What are the benefits of discussion in the classroom in an era of high-stakes testing?? What topics in social studies do you believe ‘lend’ themselves to this type of instruct

Prescriptive Issues: These are designed to provoke disagreement among students on various levels. An example is the "should or ought" style questions, which evoke legitimacy, the rightness wrongness of actions, policy, etc. These types of issues are considered more personal than general issue questions.

Descriptive Issues: Questions that focus on problems of fact are trying to describe an individual's behavior in the past, present, or future.

As I explain each core approach embedded within Analyzing Public Issues, I want to use the following issue dealing with a small group of Eskimos in Northern Canada. My former colleague used this lesson when she taught sociology. Therefore, I will use this as the topic/issue for this module.

Too Old to Keep Alive

The Eskimos

People in different cultures have developed unique ways of coping with their physical environments worldwide. The Arctic has one of the world's most rigorous and demanding physical conditions. Nevertheless, Eskimos have been able to survive and develop a culture amid what are forbidding surroundings to us.

For Eskimos living in these arid regions, the struggle to maintain life is a constant concern. Hunting and fishing are tasks of the men, and to survive, they must succeed. The contribution of women and their mark of status in the community is skill at making clothing and preparing food. Each family member has clothing and footwear tailored to fit them perfectly. Each person must contribute to the family's survival with scarce vital resources. In Eskimo culture, once a family member / tribal member can no longer contribute to society, they leave the individual on the ice to die.

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Several questions or statements explain why events occur within these core approaches. For example:

General Issue Questions have four sub-questions intended to establish the student within the general context of the problem/issue.

Public Policy: A question involving a choice or a decision for action by citizens or officials in affairs that concern a government or community. These are straightforward. Many have a simple "yes" or "no." Clarification is encouraged but not required.

Example: Should the Canadian government punish those who commit these actions?

Moral-Value Issues: suggest that some object, person, or conduct is "good" or "bad" and can be taken directly from the covered article or social studies content.

Example: Is the survival of the fittest wrong? Should the actions of the Eskimos only be accepted in their society?

Definitional Issues revolve around how essential words or phrases are used in a discussion. Focuses on one or two words that may be disputed or interpreted differently.

Example: What is the meaning of contribution? What is the purpose of culture?

Factual Issues are disagreements about the descriptions or explanations of events. Sometimes known as the "if" and "then" statements.

For example, if the Eskimos stopped their policy towards tribal contributions, would it jeopardize their society or future?

Prescriptive Issues Questions are designed on how one judges and judges what should or ought to be done through the rightness and wrongness of actions or policy.

Personal conviction and conscience require students to decide personally what they would do. This type of question takes the public policy question (see above) to a more personal level where a decision is required.

Example: What would you do if you were a member of this Eskimo community and a family member could not contribute?

Public policy: questions designed around what society or government should do to intervene or solve the issue.

Example: Should the Canadian or United States government do anything to address the practices of the Eskimos?

Ethics is often associated with values that force students to make one choice. Often uses the "or" to differentiate between two options.

Example: Ultimately, which value is more important – the right of a tribal member or the freedom of society?

Law: is an attempt to apply legal issues to the situation, scenario, etc. This is often based on the student's perceptions, where there may be no right or wrong answer.

Example: Would the actions of the Eskimos be considered murder or mercy?

Descriptive Issues Statements are different from general and prescriptive questions. Descriptive claims (statements) explain why an event has happened or will happen.

Casual claims: These are statements designed to answer or justify why a situation(s) occurs on a personal level.

Example: A family member who cannot or is unwilling to contribute to society should have little to no rights or privileges. Notice that "family member" used to make it personal on a smaller scale.

Associative claims: These are statements designed to answer or justify why a situation(s) occur on a general/significant level .

Example: Killing in society and other cultures may be justifiable. Did you notice the word society used at a significant level?

Interpretive or speculative claims: This is considered the most difficult to design. Therefore, interpretive or speculative applications explain why an event has happened or will happen. The "thought of why this happened" in the justification or rationale for the event.

Example: Killing in other cultures may be all right except ours; allowing the Eskimos to practice this way of life has worked for thousands of years.

Let us examine another example of a Public Issues lesson. If you were teaching United States history, where would you use this? What era of history?

English language legislation gathers steam across the USA By William M. Welch, USA TODAY

English as an official language has gained momentum as proponents keep going to the ballot. Box with measures that discourage bilingual ballots, notices, and documents.

Thirty states now have laws specifying that official government communications be in English, says U.S. English, a group that promotes the laws. This year such bills are under consideration in 19 legislatures. "It is multiplying tremendously," says Mauro Mujica, a Chilean immigrant and chairperson, and CEO of U.S. English. "We have made huge progress."

Critics do not see progress. Some say the increase in the measures nationwide sends a hostile message to newcomers." It just poisons the atmosphere in local communities," says John Trasvina, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Typically the proposed laws require that documents, ballots, and other communications be published in English. Exempt are communications to protect public health and safety or efforts to promote tourism. This year: •In May, the Ohio House of Representatives approved a bill making English the state's official language. It is now before the state Senate. •In April, the Oklahoma House passed a bill requiring the majority of state business to be conducted in English. It is before the Senate. •Missouri will decide this fall on an amendment to the constitution requiring English for "all official proceedings." Advocates say they are not suggesting that English be the only language spoken but that it be the only language used in dealing with the government. Mujica, who speaks Spanish in his home, says requiring English for official business encourages Immigrants to learn English. That will help them to assimilate into U.S. society and prosper in its economy, he says. "We're making it too easy for people to function in other languages," he complains. But the effectiveness of the movement is in question since federal sometimes trumps a state's official English law. For instance, the Voting Rights Act requires certain localities to publish bilingual ballots.

"They've raised the level of ire against languages other than English (but)… haven't changed the government's or businesses' way of doing business," Trasvina said. Rob Toonkel, the spokesman for U.S. English, says that is not true. He says the laws do not cover everything but ensure that things like driver's licenses, zoning forms, and the day-to-day activities are overwhelmingly in English. "We want to be sure (immigrants) are becoming part of America and American society," he says. "That's what official English is about." There is one issue the two sides appear to agree on — more can be done to help non-English speakers learn English. Sam Jammal, a legislative attorney in MALDEF's Washington, D.C. office, says making English classes more available for adult immigrants is a better solution than official English. "We fully agree with that," Mujica says.

General Issues

Public Policy Issues: Should English be made the United States official language?

Moral Values Issue: How might bilingual programs affect assimilation? Did previous generations of immigrants have a choice of whether or not to learn English?

Definitional Issues:

What is assimilation? Why does assimilation matter?

Factual Issues:

If enough states passed laws making English the official language, could that cause the federal policy to change?

Prescriptive Issues

Personal Issues:

What happens when state and local laws conflict with federal regulations?

Ethics:

Do you think groups such as U.S. English are motivated by hostility toward immigrants?

Law/Legal Question:

Historically, how well have various immigrant groups been assimilated into the mainstream of American culture?

Descriptive Issues

Causal Claim: A family member who does not learn English is lazy.

Associative Claim: If English becomes the "official language" in the United States, all immigrants entering the country must speak English.

Interpretive Claim: Most immigrants today have sufficient incentive to learn English.

Readings and Guiding Questions:

Please read or listen to the following material in the order provided. In addition, to help one better reflect on each passage, questions may accompany each article/book chapter or webcast. These questions are to help one better understand the material. They are not required to be submitted for review unless marked otherwise.

Discussion in Social Studies: Is it Worth the Trouble? This article investigates the most common causes of discussion failure in the classroom. Also, Diana Hess provides various definitions and interpretations of discussion to include its uses. The number one complaint I hear from student teachers is about classroom management. The second-largest claim is the discussion in the classroom. Students often do not feel the need for discussion, whether it is the lack of student ability to maintain and carry an analysis (which may lead to an entirely different argument) or unwillingness to participate in the debate process. Hess suggests that "teachers report discussions to fail because only a few students have usually completed preparatory work for effective participation." Does this happen in your classrooms? Furthermore, she discusses four different "approaches" to the discussion.

"The free exchange of information among three or more participants."

"An alternately serious and spirited effort by a group or two or more to share

views and engage in mutual and reciprocal critique."

"a particular form of group interaction where members join in addressing

a question of common interest, exchanging and examining different views to form

their answer, enhancing their knowledge or understanding, their appreciation or

judgment, their decision, resolution, or action of the matter."

"a kind of shared inquiry, the desired outcomes of which rely on the consideration of

diverse views."

Hess eludes that discussion fails due to four standard errors:

1. Teachers tend to talk too much

2. Teachers often ask inauthentic questions

3. Teachers often neglect the focus and depth of student contributions (ignoring them)

4. Teachers tend to allow unequal participation among students (one or two dominate the conversation)

The discussion benefits may outweigh the negative perceptions and errors, but in all honesty, it mostly depends on the maturity level of the students involved. A classic example of this could be your first-hour class vs. your third-hour class and the students' composition. With that said, Hess identifies significant benefits of discussion:

1. Discussion can teach students how to articulate their understanding of a question, explain their arguments, listen to how others think through the same issue, and challenge others' responses.

2. Discussions can help students learn content knowledge better.

3. Discussions can improve students' abilities to dialogue across differences.

4. Discussions of controversial issues also appear to influence other forms of political engagement.

5. Discussions in school positively influence students' civic behavior after they leave high school.

6. Young people like courses that emphasize discussions.

REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS FOR MODULE 5

Online Web Discussion – Read each of the questions below.  After doing so, select all questions to focus your discussion.  Please make one thoughtful, original posting (a direct response to your chosen question) and at least one thoughtful response to a classmate's posting. 

Original Student Response is due by Thursday, February 15, at 11:59 p.m.

Response to a peer(s) is due by Monday, February 19, no later than 7:00 a.m.

Discussion Question #1: What are the benefits of discussion in the classroom in an era of high-stakes testing?

Discussion Question #2: What topics in social studies do you believe "lend" themselves to this type of instruction? Provide your peers with a problem that you might use this method when teaching a class. Again, you do not have to do the lesson but discuss your topic.