What is an ISSUE An issue is an

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What is an ISSUE? An issue is an important subject that people arguing about

What is an ISSUE? An issue is an important subject that people arguing about or discussing. Collius Dictionary (1995) 1

What is an ISSUE? Political Education Disagreements over: Goals - What purposes would a

What is an ISSUE? Political Education Disagreements over: Goals - What purposes would a given action serve? Values - In what way should we act or not act? Methods - How should we do it? Results - Was it the right outcome? the fairest? the best? Robert Strading & Alex Porter (1978) 2

What is an ISSUE? Social Studies • Public issues - problems or value dilemmas

What is an ISSUE? Social Studies • Public issues - problems or value dilemmas persisting throughout history and across cultures • Public issues current events • Public issues are the outgrowth of private decisions Donald W. Oliver, Fred M. Newmann & Laurel R. Singlton (1992) 3

Issues-Centered Approach Features • Emphasize questions that have no right answers • Emphasize thoughtfulness

Issues-Centered Approach Features • Emphasize questions that have no right answers • Emphasize thoughtfulness and depth • Discipline-based and interdisciplinary-based • Contains both personal and public components Ronald W. Evaus (1992) 4

Issues-Centered Approach Methods • Identifying and defining the problem • The use of probing

Issues-Centered Approach Methods • Identifying and defining the problem • The use of probing questions • Identifying value assumptions • Identifying alternatives and predicting consequences • Leading and justifying a decision Engle and Ochoa (1992) 5

Rationales for Issues-Centered Approach People learn as they think, especially as they reflect on

Rationales for Issues-Centered Approach People learn as they think, especially as they reflect on problems that are real to them. Dervey (1993) & Shaver (1977) 6

Rationales for Issues-Centered Approach • Students can “feel” the real problem • Students are

Rationales for Issues-Centered Approach • Students can “feel” the real problem • Students are motivated to deal with the problem and are interested in a solution • Effective in illustrating private issue as analogy to a public one (many public issues are the outgrowth of private decisions) 7

Reasons for the Limited Acceptance of the Problems Approach Teacher • Teachers are inexperienced

Reasons for the Limited Acceptance of the Problems Approach Teacher • Teachers are inexperienced • Used to content-oriented teaching • Assessment problems - test & testing programs always feature the ”right answer” • Availability of appropriate cases 8

• Teachers are afraid of not finding the correct answer • Analysis of

• Teachers are afraid of not finding the correct answer • Analysis of controversial issues unsuitable for the young and immature students • Individual teachers must have certain attitudes towards subject matter • Conflicts of values - the most fundamental pedagogical problems Richard E. Gross (1989) 9

School • Failure of school administrators to help promote the problem approach • Difficult

School • Failure of school administrators to help promote the problem approach • Difficult to support team teaching (time-table arrangement) Richard E. Gross (1989) 10

Government • Lack of sufficient in-service programs to support curriculum change • Lack of

Government • Lack of sufficient in-service programs to support curriculum change • Lack of financial support to schools for producing instructional materials Richard E. Gross (1989) 11