The Political Classroom (Critical Social Thought) 1st Edition

THE POLITICAL CLASSROOM is a great book. Hess and McAvoy argue that “democratic education requires teachers to create a political classroom in which young people develop the skills, knowledge and dispositions that allow them to collectively make decisions about how we ought to live together.” (p.11). In our increasingly polarized society, the authors show how to teach students to argue and listen to other points of view on controversial issues in what they term “deliberations” (“What should we do about this?”) (p.5). In short, they propose strategies for dialogue across the political divide, so crucial for the survival of our democracy. Improved dialogue will not be achieved by lecturing at students, no matter how entertaining. Their critique of lecturing, based on their own interviews of what students recall from classes, is devastating. It’s even more disturbing because many of the lecturers were extremely knowledgeable and entertaining, known as “legends” in their schools. Any teacher reading this book will have second thoughts about the efficacy of lecturing. The authors lay out a framework for professional judgment for teachers in coaching students how to deliberate. They show great respect for teachers, empowering them to shepherd students along in discussion. They “find it foolish to reduce the teacher’s role to one of simply enacting the curriculum decisions made by others.” (p.208) The authors take on tricky elements of running a deliberative classroom. For example, when if ever should teachers give their own views on these controversial subjects? Hess and McAvoy give examples and evidence about this dilemma, rather than recommendations about which way is best. If you care about democracy, if you want to improve the learning of your students, or if you want a book for professional development, this is the book for you. It is original, practical, carefully researched, well written and above all, insightful in pointing the way to improving the education of students in social studies.

Hess and McAvoy deftly bring together rigorous social science research and philosophic analysis to address ethical issues within teaching. Grounded in these two complimentary frameworks, their work directly confronts what they term, “the political education paradox.” That is, they examine tension between providing students with non-partisan political education while simultaneously preparing them for a highly partisan society. As Hess and McAvoy explain, “Part of the ethical challenge of teaching about politics is determining where political education ends and political proselytizing begins” (p. 4).Through their examination of a mixed-methods, longitudinal study of high school social studies classes that explore controversial issues, the authors investigate how political classrooms address the guiding question, “How should we live together?” Throughout, Hess and McAvoy maintain a keen focus social inequality and political polarization and their roles in the political classroom.This book is an invaluable resource for practicing teachers and administrators, scholars of education, those within teacher preparation programs, philosophers of education, and, significantly, policy makers and others outside the academy and the field of education. Simply put, this unique and timely book is a must-read.

The Political Classroom is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Paula McAvoy and Diana Hess have written a book that brings together the theory and practice of democratic education in a way that few other books have. Their case studies paint a beautiful portrait of what goes into engaging students in discussions of controversial political issues. All the while, they are interrogating the normative dimensions of teacher practices from the case studies and providing the reader with a broader picture of democratic education based on their larger study. And, if that isn't enough to make The Political Classroom stand out among its academic peers in education, the fact that it is a genuinely enjoyable and compelling read surely separates it from the pack.There is nothing quite like this book in the educational world. If you're even remotely interested in what good, discussion-based teaching look like, do yourself a favor and read this book!

Good but is not a five star book.

An essential read for educators navigating the current state of things. I am thankful that McAvoy and Hess have written this book. I will definitely be bringing more deliberation into my classroom.

Great book. Very compelling argument and very well written and organized.