Towards “Communities of Understanding”: a framework for controversy in schools

Abstract

From the so-called ‘culture wars’ to global military conflicts, issues of controversy impact the lives of young people and their families in a very real and deeply personal way. With academic debate on how to frame controversy in the classroom dominated by the epistemic criterion, pastoral care can often be overlooked as part of the educational response in schools. In arguing that the school classroom has a central place in teaching and learning about issues of controversy, school leaders must contend with the wellbeing and safeguarding of pupils when such topics are inevitably raised. Drawing on Dan Kahan’s ‘cultural cognitive thesis’, this article argues for a holistic educational approach towards controversy that fully accounts for the existential, social and epistemic dimensions inherent in issues of controversy. Successfully grappling with timely controversial topics necessitates complementary pastoral and academic provision that are underpinned by a robust and transparent school ethos. In recognising that different schools will wish to emphasise and nurture for different character virtues and principles, the educational landscape must provide for pluralist values in a multicultural society within statutory guidelines for a truly inclusivist environment. In turn, we advocate for school leaders, teachers and other stakeholders to reframe schools as ‘communities of understanding’. This champions the study of controversy through a dual pathway of ‘understanding’ as cognitive comprehension hand in hand with ‘understanding’ as empathic, showing care for the other as well as oneself.