’I learned a lot about my classmates …’.
- Author(s)
- Christiane Hintermann, Heidrun Edlinger, Matthias Fasching, Thomas Jekel
- Abstract
Teachers of geography and economics address numerous topics in the classroom which are controversially discussed in society and/or affect pupils directly. How they deal with issues such as migration or identity depends not only on the respective curriculum but also on their disciplinary knowledge and pedagogic skills. This paper argues for the need to adapt learning environments depending on educational objectives, content, age and discusses focus groups as one possible way to work with students in secondary education on sensitive matters. Focus groups are seen as a tool to enable real-world complexity in the classroom, and to prepare students for participatory, active citizenship. The paper first discusses current theoretical thought regarding controversy in both society and the classroom. It then goes on to illustrate real-world classroom experiences of focus-group based learning on controversial issues and to discuss its benefits and challenges.
- Organisation(s)
- Department for Teacher Education, Department of Geography and Regional Research
- External organisation(s)
- Universität Duisburg-Essen
- Journal
- Europan Journal of Geography
- Volume
- 12
- Pages
- 16-30
- No. of pages
- 15
- ISSN
- 1792-1341
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.c.hin.12.4.016.030
- Publication date
- 12-2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 503014 Subject didactics of social sciences, 503033 Political education
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences, Geography, Planning and Development
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/fa77b224-6b9e-4abe-a642-bfd2a2b98316