One of the greatest challenges—and joys—of teaching social studies is that it’s a subject rich with topics that lend themselves to thoughtful, complex, and sometimes emotional discussions. Those discussions can be the source of some of the most meaningful and memorable days in the classroom, for both you and your students. But they also might prompt the expression of uninformed and prejudiced opinions, and they might give rise to heated emotions and hurt feelings. In today’s particularly charged political environment, one in which teachers fear that their every word and expression may be used against them, how can we approach these topics and conversations? 

We turned to two of our veteran teachers for advice and anecdotes on teaching challenging topics.¹ Anne Koschmider brings 21 years of experience to her classroom at Cadillac High School in Michigan, where she teaches tenth- and twelfth-grade social studies. Eric Shulz has been in the classroom for 32 years, and currently teaches ninth through twelfth grades at Anamosa High School in Iowa.

OER Project: When you’re planning lessons on potentially challenging or controversial topics, what strategies do you use to prepare yourself and your students?

Anne: When broaching a sensitive topic, I try to anticipate challenging aspects and address them up front with students. For example, when we analyze primary source images pertaining to nineteenth-century imperialism and colonialism, it’s helpful to teach about the motives that drove imperialism and equip students with vocabulary such as social Darwinism, white man’s burden, and nationalism. At the onset of the activity, I let students know that they’ll encounter some images that convey racism, and encourage them to call it out. I note that although these images may be difficult
to view, doing so helps us develop a sense of historical empathy while learning about critical content. 

Eric: My first thought is that I’m fearful of controversial topics. The new laws in Iowa are intentionally vague. Some people are watching teachers for “gotcha” moments. This can be counterproductive to creating a positive learning environment. But I will also say a lot of this focus is on American history. World history can be a safer place to discuss human rights, the impact of colonization, or immigration.

To prepare, I strictly anchor the lesson to the standards and focus on academic analysis, not advocacy. I use the world history lens to create “safe distance” by analyzing past crises rather than immediate domestic politics. We also cocreate and formally agree upon our discussion norms (for example: critique the idea, not the person) before the unit begins, to set expectations for civil discourse.

OER Project: What approaches do you recommend for guiding class discussions when students bring up questions about current events that might be controversial or emotionally charged?

Anne: In a world that often feels politically charged and polarized, modeling civil discourse feels incredibly important. The very act of welcoming student questions and creating a classroom environment that fosters respectful dialogue is the first step. There’s also value in acknowledging multiple perspectives. I try to maintain neutral language and avoid expressing my own opinion. Rather, I invite students to share their thoughts. If a student makes a claim, I ask them to provide evidence to support their position. If they want to ask about the validity of others’ claims, I ask them to refer back to the claim testers we’ve practiced in class (logic, intuition, evidence, and authority). 

I also use OER Project claim-testing activities, which teach students to evaluate evidence, critically analyze sources, and support claims with reasoned arguments. Together, these protocols provide clear structure and practical tools for helping students analyze complex issues critically, ethically, and respectfully. 

Last, I try to model how to sit with complexity. It seems students often feel pressured to take a “right or wrong” stand on issues. Noting that history (and current events) may be full of muddled grey areas helps students acknowledge nuance.

OER Project: Can you share a specific example of a time when teaching a sensitive topic went particularly well (or poorly)? What did you learn from that experience?

Anne: When the current conflict between Israel and Gaza began, my world history class was learning about nationalism and state-building. I designed an activity to analyze the conflict through the lens of nationalism rather than take a side. We began by reading a carefully selected article that presented multiple perspectives about the cause of the conflict. Then, students applied those concepts to understand how competing national identities shape perspectives on the conflict. Students stayed focused on the evidence and historical context rather than emotion. This experience reinforced for me that with clear framing and connections to course content, students can thoughtfully engage with sensitive topics.

Eric: In the past, I’ve had students question why we learn about religions in world history class. This has led to discussions on the difference between converting students and analyzing religion’s impact on historical events. My key learning from this is the need for explicit academic framing. Now, when discussing sensitive topics like religion, I state clearly: “We are analyzing religion as a force in history—as a driver of political action, as a basis for legal codes, and as a catalyst for cultural change—not which faith is correct.” This shifts the conversation from personal belief to historical analysis, and reinforces our purpose.

OER Project: How do you create a classroom environment where students feel safe expressing different perspectives while still maintaining respect for one another?

Anne: Building a classroom community that fosters productive student dialogue requires mutual respect, structure, and clear expectations. We model and practice these core principles routinely. 
At the beginning of the year, viewing and discussing Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” sets the tone with the value of multiple perspectives. I refer back to this concept often as it becomes a throughline for the course. 

As the year progresses, we practice discussion protocols with lower-stakes topics. I like to give students time to reflect on a prompt individually before sharing their thoughts with partners or small groups. Another low-stakes way to get students interacting is to use highly engaging simulation activities, such as Silk Road Simulation and What Are You Trading? These activities help students build rapport while learning content in a fun, dynamic setting. This lays a foundation for more-challenging discussions later in the course.

Eric: After attending training sessions with the Sphere Institute, I adopted their focus on active listening, connection, inclusion, and respect. I implement the Sphere Institute’s principles by actively modeling vulnerability and humility, often saying, “I'm still learning about this, too.” We use structured formats that prioritize listening over performance. This is critical: I insist on precision in language, pushing back on vague generalizations and stereotypes, and I validate that the material is difficult, which makes students feel seen and supported in the emotional work.

As Eric and Anne’s responses prove, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching challenging topics. Yet there are themes that emerge from their answers: Establish classroom expectations and protocols; focus on evidence and claim testing over emotion; and model productive and empathetic discussion tactics.

You may be wondering if discussing challenging topics is really worth it. For Anne, “Tackling challenging topics in the classroom is worthwhile because doing so gives students an opportunity to practice civil discourse and critical thinking in a structured setting.” Eric adds that “What appeals to me about teaching history is the complexity of considering multiple perspectives in pursuit of understanding why things are the way they are.”

What about you? How do you approach, facilitate, and debrief challenging conversations? Join the discussion in this community forum thread. And if you’re looking for even more strategies, check out our Teaching Sensitive Topics Guide.

¹ We’d like to acknowledge that the term “challenging” is subjective, and will vary based on your students, current events, and the depth in which a subject is explored. 
² Historical empathy means that the historical events should be examined within the specific context in which they occurred using historical evidence to guide analysis rather than imposing present-day values.

Header image: A teacher leads students in a discussion in a high school class. Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages, CC BY-NC 4.0.

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