Teaching Tips: How to Teach Politics
Teaching English is usually based on sentence construction, proper grammar and structure. Teaching Mathematics is based on numbers, formulas and mathematical rules. What about teaching politics? What is the effective way of teaching it? Where should you begin?
If you are looking for a guide on how to effectively teach the subject of politics to your students, TeachingPolitics.com can help you with its array of teaching tools for you to use:1
Teaching Tools
Scenarios | A teaching scenario is both a case study and a role-playing activity teaching tool.
The student is given an identity to assume and a problem-solving “mission”
to accomplish. The “mission” can be subdivided into 4 - 5 phases: Phase 1 – 3: These are information – gathering activities from a variety of sources
which may be written, recorded, or obtained by interviewing another participant
in the scenario.
Example: You may ask your students to gather information regarding a certain
party list and to create campaign materials that will effectively promote their political
goals and agenda. Phase 4 – 5: These are written and oral production activities, such as letter or report
writing in Phase 4 or participating in a debate or a talk show in Phase 5.
Example: You may ask your students to conduct a mock election. |
Work Sheets | Below are some helpful worksheets designed to help your students express opinion
and expand their vocabulary. You may customize the questions to reflect the local
political environment. Worksheets on Expressing Opinion
Worksheets on Expanding Vocabulary |
Class Activities | Classroom activities like a formal debate, conversational format, or town format
(where the “candidate” stands on an open stage answering the audience questions)
are types of interactive communication that will not only help you effectively teach the
subject of politics but will also help hone your students’ speaking skills. You may use the following link as guide on how to implement these kind of activities
in your class:
Teaching Politics – Class Activities (Debates) |
Below are additional websites that can provide you access to related materials and helpful resources:
Debates.org - The Commission on Presidential Debates official website includes full transcripts of debates from both past and present.
FreedomChannel.com - This site contains audio and video documents of political advertising during Presidential races.
NationalIssues.com – This offers files on different issues such as gun control, social security, foreign policy, plus current events related to these subjects.
For information regarding Philippine politics, you may access the following websites:
Amnesty International
http://web.amnesty.org/library/eng-phl/reports
Has an extensive online library containing archives of reports, news releases published from 1996 to date.
Commission on Elections
http://www.comelec.gov.ph/
Provides information regarding election, its history, statistics, pertinent laws.
Institute for Popular Democracy
http://ipd.org.ph/main/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=46&func=select&id=12
Features online publications that provide in-depth analyses of events, issues affecting Philippine politics.
The Foundation for Liberal Politics in the Philippines
http://www.fnf.org.ph/
Has an online newsletter and library of resources relating to Liberal Politics.
Source:
1n. a. (n. d.) Retrieved September 13, 2007 from http://www.teachingpolitics.com/index.htm
(Published 24 September 2007, Smart Schools Program)
