CREATIVE CONTROVERSY

Traditional debates have a long pedigree and many students like their competitive nature, but many other students feel uncomfortable 'performing' in front of their peers.

Creative Controversy (sometimes referred to as Academic or Constructive Controversy) appeals to both groups of students. By striving for the best argument, rather than victory, Creative Controversy promotes rigorous, powerful learning and a deeper understanding of key elements of active citizenship.

This section explains how educators can use the Creative Controversy model to foster stimulating classroom discussion of the Great Questions articles. The follow bibliographic references are for those interested in reading more about Creative Controversy:

David and Roger Johnsons' Creative Controversy: Intellectual Challenge in the Classroom. (Edina, Minnesota: Interaction, 1995) provides the most thorough treatment of this approach. The book includes a number of exercises designed to encourage perspective taking, as well as a detailed examination of steps for using the Controversy model. There are also processing forms, a self-evaluation questionnaire, and student materials. It also contains a review of the research demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting higher levels of thinking and citizenship.

Shorter introductions are provided by the Johnsons in Reducing School Violence Through Conflict Resolution, published in 1995 by the ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and "The Pro-Con Co-operative Strategy: Structuring Academic Controversy within the Social Studies Classroom". in Co-operative Learning in Social Studies: A Handbook for Teachers, edited by Robert Stahl (Menlo Park, California: Addison-Wesley, 1994) 306-331.