Teaching Controversial Issues

Nel Noddings is Lee Jacks Professor of Education, Emerita, at Stanford University. Her books include Education and Democracy in the 21st Century, When School Reform Goes Wrong, The Challenge to Care in Schools, Educating Citizens for Global Awareness, Educating for Intelligent Belief or Unbelief, and Educating Moral People.Laurie Brooks is on the board of Provident Financial Services and serves on advisory boards for programs at North Carolina State and Rutgers Universities.

“Brilliant! This is a book that all educators and parents should read. Noddings and Brooks—well known in their respective fields, and also a mother/daughter team—make a strong and persuasive case for the fundamental need to develop critical thinking that starts in the elementary school in order to nurture moral commitment among students. They paint a landscape that outlines the pressing topics (such as religion, race, gender, equity, justice, and freedom) facing society today. They carefully trace the historical roots of these, outline the current issues and, with practical suggestions, show how they might be addressed in classrooms. They make compelling arguments in addressing why such topics need to be integrated across the curriculum and how critical thinking is so central in developing a thoughtful moral imperative in which society can survive and thrive.”  - Lynn Butler-Krisber, McGill University"One of the most common mistakes about good teachers is that they avoid controversy and open moral commitment.  Noddings and Brooks not only show why this is a mistake, they also show how teachers can engage controversy and express their moral values in an educationally inspiring way.  This is a brilliant and timely book that will transform how many readers will think about what good teaching can accomplish."  - Eamonn K. Callan, Stanford University“Brooks and Noddings offer a timely and inspirational guide for teaching critical thinking in American schools. With deep roots in American philosophy and traditions, this book inspires us to teach students to question authority while fostering meaningful conversations about the difficult issues confronting our nation. This book offers a recipe for nurturing the next generation of caring and critical democratic citizens.”  - Andrew Fiala, professor, California State University, Fresno“With thoughtful and accessible prose, Noddings and Brooks explore the fundamental, “hot button” issues that course through our history—religion and race, equality and justice, poverty and patriotism, capitalism and class—helping readers understand the profound connections between critical thinking and moral commitment.  Chock-full of contemporary and historical examples, their book offers educators myriad examples of how to help students learn to talk with and listen to others and to understand the fullness of our collective humanity.”  -  Suzanne M. Wilson, University of Connecticut