Presents a letter written in response to a videotape presented to a teacher by a student; the videotape denounced evolution on religious grounds. The letter explains some of the biases of the video to the class and the importance of learning about an issue before taking a stand against it. (PVD)

As a teacher educator committed to raising issues of racial, economic, and gender equality and those related to an appreciation for diversity, the author finds poetry to be a powerful resource in social studies methods classes. When preparing preservice teachers for elementary and middle school levels, she finds that poetry can often capture their…

The question of whether "intelligent design" amounts to legitimate science, pseudo-science, or religion masquerading as science has underwent a potentially historic legal test, as a federal court in Pennsylvania considered whether a public school district can require that students be exposed to the controversial concept. Eleven parents…

School leaders who have advocated for controversial programs know the pitfalls. Among the most frustrating are individuals and groups who resist any change at all, those who are supportive but remain silent, and those (opponents and allies alike) who are so passionate in their position they seem unable to hear the views of others. Each group…

This in-progress study presents aspects of using educational technology in teaching mathematics education. More exactly, it explores ways in which educational technology might be used in order to improve teachers' cultural awareness and social activism. A rationale for a qualitative research study is presented by using multiple methods combining…

Political scientists have noted that, in a variety of communication settings, people are less receptive to information that comes from a politically disagreeable source. Yet, there is little research on patterns of communication across lines of political difference in an educational setting, which we argue is unique in a number of ways. Using a…

In September 2002, Salter's Nuffield Advanced Biology ("SNAB") began a three year pilot phase in schools, representing the first major innovation in UK biology education since the 1970s. One part of the AS level coursework was a report on an "Issue of Biological Interest". This could be based on an actual visit outside school…

This study examines teacher perceptions of academic freedom and how these perceptions relate to the teaching of controversial issues. By drawing on the literature of the field and recent research, we describe threats, challenges, and variables at work that have led to the decline of academic freedom. We then explore the imperative of academic…

This article describes action research within a multicultural pedagogical praxis orientation in a teacher education course at a higher education institution in Brazil during the academic year 2003. The narrative draws on the ways in which the course sought to develop a research perspective that could equip student teachers with elements that allow…

The teaching of controversial issues has been widely viewed as preparing students for effective citizenship and, as such, is regarded as inevitable in social studies classrooms if students are to be able to think intelligently and to participate effectively in society. However, the effective implementation of issue-centered education in African…

Very few elementary public school teachers in the United States expose their students to religion and spirituality in an in-depth way. Even when they have the necessary knowledge base, they shy away from so dangerous an enterprise. They might fear provoking a challenge from parents who are irreligious and are shocked to find religion being…

This paper explores whether the notion of "global citizenship" is too abstract to be valuable in driving curriculum policy and active citizenship for students. The paper looks firstly at three of the key aspects of an active role: a concern for social justice; rights; and culture and cultural conflict. It then examines actual curricula and…

This study explored teacher perspectives on the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) and on dealing with ethics in the context of science instruction. Twenty-two middle and high school science teachers from three US states participated in semi-structured interviews, and researchers employed inductive analyses to explore emergent patterns relative…

This article discusses the vulnerability of U.S. professors of Islamic and Near Eastern studies, particularly if they are of Muslim origin. The author, a scholar of subjects related to literatures and cultures of the Muslim world, who is herself of Muslim origin, has found it more difficult in recent years to bring many topics to the classroom.…

In the latter part of last year a Macquarie University academic aroused outrage with his comments over the supposed links between race and criminality. For his colleagues and the union alike, the case provided a difficult example of the clash of shared academic values and the right to speak. Here four participants in the controversy-- from NTEU's…