Teaching Emotive and Controversial Issues
In GCE, controversial issues are embraced as opportunities for learning. By tackling controversial topics, students learn to navigate differing viewpoints, engage in respectful dialogue, and develop skills to form their own reasoned opinions. While this approach can prepare them to engage thoughtfully in debate about key issues, it also requires careful navigation on the part of the teacher as sensitive topics can provoke strong opinions and/or emotional responses. Educators must create a respectful and safe environment for dialogue, where students feel comfortable expressing diverse viewpoints without fear of judgment. This can be difficult, as students bring varied cultural, political, and personal backgrounds that shape their perspectives, making it easy for discussions to become polarised.
Additionally…
Educators may encounter pressures from stakeholders who might have differing opinions on what is appropriate to discuss in classrooms. Balancing these perspectives while ensuring a neutral and inclusive approach can be challenging, especially on issues that impact students’ own lives, such as social justice, immigration, or climate change.
Within this area, we consider how teacher education can:
Materials that respond to these questions:
Using philosophically informed thinking to support dialogue on social justice issues (Meade, 2025)
Challenging racial bias in the classroom (Trifiletti, 2025)
Unpacking the Assertion of Power through Sexual exploitation/violence in War Contexts (Campbell, 2025)
Bring it up, or let it go? Tackling topical issues in the classroom (Gallagher and Moore, 2025)
Join us for a Train Journey – Exploring Stereotypes (O’Brien, 2025)
Racial Slurs and tensions around race representation in class (Harrison and O’Donnell, 2025)
Teaching Controversial Issues on the Professional Master of Education Programme (Malone and Timmins, 2025)
Developing curriculum-linked materials on the topic of Mother and Baby homes (Cusack, 2025)
