What form does Free Speech take on the internet, and how does a teacher help students understand the ethics and ramifications of posting free speech on social media?
The essential question for this week could not be more timely as we watch our divided nation during this extremely tense presidential election. Teaching in a rural Alaskan community during this time of trepidation has me really dealing with freedom of speech in the classroom. Students are extremely vocal and spouting their parents opinions and fears as we watch the election unfold. As much as I would love to just eliminate any political discussion in my class, the first amendment gives students rights to discuss such items in the school setting. While “the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that students’ rights are not unlimited, it has also affirmed neither ‘students [nor] teachers shed their Constitutional rights to freedom of expression at the schoolhouse gate’” (Bowen, n.d.).
It is important that students know their rights and are empowered to voice their thoughts in respectful and appropriate manner. It is even more crucial in a time in which “social media has provided even more opportunities for students to make their voices heard” (ACLU, n.d.). “Instilling in students a sense of responsibility and teaching them to make wise decisions requires giving them responsibility to act independently” (Bowen, n.d.).
“Public schools embody a key goal of the First Amendment: to create an informed citizenry capable of self-governance and political debate” (NCAC, 2013). As educators it is our responsibility to create safe spaces for students to share their opinions while also teaching them the importance of exercising caution while posting their views online. While searching for information about this topic, I came across some resources for teaching students about the First Amendment. Before now, this is not something I had considered teaching in my classes, but I am interested in learning more about how I could do so.
Here is the link to my personal journey.
Resources:
ACLU. (n.d.). Tinker v. Des Moines - Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Behalf of Student Expression. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.aclu.org/other/tinker-v-des-moines-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-behalf-student-expression
Bowen, J. (n.d.). The First Amendment and student media. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from http://principalsguide.org/the-first-amendment-and-student-media/
NCAC. (2013, July 10). The First Amendment in Schools. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://ncac.org/resource/first-amendment-in-schools
My wife and I were binge watching a series on one of the online entertainment entities about a hypothetical president and his people. Which one isn't important, but he was running for reelection and he made a comment about how people choose their candidates. Basically people do not decide who to vote for based on informed analysis of the issues. They pick their candidate based on emotions and then go back and justify their choice with whatever they can find that supports it. Facts don't play any real role in it.
ReplyDeleteI think that pretty much sums it up. If we can help students look objectively at things before they decide, it might help them make better choices.
Good entry.
Your comment: "Public schools embody a key goal of the First Amendment: to create an informed citizenry capable of self-governance and political debate" resonated with me. While on some levels it seems easy to teach factual information about history, government and politics, the reality appears that emotions rather than facts do tend to be motivating forces for voters. The right to free speech is also such a hot topic for teens and pre-teens who are learning to think independently and whose cognitive capacity is expanding so that they have stronger opinions that they can defend and promote. I remember being a teen and being given the right to debate why we should be allowed to wear hats in school. I felt so grown up that we could promote ourselves (and exercise our freedoms of speech) in a way that could affect change. I really loved the freedom of speech lesson plans that you provided a link to, as they are important topics, and resources are helpful.
ReplyDeleteI read your personal journey, and I am also surprised and alarmed that the students wouldn't realize the consequences of plagiarism.
In reading your