- Social media has created a generation of students
who are more aware of the things happening
in the world around them.
This access of information, and misinformation,
may make students align themselves politically
at a younger age than teachers have seen before.
So, how can educators help students talk through
important but possibly controversial political issues?
[spinning wheel clicks]
- Matt Flynn: Teaching as social media was invented
and utilized by students, you know,
I've noticed they're much more aware of what's going on.
A lot of them will share a meme or a post,
but then maybe not really look at the nuance of certain issues.
So sometimes their understanding is kind of just surface level.
- This is Matt Flynn,
an AP U.S. History and Government teacher of 14 years.
He started teaching when social media was beginning to get big.
He says that surface-level knowledge of the issues
is a great place to start for students,
but it's important for students to understand
that their positions don't exist in a vacuum.
- Students really live in those, those echo chambers
that they really, a lot of times,
have not heard the opposing argument.
So, you know, I, I always use,
I always tell this story,
you know, the day after the 2016 election,
I had a student who was very upset
with the outcome of the election and just ranting and raving
and, you know,
“How could anyone vote for, for that candidate?”
And, you know, and I said,
"Well, have you ever talked to anybody
who would vote for that candidate?"
And her response was,
“Why would I ever talk to anybody
who would vote for that candidate?”
And that was really kind of a eye-opening moment.
- One of Matt's strategies for countering polarization
is through neutrality.
- I always tell them whatever position you think,
there is an argument in opposition to it.
So, you should probably know what that argument is,
even if it's just to bolster your own opinions.
So, I pick provocative issues
that they'll have a knee-jerk response to
one way or the other.
I just came at 'em with,
you know, what the argument is.
I definitely give them a lot of pushback,
which for, kind of,
those kids that want to push a little further,
it'll, um,
kind of force them to
understand their position at a deeper level.
- Playing devil's advocate inside these conversations
also helps students feel heard
if their position is an unpopular one.
- A lot of times, I'll do anonymous polling, you know,
with Google forms, so that they can see, you know,
Oh, there's 30% of the class agrees with this position.
you know, to kind of give
those kids that maybe aren't going to be vocal
about their position in class...
to give them a voice.
Because a lot of times, you know,
it just becomes the loudest voice in the room,
you know, wins the argument.
- Playing devil's advocate
for both ends of the political spectrum
maintains a sense of neutrality inside the classroom
and allows Matt to provide a calming environment
to discuss sensitive topics.
Matt also does this by extending that neutrality
to his personal social media accounts.
I kind of vowed off of making political statements
on my personal social media,
just because if you're trying to foster open dialogue
and a social studies class and they already know,
you know, what I personally think,
then they're either going to take that position to suck up
or be quiet because they don't want to get chastised.
It's a difficult, you know, tightrope to walk.
- What are some tools or strategies you're using
to talk about political issues in the classroom?