Teaching Debate and Media Literacy in a Polarized Political Climate

In this hangout, participants asked what impact the current political climate, often characterized by its divisiveness, has on teaching debate and media literacy. Educators and experts in the field discussed why supporting students to have critical conversations while remaining open to others’ points of view is so important in this atmosphere. Guests also discussed how students can develop and hone habits of inquiry in the age of the 24-hour news cycle and reporting on violence and national tragedy.

This hangout was produced in support of Letters to the Next President 2.0, a project engaging youth in civic participation on issues and topics that matter to them in the US Presidential Election. It was also co-streamed at connectedlearning.tv.

Ways to Participate:

During the broadcast, join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #2nextprez and/or use the Q&A feature in the video player.

Participants for this Webinar Include: 

• Christina Cantrill (host), Associate Director of National Programs at the National Writing Project.
• Belinha Abreu, Media Literacy Educator & Author of: Media Literacy Education in Action: Theoretical and Pedagogical Perspectives
• Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).
• Jenny Cook, Senior Partner and Co-founder of Final Focus Group. President and Founder of Summit Debate Enterprises.
• Steve Schappaugh, Director of Community Engagement, National Speech and Debate Association.
• Cyndy Schiebe, Professor, Department of Psychology at Ithaca College. Founder and executive director of Project Look Sharp.
• Jaclyn Kahn Siegel, History department coordinator at Winston Preparatory School, a learning environment for students with learning disabilities. Member of NAMLE’s Leadership Council.

Resources for this webinar:

• Letters to the Next President 2.0
• L2P 2.0 Educator Make Cycles
• KQED
• National Writing Project
• National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
• National Speech and Debate Association
• 2016 Presidential Election Resources from NAMLE
• Every Teacher’s Guide to Debate, Media, and Speech in the Classroom
• Project Look Sharp
• Summit Debate

Photo/ Ben Grey