Educator Workshops

Structured Academic Controversies

Date: Monday, Nov. 4th, 2024
Time: 4:00 to 7:00 PM
Location: ASU Chandler Innovation Center in Downtown Chandler
249 E. Chicago St., Chandler, AZ 85225

Structured Academic Controversies are an innovative, student-centered inquiry method of teaching that simultaneously delivers content knowledge while teaching students the practice of respectful civil dialogue over controversies. They are incredibly engaging, and can bring life to just about any topic of teaching in U.S. History or Government!

If you are a high school U.S. History or Government teacher, please consider joining us for this event. Participating teachers will receive a collection of SAC lesson plans, all aligned to the Arizona Standards for these subjects, as well as a certificate for four (4) hours of professional development credit towards recertification. We will also provide dinner at the event. You are welcome to this invite any other Arizona high school U.S. History or Government teacher, simply by directing them to this page to register.

Register to Attend
 

This workshop is part of a study on civil dialogue over controversial historical and political topics in the classroom, and participants will be asked to complete a brief survey that will take approximately 5 minutes at the beginning and at the end of the workshop. Full details and consent forms will be sent to you after you have registered. Email civics@asu.edu with any questions you may have about this event.

As an instructor, I highly valued the engaging format of the lessons and I felt like I could be a real facilitator of the learning experience rather than just a lecturer.

-Workshop Participant

This was a much richer discussion than I have had in previous years and it was a discussion that was driven by the inquiry of the students based on the sources we were analyzing.

-Workshop Participant

1. Expect to be treated like a professional. Our workshops are designed by master teachers with decades of combined experience teaching civics at various grade levels. They know what it is like to sit through a professional development meeting that feels like a waste of time! This workshop is meant to give you valuable content knowledge that will be interesting to you, and expand your capabilities in the classroom, while also providing ready-made lesson plans and pedagogical strategies that you can take straight to your practice.
2. Expect to learn from some of ASU’s best teaching faculty. ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought & Leadership faculty members lead workshops. They provide thought-provoking insight into specific historical periods, primary source documents, and philosophical studies of government.
3. Expect to be fed! It isn’t easy or convenient to race from teaching school all day to make it to an evening professional development session or to take time from your weekend to come in on a Saturday for one. ASU recognizes that and will make it easier for you by providing a good meal at the workshop. Enjoy the chance to socialize with our faculty, staff, and teachers from around the state as you take a break and have a meal!
4. Expect to get all of this at no personal expense. Once again, thanks to our generous donor, ASU will not charge you anything for this workshop experience. Your registration, meal, parking, and access to these teaching resources are all free. The only thing you have to do is register!
5. Expect to be glad you came! The feedback we have received from teachers has been extraordinary. They have raved about how happy they are to have learned about the teaching resources and how much they enjoyed the experience of learning from our faculty members. Furthermore, many have expressed a renewed motivation for the critical mission to teach American civics well for the good of the future of our country and its next generation of citizens.