Submitted by Bruce Rockwood (not verified) on April 13, 2007 - 17:36.
The choice of questions reminds me of the "issues" to be voted on in my Nation-States country: they mix valid and invalid points, and ignore things like age or class level, course subject and the like. I can see faculty who want to comment sardonically on the war objecting to freedom to advocate creation science, say, and so forth. And of course, since one major topic (the disastrous law "No Child Left Behind" with its fall out of teaching to the test above all else) impacts teachers and students alot, it is hard to avoid needing to talk about it.
The key is to permit teachers to fairly discuss current issues where they naturally come up, and as they may relate to the subject or, in some instances, to the needs of the students (I can see a need to discuss the Imus affair in some instances, for example). And to understand the difference between reasonable analysis and criticism, on the one hand, and partisan campaigning on the other. Though it may be hard to do this if, for example, one is teaching "Bush v Gore" in an American history or civics class.
The choice of questions reminds
Submitted by Bruce Rockwood (not verified) on April 13, 2007 - 17:36.
The choice of questions reminds me of the "issues" to be voted on in my Nation-States country: they mix valid and invalid points, and ignore things like age or class level, course subject and the like. I can see faculty who want to comment sardonically on the war objecting to freedom to advocate creation science, say, and so forth. And of course, since one major topic (the disastrous law "No Child Left Behind" with its fall out of teaching to the test above all else) impacts teachers and students alot, it is hard to avoid needing to talk about it.
The key is to permit teachers to fairly discuss current issues where they naturally come up, and as they may relate to the subject or, in some instances, to the needs of the students (I can see a need to discuss the Imus affair in some instances, for example). And to understand the difference between reasonable analysis and criticism, on the one hand, and partisan campaigning on the other. Though it may be hard to do this if, for example, one is teaching "Bush v Gore" in an American history or civics class.