ABSTRACT
This chapter is divided into a number of interrelated sections focused on the teaching of controversial issues in the classroom. It begins by providing an overarching survey of the field and pays particular attention to the development of teaching controversial issues in a range of subject areas in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). The second section then focuses more specifically on the teaching of controversial issues in history and examines the problems and challenges associated with differing national and international conceptions of school history and its purpose and value in society. The next section makes a case for a conception of history based on a disciplinary approach to teaching controversial issues. It is followed by an examination of the importance of context in educational practice and emphasizes the importance of considered definitions and aims. The penultimate section offers some broad but pragmatic suggestions for effectively teaching controversy in history using a seven-stage model. The chapter concludes by re-emphasizing the importance of disciplinary history and underscores the benefits and value of teaching controversial issues in open and confident societies.
