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Classroom Controversy

By Tim Pappageorge
Constructive Controversy  

I want to draw my students into a supportive classroom environment that normalizes struggle and controversy. Argument does not have to be a winner-take-call debate or (on the other extreme) a series of head nods to a commonly agreed-upon platitude.  Democracy takes  more work than that.  The empathy and rationality of rich humanism requires greater depth and search, as well.  

Even after 21 years of teaching, I am still learning so much about how to set the stage for respectful and engaged discussion.  What about you?

Praise, Pressure, and Performance

This short unit focuses on setting the norms of inquiry and engagement that will lead to constructive controversy.  Please check out any of the lessons, or the whole unit!  I taught this in the 2013-14 school year in grade 9, but it could easily run in grades 8-11.  
This topic is so compelling, I think, because it will help students to become more reflective on how they receive feedback from teachers and classmates and how they give feedback, too!  Feedback is all around our students--in the classroom, hallways, athletic field, home, etc.--and navigating all of this information presents a key opportunity for young people who are carving out their lives. 

Please be invited to join me in this inquiry by checking out some of the lessons and leaving feedback on the site where they are published.

The menu in this unit: 
 The day of high school! "This is Me in Grade 9!" - using humorous song lyrics to get us started talking and thinking.
Evidence and Explanation- analyzing the song a bit.
The Praise Paradox - starting to introduce the theme of praise, pressure and performance. This is an easy-ish non-fiction essay.
Summer Reading Assessment - a written diagnostic of summer reading PLUS a window to pre-assess how well the student write argument. 
Praise Paradox Cause/Effect -- Why praise is so interesting!  We will analyze cause and effect here.  Is praise always, sometimes or never good?
Inferring character motives in Vonnegut's short story, "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" -- Enter, a longer, difficult short story that is about a loner who just needs a little bit of encouragement and belief.  Like all of us?
Writing Argument "The Kid Nobody Could Handle" -- It's important to get some writing down in order to firm up our thoughts.  
"I Just Wanna Be Average": tracing the idea of persistence in a personal essay -- A looong, non-fiction essay, not for the faint of heart, but very challenging, writerly, and complex.  If you go this route, you'll be opting to challenge your students!
Questioning "Two Kinds" -- A well-known short story, but an uncommon approach using student-generated questions.  Fun

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