Studying Educators' Strategies for Discussing Controversial Issues in a Web-Based Professional Learning Simulation

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: Technology, Community Initiatives, and Citizenship Education

Abstract

Developing the capacity to discuss controversial issues is a key component of democratic citizenship, however, in the current political environment, many educators are uncomfortable facilitating these conversations. Simulations provide a low-stakes opportunity to practice and reflect on strategies for facilitating these conversations. In this study, we developed a web-based simulation for educators on leading a classroom discussion on immigration. Through analyzing participants' text responses within the simulation, we identified the strategies used by participants. Findings suggested that participants most often used teacher-initiated instead of student-initiated strategies and that teachers’ intended strategies differed from their enacted ones. We propose that classroom simulations can be an effective way to support educators’ development in facilitating these discussions.

Authors

• Joshua Littenberg-Tobias, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• G.R. Marvez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Alison Klebanoff Cohen, University of California - San Francisco

• Justin Fire Reich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology