The divided landscape of the nation's politics is changing the way some Connecticut teachers approach high school education.
Joe Goldman, a social studies teacher from E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut, is preparing to help students learn the basics of the election process, while also helping them navigate the extremely full news cycle.
Encouraging civility
Classes at his school have shifted away from having debates, Goldman said, because they often polarize students against each other.
Now, they're trying a new approach.
"Opening up the discussion towards a process of discourse where students disagree in an attempt to reach consensus, and there's a shared understanding that there's an attempt to learn through the process,” Goldman said. “They tend to feel very good about it, even when they disagree.”
The most rewarding classes are when Goldman sees students continuing their discussion as they walk out the door, maybe not agreeing with each other, but nodding in appreciation for the discourse.
Putting unprecedented times into context
From making sense of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, to Vice President Kamala Harris joining the race, Goldman said there is a lot of ground to cover leading up to the 2024 Presidential election.
“When it comes to the presidential election cycle, it's very important for students to understand that this is part of a long process in the United States,” he said. “And that process is especially unique this year because Joe Biden was the nominee for the Democratic Party and has chosen to step down.”
The news cycle during this campaign season has been busy and will likely change the content of Goldman’s classes this fall.
Finding reliable information
It’s important Connecticut students are provided lessons about media literacy, Goldman said, so they know how to recognize and find reliable sources of information.
“I believe nationally for the first time ever, average citizens are getting their news more from social media than any other spot, and they're consuming it in shorter segments than they have before,” Goldman said.
In the classroom, that’s why Goldman tries to give students a wide variety of stories from different sources.
“It's especially important, I think … [to] help them to understand how bias plays a role in the stories they're reading,” Goldman said. “So that they have more awareness and more confidence in themselves to find accurate, reliable sources of information.”
