business communication courses that uses controversial business news to provoke discussion and build critical thinking as well as help students to develop writing and speaking skills as they prepare to face the communications implications of workplace controversies and crises. (SR)

Notes a growing concern among scholars and teachers interested in bringing diversity into the classroom of recognizing and valuing differing perspectives when raising volatile issues. Offers suggestions and examples of how teachers can use the larger corpus of young-adult literature to bridge the gap between interpretation and understanding. (RS)

Science controversy has the potential to reinforce students' understanding of important biological concepts as well as helping students forge connections between concepts they may have previously seen disparate. Science controversy has the potential to help students make cross-disciplinary connections and therefore it should become an integral…

Objective: To field questions from a room of students simulating a press conference. Type of speech: Impromptu. Point value: 10 participation points. To receive all 10 points, students must (1) address three questions from the lectern and ask three questions from their seat (3 points), (2) respond thoroughly to each question by providing a…

Discussing controversial topics such as stem cell research is a great way for students to build scientific understanding, enhance communication skills, and develop an appreciation for civic decision making. Tackling a topic such as stem cells at the middle level, however, can be a challenge because most young adolescents see the world in black and…

Recent events in the United States have brought anti-evolution efforts into the forefront of the media's coverage of science education, and it makes press in Canadian outlets as well. Canadians can be regularly heard scoffing at American debacles such as the controversy regarding the denigration of evolution in Kansas's science standards, the…