Podcast appearances and mentions of paula mcavoy

Paula McAvoy and Pablo Wolfe join us to discuss the whys and the hows of fostering conversations about even the most fraught political issues in educational spaces like classrooms. LINKS: Here is Paula's The Political Classroom (with Diana Hess). More recent work of hers to help practitioners with these issues can be found here and here. And here is Pablo's The Civically Engaged Classroom. His organization, the Coalition of Civically Engaged Educators, is linked here. Please use this form to recommend future topics and guests!

In today's episode with special guests Dr. Diana Hess and Dr. Paula McAvoy, Lindsay discusses how to design deliberations that will bring everyone together in educational settings.    Liked this episode? Rate, review, and share!   Get In Touch With Dr. Diana Hess: Email: dhess@wisc.edu    Get In Touch With Dr. Paula McAvoy: Website: https://ced.ncsu.edu/people/pmcavoy/    Get Your Episode Freebie & More Resources On My Website: https://www.lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/164   Lindsay's Links: LinkedIn: @lindsaybethlyons  Instagram: @lindsaybethlyons Facebook Group: Time for Teachership

Many middle and high school teachers avoid discussing controversial topics in class due to their fear of controversy. They may worry about offending students or parents with different viewpoints. However, productive discussions on complex issues are essential to learning. It requires skill, and teachers may need more confidence in navigating disagreements. However, these discussions can be valuable learning experiences with careful planning and clear guidelines. In episode 264 of Class Dismissed, we interviewed two experts: Dr. Paula McAvoy, an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at NC State College of Education, and Dr. Greg McAvoy, a professor and department head of political science. The pair offered three structured approaches to help middle and high school students debate current controversies. Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) is a method that sets up opposing views within a framework that encourages collaboration. By assigning students to research and advocate for different sides of an issue, SAC fosters an environment where students must actively engage with opposing perspectives, aiming to reach a consensus through mutual understanding. Close-up deliberations, in contrast, focus on exploring a range of policy options related to a given issue. Students are presented with various viewpoints and policy proposals, and through group discussions, they strive to develop a policy recommendation that accommodates diverse opinions within the group. This approach, with its real-world applicability, encourages students to consider the complexity of issues and grapple with the trade-offs involved in decision-making. Team Debate is a powerful platform for students to articulate and defend their positions on a contentious issue. By organizing students into opposing teams and requiring each participant to contribute to the debate, this format promotes active participation and fosters critical thinking. The competitive element adds a layer of motivation for students to prepare compelling arguments while also fostering resilience in the face of opposing viewpoints. Through surveys and interviews, the researchers found that these structured formats effectively addressed common concerns about classroom discussions on controversial topics. The structured nature of the activities, coupled with explicit norms promoting respect and civility, helped mitigate the risk of discussions devolving into heated arguments. Moreover, these formats democratized the discourse by ensuring that all students were actively involved, regardless of their prior interest or political expertise.  These findings suggest that structured approaches to debating public policy issues can be valuable tools for educators seeking to promote critical thinking, civic engagement, and respectful dialogue among secondary students. Despite the challenges posed by today's polarized political climate, these methods offer a hopeful path forward for fostering informed and constructive civic discourse in classrooms. Listen to Episode 264 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or Apple Podcast to hear our entire conversation with Paula and Greg McAvoy. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2024.

Diana Hess has been dean of University of Wisconsin–Madison's School of Education since Aug. 1, 2015. She is only the ninth dean of the School of Education since its founding in 1930. Since 1997, Hess has been researching how teachers engage their students in discussions of highly controversial political and constitutional issues, and what impact this approach to civic education has on what young people learn. Her most recent book, “The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education,” co-authored with Paula McAvoy, won the American Educational Research Association's Outstanding Book Award in 2016 and the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in 2017. Highlights from her interview include: an amazing opening biography challenge; how student and teacher preparation is key to meaningful conversations in the classroom; the difference between a discussion and a debate - removing the element of a winner and a loser; why we need to teach "inauthentic" political discourse that goes against what we often see portrayed in the media; how to manage conversations when you don't know how they may affect students personally; the evolution of issues being "settled"; the importance of learning from history; and a powerful example of real-time discussion related to the September 11th tragedy. Check out Diana's Book: The Political ClassroomQuestions? Thoughts? Feedback? Email us at  freerangehumanspod@gmail.com or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219

Today's students have grown up in a political culture of polarization that has exacerbated public distrust. In this environment, how can educators teach young people to engage with controversial issues in such a way that schools do not become partisan institutions? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy propose that teachers should not shy away from political controversy. Instead, they should see their job as helping students develop the skills and dispositions of deliberation by practicing speaking and listening with civility, backing up ideas with evidence and information, and considering how one's own views affect others. Further, because classrooms are “unusual political spaces” in which young people hone their political and social identities, Hess and McAvoy argue that students deserve the opportunity to puzzle about the issues they are inheriting in a way that models good thinking and reasoning. It is these experiences that best prepare future citizens to answer the vital question, “How should we live together?” Teaching these habits of political friendship upholds the civic ideal of our democracy and offers hope that over time, goodwill can transform a distrustful political sphere. This back-to-school event is for everyone who is concerned about democracy and the preservation of open discussion in education; teachers are especially encouraged to attend. It will take place online and in person; we will welcome our speakers virtually and moderator Milton Reynolds will join a live audience in our building on The Embarcadero. NOTES In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on September 27th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Diana Hess is the Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education. She is also the principal investigator of The Discussion Project, a professional development program that aims to strengthen campus wide capacity to create welcoming, engaging, and academically rigorous classroom environments in which students experience productive classroom discussions on important issues and topics. The topics of this conversation are drawn from a 2013 paper titled Classroom Deliberation in an Era of Political Polarization and a 2015 book titled The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education, both co-authored with Dr. Paula McAvoy, a recent guest of the show. Dr. Hess is also the author of the 2009 book, Controversy in the Classroom. This episode is part of a larger series on how to engage students in controversial political topics in the K-12 classroom. If you enjoy what you hear, please be sure to write a review and share it with your friends and colleagues.

Dr. Paula McAvoy is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. She was previously the Director of the Center for Ethics and Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and co-authored a book, The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education, with Dr. Diana Hess. More information on that book can be found here. She also taught high school social studies in Los Altos California for 10 years. Her research focuses on philosophical and empirical questions concerning the relationship between schools and democratic society. During our conversation, we discuss the theory that informs her view that schools should be political institutions, and that classrooms should be the site of rich deliberative discussions about controversial political issues. This research is topical considering the elevated levels of political polarization in American society. This conversation and the synthesis of her 2013 article in the January 2021 edition of the Spanning Boundaries Teacher Newsletter should provide educators with a set of strategies to begin having political conversations in their classrooms. 

America seems more divided than ever. Paula McAvoy, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, has long focused her work on helping educators teach young people how to live together in this world. Educators can use the recent presidential election as a tool. In this episode of the EdCast, McAvoy discusses how to make the most of your "political" classroom.

In this first episode of Teachable Moments, award-winning educator, and former social studies teacher turned college professor, shares research-based guidance on teaching impeachment in the classroom. She begins by explaining why it’s so important for social studies, history and civics teachers to lean into this historic and critical teachable moment to model high-quality disagreement in the classroom. #sschat #socialstudies #historyteacher #civics #medialiteracy #apgov #iCivicsEdNet Follow on Twitter @bamradionetwork Diana Hess became dean of UW-Madison’s School of Education on Aug. 1, 2015. Hess is only the ninth dean of the School of Education since its founding in 1930. Since 1997, she has been researching how teachers engage their students in discussions of highly controversial political and constitutional issues, and what impact this approach to civic education has on what young people learn. Her first book on this topic, Controversy in the Classroom: The Democratic Power of Discussion won the National Council for the Social Studies Exemplary Research Award in 2009. Her most recent book, The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education, co-authored with Paula McAvoy, won the American Educational Research Association’s Outstanding Book Award in 2016 and the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in 2017. Also in 2017, Diana Hess was recognized by the National Council on Social Studies with Grambs Distinguished Career Award for Research. Professor Hess is deeply committed to working with teachers to improve the quality of democratic education in schools.

Contemporary American political culture is arguably more divisive than ever before. Blue states are bluer, red states are redder, and purple states are becoming harder and harder to find. Because of this divisiveness, teaching social studies and civics education has now become an overwhelmingly difficult task. Should a teacher share political leanings? How can teachers ensure that students are learning a wide political spectrum? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy set out to answer these questions and more in The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education (Routledge 2014), from the Critical Social Thought series. The researchers undertook a massive years-long longitudinal study of high schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. From different classroom styles and teacher pedagogy, to impact on students, The Political Classroom offers an in-depth glimpse into the American civics education classroom. Dr. Hess joins New Books in Education for the interview and you can find more helpful resources on social students and civics education at thepoliticalclassroom.com. For questions or comments on the podcast, you can also find the host on Twitter at @PoliticsAndEd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contemporary American political culture is arguably more divisive than ever before. Blue states are bluer, red states are redder, and purple states are becoming harder and harder to find. Because of this divisiveness, teaching social studies and civics education has now become an overwhelmingly difficult task. Should a teacher share political leanings? How can teachers ensure that students are learning a wide political spectrum? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy set out to answer these questions and more in The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education (Routledge 2014), from the Critical Social Thought series. The researchers undertook a massive years-long longitudinal study of high schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. From different classroom styles and teacher pedagogy, to impact on students, The Political Classroom offers an in-depth glimpse into the American civics education classroom. Dr. Hess joins New Books in Education for the interview and you can find more helpful resources on social students and civics education at thepoliticalclassroom.com. For questions or comments on the podcast, you can also find the host on Twitter at @PoliticsAndEd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contemporary American political culture is arguably more divisive than ever before. Blue states are bluer, red states are redder, and purple states are becoming harder and harder to find. Because of this divisiveness, teaching social studies and civics education has now become an overwhelmingly difficult task. Should a teacher share political leanings? How can teachers ensure that students are learning a wide political spectrum? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy set out to answer these questions and more in The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education (Routledge 2014), from the Critical Social Thought series. The researchers undertook a massive years-long longitudinal study of high schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. From different classroom styles and teacher pedagogy, to impact on students, The Political Classroom offers an in-depth glimpse into the American civics education classroom. Dr. Hess joins New Books in Education for the interview and you can find more helpful resources on social students and civics education at thepoliticalclassroom.com. For questions or comments on the podcast, you can also find the host on Twitter at @PoliticsAndEd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Contemporary American political culture is arguably more divisive than ever before. Blue states are bluer, red states are redder, and purple states are becoming harder and harder to find. Because of this divisiveness, teaching social studies and civics education has now become an overwhelmingly difficult task. Should a teacher share political leanings? How can teachers ensure that students are learning a wide political spectrum? Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy set out to answer these questions and more in The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education (Routledge 2014), from the Critical Social Thought series. The researchers undertook a massive years-long longitudinal study of high schools in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. From different classroom styles and teacher pedagogy, to impact on students, The Political Classroom offers an in-depth glimpse into the American civics education classroom. Dr. Hess joins New Books in Education for the interview and you can find more helpful resources on social students and civics education at thepoliticalclassroom.com. For questions or comments on the podcast, you can also find the host on Twitter at @PoliticsAndEd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We live in an age in which everything has become politicized.  The coffee we drink, the food we eat, the shows and movies we watch, and the cars we buy,all seem to convey some kind of political message.Where once these things represented class, or taste, or education, today it’s all about politics.  Even in non-partisan races, political ideology becomes the central issue.So what impact does this have on our ability to teach politics, or citizenship or democracy or even science in the classroom? Paula McAvoy examines not only the impact, but a way into this discussion that can perhaps transcend or even co-opt our partisan divide.  She details it in The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education.My conversation with Paula McAvoy: 

Inspirational Women Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy 01-11-15 by Warm1069