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Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibility
Are you ready to break down conflict and build consensus on polarizing topics?
Ideally, education equips students to care about the world and helps them shape their futures. In an era that has become incredibly polarized, we can help our students learn how to come together despite differences.
Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters show how all educators can equip our youth with skills to become active and engaged citizens. A one-off course on civics is not enough.
Preventing Polarization offers basic strategies that every teacher can use. You will create experiences to help students break down barriers through activities and role playing. The future lies with our children. Let’s show them how to make a difference, minimize conflict, and build accord. This book
help you cultivate critical thinking in young peopleprovide information about effectively digesting information and considering source materialreveal strategies for how to teach civicshelp kids understand the impact of their actionsexplore tough conversationsshare strategies to help students speak up, step in, and get involvedprovide solutions for teaching kids about empathydemonstrate how to talk about politics in an appropriate mannerGrab Preventing Polarization today and implement 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibility tomorrow.
Ideally, education equips students to care about the world and helps them shape their futures. In an era that has become incredibly polarized, we can help our students learn how to come together despite differences.
Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters show how all educators can equip our youth with skills to become active and engaged citizens. A one-off course on civics is not enough.
Preventing Polarization offers basic strategies that every teacher can use. You will create experiences to help students break down barriers through activities and role playing. The future lies with our children. Let’s show them how to make a difference, minimize conflict, and build accord. This book
help you cultivate critical thinking in young peopleprovide information about effectively digesting information and considering source materialreveal strategies for how to teach civicshelp kids understand the impact of their actionsexplore tough conversationsshare strategies to help students speak up, step in, and get involvedprovide solutions for teaching kids about empathydemonstrate how to talk about politics in an appropriate mannerGrab Preventing Polarization today and implement 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibility tomorrow.
- GenresEducation
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2023
About the author
Michelle Blanchet
3 booksMichelle is an educational consultant striving to improve how we treat, train, and value our teachers. After ten years of experience working with young people, she founded the Educators’ Lab, which supports teacher-driven solutions to educational challenges. Michelle earned a master’s in international relations from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid. She has taught social studies in Switzerland and the U.S. and has presented at numerous events, including SXSWedu and TEDxLausanne. Michelle is a part of the Global Shaper Community of the World Economic Forum. She has worked with organizations like PBS Education, the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Ashoka, and the Center for Curriculum Redesign. The Startup Teacher Playbook is her first book. She also occasionally blogs for Edutopia and PBS Teacher's Lounge.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 30, 2023
As an educator for 25+ years in two major urban districts in Massachusetts, there is no doubt in my mind that the challenges that have faced educators in the last few years have been some of the most difficult during my career up to this point. The polarization that Michelle and Brian are writing about is one of the most challenging we face in modern education. They present a very clear perspective in their book, Preventing Polarization, that attempts to bridge some of the deep divisions that have surfaced in our country.
They challenge educators to take the discussions beyond the usual talk around civics and specifically take on the barriers that are preventing deeper discussions on issues from occurring in the classrooms. They not only present researched context for their recommendations, but present a format that not only gives educators an understanding of this complicated challenge, but also presents them with a number of specific strategies that they can bring back to their districts, schools, and classrooms. They present concepts concisely and identify strategies specifically that will help educators be more effective communicators with their students, facilitate difficult conversations effectively, develop consensus-building strategies among their student body, and support youth to “speak up, step in, and get involved”.
As an educator and administrator for over 25 years, I have read a large number of educationally focused publications and rarely have I found one that is so specifically appropriate and necessary for the current and immediate needs of our students throughout the country as Preventing Polarization by Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters. It really is a must-read for educators running districts, schools, and classrooms right now to help address, overcome, and repair the deep divisions we are seeing throughout the country.
Dr. Matthew C. Stahl
They challenge educators to take the discussions beyond the usual talk around civics and specifically take on the barriers that are preventing deeper discussions on issues from occurring in the classrooms. They not only present researched context for their recommendations, but present a format that not only gives educators an understanding of this complicated challenge, but also presents them with a number of specific strategies that they can bring back to their districts, schools, and classrooms. They present concepts concisely and identify strategies specifically that will help educators be more effective communicators with their students, facilitate difficult conversations effectively, develop consensus-building strategies among their student body, and support youth to “speak up, step in, and get involved”.
As an educator and administrator for over 25 years, I have read a large number of educationally focused publications and rarely have I found one that is so specifically appropriate and necessary for the current and immediate needs of our students throughout the country as Preventing Polarization by Michelle Blanchet and Brian Deters. It really is a must-read for educators running districts, schools, and classrooms right now to help address, overcome, and repair the deep divisions we are seeing throughout the country.
Dr. Matthew C. Stahl
Displaying 1 of 1 review