This autumn, Sweden will hold elections, and it is time for the country’s citizens to take part in one of the privileges of living in a democracy. This is especially true for young people who may have the opportunity to vote for the first time. However, leading discussions in a classroom within the subject of social studies can be challenging in a turbulent political climate marked by increasing polarization. A new study examines how student teachers can be prepared to teach controversial social issues and what opportunities and challenges arise when they plan and carry out such teaching during their school placements (VFU) at upper secondary level.
Previous research shows that teachers often avoid teaching controversial social issues due to uncertainty about how to conduct such lessons and concern about emotionally charged classroom situations. In this dissertation, written by Victoria Williamsson, a subject-didactic planning model is developed to support work with contested, emotionally charged, and political issues. By following student teachers during their school placements, the study analyzes their didactic choices and critical moments in teaching—such as striving for teacher neutrality, handling students’ emotions, the importance of the classroom context, and the kind of civic knowledge that teaching controversial issues can contribute to.
Have you experienced, during the study, that student teachers feel discomfort about leading such discussions in the classroom?
“Yes, that has occurred,” says Victoria Williamsson, PhD in Education at Karlstad University. “Where is the boundary for what can be said in a classroom if discussions between students become heated? What am I allowed to say as a teacher? What does it mean in practice to be impartial? At the same time, as a teacher you are expected to defend democratic principles and stand up for human rights, which, in the current polarized climate, may be criticized. This issue has come up in my interviews.”
The study offers a model for planning and teaching about controversial social issues and deepens the understanding of how student teachers design such teaching and the challenges that emerge. It also introduces perspectives from the German concept of politische Bildung (civic education), which in Swedish schools is integrated into the subject of social studies. This concerns how civic education can be shaped differently depending on whether the focus is on democracy or politics. How important is it to discuss democracy and politics with young people in the classroom, and how does it differ depending on which concept is emphasized?
“Simplified, one could say that democracy is about ideas of how society should be, while politics becomes a tool for achieving democracy. It is important that both are given space in teaching. Students need to reflect on how we should shape a shared society—what matters to me? At the same time, they need to learn the system for expressing their views and understand that change is possible. Both of these aspects can be very present in teaching about controversial social issues, and that is what makes it so valuable.”
Politics Affects Us Emotionally
The study’s results show that student teachers choose to teach about both student-related and broader societal issues. At the same time, they experience challenges in managing strong emotions and unexpected reactions. Despite this, such teaching can contribute to students’ democratic and political competencies. What significance do you think these types of discussions will have ahead of the upcoming autumn elections, when many upper secondary students will be voting for the first time?
“This type of teaching is essential, especially as we approach an election. Students learn that it is okay to be emotionally engaged in a discussion and that this is not something negative in itself. Political issues should affect us emotionally, and this kind of teaching can provide opportunities for students to explore their own political identity based on the emotions that arise. In this way, it can spark their interest in wanting to influence society and make visible that every vote in an election matters.”
