I have a distinct memory of being in third grade during the 1996 election. Our school hosted a student election day and the entire student body cast their votes for the candidate of their (or more realistically, their parents’) choosing. We compared the results to the official results of the national election, and that was that. A simple way to experience democracy in action!
Fast-forward to 2024 and the political environment doesn’t exactly allow for any such over-simplification of what it means to participate in democracy. However, as educators, we know that part of our duty is not to avoid the complex realities of our world but to prepare our students to take an active role in society, armed with all the knowledge and critical thinking skills possible.
The political atmosphere is certainly fraught but helping students feel empowered to engage in critical conversations and take an active approach to civic engagement doesn’t have to be a scary endeavor. Here are some of our tips to tackle the election season with confidence, compassion, and purpose!
Begin with Reflection and Goal Setting
Just like the start of any unit, begin by identifying the learning goals you have for your students. This will enable you to maintain focus and determine how to structure class activities and discussions. It might make sense for your students to learn about election basics, how voting works, and the history of voting rights. Frame these as goals and formulate essential questions to share with your students at the beginning of the unit. Just like with any unit of study, we want students to be clear on the purpose and focus of the work ahead.
Build on Identity and Community Work to Co-Create Norms
To set up conditions for productive engagement and cultivate a sense of relevancy in this work, prioritize building community. Starting with identity work will allow students to think about their roles and possible biases and how those impact their perceptions and assumptions.
As always, it is important for us as educators to model self-awareness about our identities and the ways in which they affect our teaching. Start by asking yourself these guiding questions:
- Who am I?
- What are the parts of my identity?
- What do I understand about my different identities?
- Have I ever experienced oppression because of parts of my identity?
- Have I experienced privilege for parts of my identity?
- Which parts of my identity do I feel least comfortable with?
- Which of my identities would I like to learn more about?
- Which identities have the strongest effect on how I see myself?
- What parts of my identity have the greatest effect on my interactions with colleagues, students, and families?
- Why does identity matter in education?
- What topics do I find challenging to talk about in class?
- Why do I find these topics challenging, and how might my perspective be different from those of my students and colleagues?
Being aware of our own identities will help us identify our own possible biases and blindspots and where we need to do more of our personal learning and research.
Then give your students time to engage in this work so they can self-reflect as well. You can ask them a modified version of the questions above! Use their reflections to jumpstart a conversation about what norms need to be in place so everyone feels safe and respected in order for the upcoming work to be productive. As a class, identify norms to ensure inclusive, productive discussion. By building identity and community into the curriculum, you are setting up a foundation of civil discourse and teaching strategies that engage students in processing complex, divisive, or emotionally challenging topics.
Focus on Democracy
Dig into the concept of democracy! Start with a shared inquiry and ask students: What makes democracy work?
Study the history of democracy and its development in the United States. You can also frame this by examining pressing local issues and giving students time to research and examine local and state issues so they see the importance of democracy in action. They can investigate the issues most prevalent in their local communities and propose possible solutions to those issues.
Build Media Literacy
One current challenge of today’s society is the sheer quantity of information we are bombarded with daily. Our students are over-saturated by an abundance of information, and it is important for us to help them navigate the information overload they are exposed to. Teaching them how to analyze the credibility of sources and think critically about what they are consuming will lead them to differentiate between trustworthy and unreliable sources and ultimately base their own conclusions and opinions on accurate information.
Lean on Literacy Practices
One way to do this is to lean on the literacy practices already in place in your classrooms!
Use a structure similar to book clubs and host issue clubs that allow students to explore multiple sources on relevant topics and issues. They can read and compare the ways the same topic is covered by different media sources and discuss the author’s perspective and purpose, possible discrepancy of facts, and weigh the strength of included information.
As they examine different sources, you can promote their critical thinking with the following:
- Look at different ways the same topic is presented in the media and ask students how they will determine what “the truth” is?
- Ask students to reflect on their reactions to texts. Have them consider the following questions:
- How will you know if you are being subtly influenced by the author’s or publication’s biases?
- How are authors’ biases revealed through their language and framing?
- Provide time for students to analyze how their own identities and biases may affect their interpretation of a text.
- Ask students to challenge a perspective or identify a counterargument. Can they pinpoint logical fallacies and attack them with reason?
- Remind students that journalism isn’t just about text. Ask them to discuss how the selection of images and other text features paint a subject in a particular light and affect the text’s overall message.
Include Families
Families can be encouraged to try out this type of “issue club” as well. Each family member could select a news source to follow, and weekly dinner-table discussions can be devoted to comparing coverage of a topic or topics. Students could write analyses of the findings and dig deeper into their family’s conversations for insights into how and why something so broad as “the truth” can be so hard to pinpoint.
Foster Civil Discourse
Practice Critical Conversations and Dialogue
After researching local and national issues, students can develop their own persuasive speeches or presentations about current national and local issues. Start by having students identify issues that matter most to them and then research to get information from all sides of the topic. Once they have considered multiple perspectives, they can practice crafting persuasive speeches and presentations.
As a part of this work, students can also explore different approaches to political persuasion by evaluating speeches, op-eds, social media, and local news. By examining the ways in which arguments are crafted, students can think about how authors use persuasive techniques to create a certain effect on their audience. This type of analysis will help students to evaluate evidence and analyze logic. They can be on the lookout for flawed arguments and determine validity. Then as they create their own speeches, they can keep the qualities of strong arguments in mind. This will help them build stronger public speaking and persuasive writing skills.
Continually Reflect
Provide time to reflect! This work is rigorous and vulnerable and we want students to process their feelings, learning, and growth. Go back to the learning goals and essential questions you set up from the beginning, and have students think about what they have learned about the importance of democracy, voting rights, and media literacy. Then emphasize the numerous and meaningful ways young people can make their voices heard. We want our young people to be empowered and engaged, and while we can feel the pressure to do this perfectly, remember that this is a great opportunity to be a learner alongside your students and show them how they can make the world a better, more just place.
Remember Your Purpose
Student Advocacy and Civic Engagement
One of our primary responsibilities as educators is to set our students up for the future, to help them engage productively as adults, and to work toward social justice. Students are more likely to advocate and engage with their peers and community if they are taught to interrogate multiple viewpoints, understand intersectionality, examine competing narratives, and produce counternarratives to dominant discourses. Even though this work is challenging when we remind ourselves of our why as educators, we can anchor ourselves in our vision for a more equitable future and renew our dedication to teach with courage and conviction.
Book Recommendations
Take your learning to the next level with these book recommendations.
A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Teaching and Learning
