In this workshop, the presenter plans to facilitate a lively discussion of the pros and cons of controversial topics in our language classrooms. Are these topics useful for teaching language skills and critical thinking skills? How can teachers deal with administrations which might not approve of hot topics? Should teachers express their own opinions? Attendees will share their concerns, approaches, successes and failures with controversial topics. The presenter will also introduce materials from his new textbook Stimulating Conversation: Thinking Critically about Current Issues. Everyone will leave with a better understanding of integrating controversial topics into the language teaching context, and, if the attendees decide to introduce controversial topics into language classes, they will have more ideas on how to do it.
