Geographical Association

Immigration as an issue remains as topical as any issue that we might deal with in our geography teaching. Throughout the time that this unit was being written, there was a constant stream of new developments, new announcements and new news stories - it is highly likely that this will remain a relevant and topical issue.

At the same time, there were a substantial number of news stories relating to the more general question of how and when we deal with 'sensitive' issues in schools. Some of those stories in the news related to gay issues and issues of disability amongst others. Immigration could easily be seen by some as a difficult topic for younger pupils to deal with except in a fairly superficial manner. I would argue that like many 'difficult' or 'sensitive' topics, pupils need to develop both a wider knowledge and a deeper understanding from a relatively young age if we are to avoid some of the outrageous, ill-informed comments that we hear from older students and from members of the public via forums and newspapers.

There is always the danger that younger pupils will be swamped by the inevitable complexity of some of the more controversial geographical issues but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't attempt to provide some context for their growing interest in real world events. Sue Bermingham, in her Think Piece on Children's Worlds, points out the consequences if we hold back from dealing with controversial issues:

'How do children perceive their world? Children develop their ideas about the world from a variety of sources in our information rich society, but do they have the skills to critically analyse the messages they receive? Does the media portray a balanced view?'

Teachers, of course, provide one such source but as with the media, some of whom try to steer a neutral course, teachers all have their own personal attitudes and opinions and there is an ongoing debate about the need for teachers to tread carefully when planning and teaching some of these controversial topics. Authors such as Alex Standish have frequently attacked geography teachers for indoctrinating pupils with a particular viewpoint or  leading them to believe there is a single correct solution to a problem. In another Think Piece on Values and Controversial Issues, Nick Hopwood offers some practical guidance based upon his research. Hopwood suggests that characteristics of more 'careful' teaching would include:

• Teaching to generate a 'culture of argument', where different accounts are listened to and where appropriate countered
• Trying to encourage a tone of 'confident uncertainty' - i.e. confident learners, who know that there is invariably more to know
• Addressing the most difficult questions, including conflicts, forced population movements, growing inequality and environmental sustainability
• Providing opportunities to practice making informed decisions and expressing viewpoints'

'Issues that are likely to be sensitive or controversial are those that have a political, social or personal impact and arouse feeling and/or deal with questions of value or belief.' (QCA document, 2001)

Oxfam provide a very useful document for teachers called 'Teaching Controversial Issues' in which they say:

'Today's young people will grow up to be the citizens of the future: but what that future holds for them is uncertain. We can be quite confident, however, that they will be faced with decisions about a wide range of issues on which people have differing, contradictory views. If they are to develop as global citizens all young people should have the opportunity to engage with these controversial issues. Teachers have a key role in enabling young people to develop the skills they need to do this.'

Although the Oxfam document relates to Global Citizenship, the process which they suggest that young people go through could equally apply to this unit. In this process, young people should:

• absorb new information
• judge its bias and reliability
• analyse it
• synthesise it through a process of reflection on their own current views
• draw their own conclusions
• make informed decisions
• take considered action on these controversial issues.

The Oxfam document then goes on to say:

'There are clear expectations from the government that teachers will tackle controversial issues, but there are also explicit guidelines on how to go about this. The Education Act 1996 in England aims to ensure that children are not presented with only one side of political or controversial issues by their teachers. Educators are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that, where political or controversial issues are brought to pupils' attention, they are offered a balanced presentation or opposing views.

'At the same time as acknowledging the benefits of raising controversial issues in the classroom, you will need particular teaching skills to prevent reinforcing stereotypes, raising tension between pupils or increasing confusion. You will need to find approaches that meet the need for balance and objectivity and to ensure that you avoid bias. Those which you choose will match your confidence and experience as well as the maturity and skills of your pupils. You might plan a topic to raise controversy or controversy may arise unexpectedly - you will need to be prepared for both. Young people are likely to express a wide range of responses when confronted with controversial questions. Their different experiences, learning styles and emotional intelligence levels can lead to different reactions.'

Download the full Teaching Controversial Issues document from the Oxfam website.

With this topic, as with many controversial topics, much of the teaching and learning revolves around discussion and I would argue strongly that time needs to be built in for all pupils to discuss the issues as they arise, both teacher-pupil and pupil-pupil. If this aspect of the work is to be successful, then it is worth spending a little time researching and thinking about teaching methodology in relation to questioning and discussion. There is a great deal of good online material available on both the techniques and the benefits: 

'Socratic questioning' at changingminds.org
'Thinking Skills' by Robert Fisher
'Questioning Skills' at TeacherTools

As stated in the introduction, much of the work in this topic has strong links with the Citizenship curriculum and there is a strong argument that geographers should play a key role in delivering much of this material. Reading the document 'Curriculum Review: Diversity and Citizenship' is a good starting point for understanding some of the broader issues. There is no reason why what goes on in the geography lessons shouldn't sit alongside and complement what goes on in the formal citizenship lessons. However, in ideal circumstances, it would obviously be preferable for you to discuss this work with any colleagues teaching citizenship lessons and try to co-ordinate the work in order to ensure more effective delivery.

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