How do we talk about issues that matter?

 

How do we talk about issues that matter? This is a question that all teachers and future teachers should be asking themselves. As a result of all of the issues in the world today, it is crucial that teachers address these issues in a way that grants each student the feeling of respect and allows them to feel that it is okay to think differently than other student's. When reading "Fostering Civil Discourse: How do we talk about issues that matter?" one line stood out to me. The line "However much we are affected by the things in the world, however deeply they may stir and stimulate us, they become human for us only when we can discuss them with our fellows" is a golden line for me in this reading because it expresses how communication is an important aspect of human life. I believe that communication is particularly important when it comes to issues in the world because without communication, the issues surrounding us everyday would remain unsolved or unfixed. When talking about issues, it can be difficult for people to express the need for change because it can lead to uncomfortable conversations but teachers have the power to teach their students that their opinions are important, which ultimately allows students to feel more confident when talking about issues. It is also pivotal that elementary teachers start addressing issues to students in a respectful manner to prepare students to talk about future issues in a thoughtful and understanding way. 







Comments

  1. Kirsten DawsonFebruary 17, 2023 at 1:19 PM

    Hi Sophie! I enjoyed reading your golden line from Fostering Civil Discourse and how important it is to you. When it comes to teaching, I think communication plays a big part in it. One day we will have so many different students who each will have their own opinions and beliefs on things. It’s important to make them feel heard and respected, even if we may not see eye to eye on it. Students look up to teachers as role models. Part of the job is to be able to talk about uncomfortable things to make students aware of certain issues that may be going on. My golden line was “How can we seek out or listen to those who hold different beliefs from our own?” Showing respect and being open minded to others who may not have the same perspective on something is crucial. We will be teaching students who will listen to what we are saying, so we must prepare for the hard conversations that will come.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Makes Great Teaching?

Image
      As I started this course, I was nervous because I was unsure about so many things involving the school system. I was also nervous about having to do blog posts because writing is not my strong suit but after completing this course, I've grown to enjoy blogging as it gives me a way to express my opinions as well as reading other people's opinions about each topic discussed. This class has definitely broadened my knowledge of all the struggles that surround the education system and because of that, I was able to brain storm about ways that would improve or resolve these issues. One thing that helped me understand the topics better was having to do tasks that promoted serious thought within each strategy used during these tasks. Some of my favorite strategies that we used throughout this course would have to be the blog posts mentioned before because it was a great way to express ideas and opinions, the golden lines because it allowed us to put the spot light on a phra...
Read more

Do I Have The Full Picture?

Image
        Term "full picture" is very commonly used among people but a lot of people struggle with the meaning of this term. Most people believe they are seeing the full picture when it comes to people, things, and ideas but in reality, they are only looking at parts of the picture. The term "full picture" means that an individual has a full or overall sense of a situation or topic, taking into account all related factors and consequences. In the world, people tend to overlook parts of the picture because it either does not concern them or does not affect them but by doing this, problems are created. A good example of this happening is in school curriculum because schools provide students with most details about history but refrain from providing students with an overall description of the topics. For example, in task 6 of the module, we were asked to watch Victoria's video about integration and in the video it was pointed out that schools have only been teaching ...
Read more

What Does Money Really Have To Do With It?

Image
    Money is a big aspect of everyday life. Because of the way the world works, money is required for almost everything in life (gas for driving, food, utilities in a home, and schooling). When it comes to money, the more money you have tends to mean that you have more than others that have less money. This is a concept that is very important to remember when thinking about public schools and their funding. In the article, "Separate and Unequal: School Funding in 'Post-radical' America", it states that p ublic schools are funded by local property tax which ultimately means that schools that are located in wealthier areas are more likely to raise more money from sources around them than schools that are located in poor areas. Because of the way schools are funded, there are many negative effects on the lower income schools which include teachers in poor areas get paid less salary than teachers in wealthier areas, materials such as books and educational resources are of...
Read more