No need to be an expert!
Exploring complex and controversial
issues in the classroom from a critical
perspective
Nessa Ní Chasaide
Debt and Development Coalition
Ireland
Objectives
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To explore methodologies that enable
students to become the ‘experts’ in exploring
complex or controversial issues
To explore ways of developing students’
economic literacy and critical thinking skills
through a range of methodologies and
resources
To consider the characteristics of successful
cooperative learning
Setting the context
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Shift from teacher-led to studentcentred learning
Shift from teachers doing all the talking
(and most of the work!) to students
taking more responsibility for learning
Shift from teaching content towards
more emphasis on the development of
students’ skills
Setting the context
A shift in education worldwide –
Towards developing key skills and
key competencies
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Business Studies – Economic
Awareness (JC Syllabus)
‘Without a basic level of economic awareness citizens
cannot fully participate in the democratic process.
Every day, individuals make economic decisions, as
do business firms and governments. It is becoming
increasingly difficult to make political choices without
some knowledge of economics. Business Studies
aims to make some contribution to economic literacy
among students in order to enable them to make an
informed contribution to the democracy’
Economics LC Syllabus
“It is intended that the syllabus will be relevant to the
lives of students and inspire in them an interest and
excitement about economic issues. It should enable
them as citizens to understand the economic issues
that affect their lives and to offer informed comment
on these issues. It should provide them with the
knowledge, skills & understanding to … respond to
the needs of the economy and contribute to
sustained economic development”
Moral Purpose of
Education?
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Building more just relationships
Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy emphasises
the potential for personal and social
transformation through the action/reflection
dialectic of ‘praxis’. It is only by critically
understanding our world that we can
change it.
People learn best through a process that
connects, learning, reflecting and doing.
Setting the context global financial crisis and growing
poverty
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Global poverty: 1.3 bn people living on less than
$1.25 / day. Poverty increasing in Africa. Majority of
poor people are living in ‘Middle Income Countries’
Ireland’s poverty: 23% of people in Ireland are
experiencing 2 or more types of poverty (CSO); 15%
unemployment, emmigration 40,200/yr; 1.9 m people
have less than € 100m left at end of month
Debt Crisis: Southern countries owe over $4 trillion in
external debt; EU: 87% to GDP (60% is the norm),
Ireland 121% GDP, or 147% of GNP.
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Thinking Critically? Promoting
divergent thinking
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In what ways can you help
students to think more critically?
In buzz groups discuss methodologies
that you might find successful
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Thinking Critically?
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good use of questioning
challenging assumptions and prejudices
encouraging more flexible and
divergent thinking
exposing students to different
perspectives
engaging in real world problem solving
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Cooperative learning –
the key to unlocking key skills
‘Students may work in groups but
they very seldom work as groups.’
Richardson
Ken
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Diamond ranking
Diamond ranking is a thinking tool that gets
students to prioritise and make judgments.
Then it helps them to analyse and evaluate
the criteria that they have used for making
their judgments.
It’s important that there is no single right
answer but a range of possible responses.
In groups of 3 work together to
rank the cards
Appoint a
 facilitator/checker - ensure everyone’s
voice is heard
 timekeeper – ensure group keeps to
time
 Reader – reads out the statements
Discussing and questioning
Questioning
‘ What’s in a question, you ask?
Everything. It is a way of evoking and
stimulating response or stultifying inquiry.
It is, in essence, the very core of teaching’
John Dewey, 1933
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Common Pitfalls
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Asking questions without being clear why
you are asking the question
Asking too many questions
Asking mostly closed or LOT questions
that need only a short answer
Asking difficult questions without building
up to them
Asking a question and then answering it
yourself
Not giving enough time for students to 16
HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Questioning
To promote critical and creative thinking we need to
ask more HOT questions. These are:
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Questions involving application of the
students knowledge
Questions concerning analysis of a topic
Questions that involve building on
information that they got in the past
Questions that require evaluating their
understanding
Questions that require imagination or
creation of something new
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Things to consider
Plan your questions
 Ask different kinds of questions
 Allow wait time
 Encourage students to discuss answers
in pairs and squares
Good resource:
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http://www.instructionalleadership.ie/
The_skill_of_framing_questions.aspx
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Promoting flexible and
divergent thinking
Placemat Methodology
 Placemat is a form of collaborative learning
that combines writing and dialogue to ensure
accountability and involvement of all
students. It involves students working alone
and together around a single piece of paper
to simultaneously come up with lots of
alternative ideas.
(Adapted from Barrie Bennett, Beyond Monet)
In groups of 4 work on creating a
Placemat
Question to consider
What is the cause of the global debt crisis
and where does responsibility lie?
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Research
Suggests that students learn best when they
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‘construct’ their own meaning
are actively engaged in learning
engage in reasoning not just reproduction
check their own and each others
learning/understanding
learn from each other, e.g. use peer explaining, peer
teaching, think-pair-share, group work.
Why is active engagement in learning
so important?
We remember
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what is discussed with others
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else
According to William Glasser
‘Children may work in groups in classrooms
but they very seldom work as groups.’
Ken Richardson
Elements of Cooperative Learning
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Positive interdependence
Individual accountability
Face to face interaction
Interpersonal and group work skills
Reflection and group processing
According to David and Roger Johnson www.co-operation.org
Tips for successful group work
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Agree ground rules
Set clear tasks – provide ‘structure and guidance’
Avoid friendship groups and keep groups small
Ensure everyone has a role (no passengers)
Create positive interdependence – mutual goals,
shared resources, complementary roles, shared
product/grade
Allow time for group processing of both the task and
process
Create a classroom culture in which students feel that
everyone has something to contribute.
See handouts or more help in organising group work and
www.co-operation.org and www.action.ncca.ie (key skills toolkit)
Your role
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decisions – size of group, roles, arranging room,
planning materials
Setting task – explaining the task, explaining criteria
for success, reminding groups of desired
behaviours/ground rules
Monitoring and intervening
Evaluating and processing feedback on the students’
learning and giving them positive feedback
Some strategies
To begin with – keep it simple
Use strategies such as
 Read and explain pairs
 Think-pair-share
 Think- pair-square
 Study buddies
 Cooperative essay writing
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Jigsaw learning
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Jigsaw groups is another good cooperative learning
methodology.
A different topic related to the same theme is given
to 4 or 5 groups. Each group must study their topic
and prepare to ‘teach’ it to the other groups.
When they are ready, the groups are re-organised
so that there is ‘an expert’ from each of the different
topics in each new group.
Within their new groups they each take turns
teaching their topic.
Jigsaw Technique
Step 1: Students are arranged into
groups. Students must be
competent in the subject matter
before they move on to step 2.
Step 2: Rearrange groups.
Students ‘teach’ their area of
expertise to the rest of the
group.
Another useful tool - Graphic
Organisers
Diagrams, graphs, flow charts, venn
diagrams, timelines, spirals, circles,
fishbones, compare and contrast tables
etc.
Can be used as
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a note-making tool
to help summarise or make sense of complex
information
to show different views/perspectives
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External
Arbitration
Resolving a Trade Dispute
External
Conciliation
External
Negotiatio
n
Internal
Negotiatio
n
Internal
Negotiatio
n
Internal
Negotiation
Workers
and
Superviso
r
Shop Steward
and
Supervisor
Shop Steward
and
Manager
Labour Relations Commission
Or
Rights Commissioner
Or
Equality Officers
Union Officials
and
Senior Management
Labour Court
Or
Employment Appeals Tribunal
Explanatio
n
Explanatio
n
Explanatio
n
Explanatio
n
Explanatio
n
Explanatio
n
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CROSS CLASSIFICATION CHART
New State
Sole Trader
PLC
Co-op
Private Co
Franchise
Ownership
Control
Liability
Finance
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Now we’re going to create a
life size graphic organiser
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Activity – debt timeline
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Graphic organisers
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www.educationoasis.com
http://generic.slss.ie/ (click on graphic
organisers)
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Tips on dealing with
controversial issues
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Make the classroom a safe place to ask questions and
discuss ideas (e.g. agree ground rules)
Appeal to students’ better nature
Sometimes useful to find out what they already think
or feel about an issue before opening up a discussion
Expose students to multiple perspectives
Promote critical thinking – questioning and probing
Teach the skills needed for dialogue and active
listening
Model respect and fairness
Useful links
www.debtireland.org
(How the world works – a teaching
resource can be downloaded here)
www.ncca.ie
www.juniorcycle.ie