Examines church-state relations in educational matters in Italy from 1922 to the outbreak of World War II. Unlike Nazi Germany which could boast of nazified schools, Fascist Italy was compelled to recognize the considerable influence of Catholicism on education. (Author/KC)

Offers suggestions to help teachers handle controversial topics (such as sex and nudity, violence, language, and other questionable issues) when using novels, plays, and their film adaptations in English-as-a-Second-Language and literacy classrooms. (SR)

World events, increasing diversity in the classroom, and headlines about the latest court cases all ensure that religion will remain a sensitive and sometimes contentious issue in the public schools. Challenges readers to think about how they would respond to 12 hypothetical classroom situations involving religion. (Author/MLF)

A literacy teacher discusses how she raised with her class the issues surrounding Pauline Hanson, an Australian Member of Parliament opposed to multiculturalism. She describes how she used the opportunity to discuss differences between fact and opinion, as well as racism. (SK)

Shares the responses of children to an initial exploration of books with gay and lesbian characters. Intends to learn from this experience in order to plan future curriculum engagements that encourage conversation around such a critical and controversial issue, and to use differences to take some sort of action against discrimination. (SG)

Presents an interview with Chris Raschka that explores his creative process. Notes he is the author of over 20 picture books. Focuses on controversial children's books. (SG)

House argues that education, especially about public policy issues, should objectively present and teach facts, not values. Cunningham argues that there is no neutrality; educators must be advocates for learners, understanding the hidden curricula of learning situations. (SK)

Teachers are encouraged to use contemporary French songs for language instruction, and are given guidelines for choosing and teaching the songs and for class exercises exploiting the instructional potential of songs. (MSE)

Explores the nature and meaning of the dilemmas teachers encounter in the classroom as they respond to and interpret the tasks of learning. Reveals how teachers' perspectives toward knowledge and their view of themselves and their students as knowers enter their work. Illuminates features of the teacher-student relationship through discussion of…

Mikhail Gorbachev's "glasnost" seeks to transform a large, multiethnic nation ruled for decades by an aging, entrenched, and stagnant bureaucracy. Educators will be challenged to provide students with accurate, objective information about the Soviet Union and to emphasize U.S.-U.S.S.R. similarities without minimizing differences.…

Reviewed are three controversial incidents from the history of biomedical science for the lessons they may teach about the nature and context of scientific discoveries. Considered are William Harvey and blood circulation, Louis Pasteur and spontaneous generation, and Frederick Banting's discovery of insulin. (Author/CW)

Focuses upon classroom presentation of issues related to the Fourth Amendment of U.S. Constitution. Presents a description of a drug test case simulation (D. Hess); a case involving drug testing in the public sector which is to be heard by the Supreme Court (L. Mandell); and other teaching strategies (D. Hess). Provides a guide for finding Supreme…

It is argued that religious studies, offered in Australian public schools, are justified for their value in a liberal arts education, particularly as they support examination of three principles: skepticism, exclusivity, and relativism. These criteria are applied in assessment of religious education in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria.…

Argues that middle- and high-school students benefit from class discussions of personal and societal values and the role they play in decision making. Presents two stories of real-life difficult choices and their consequences. Presents brief descriptions of five current controversial issues (with suggested questions) for classroom discussion to…

Examines the contribution that the teaching of controversial issues could make to student learning in the science classroom. Discusses the nature of controversial issues, some general guidelines for handling them, and various classroom techniques that might foster open-ended problem solving using small group discussion. (Author/MKR)