Teacher Support and Professional Development
Supportive and knowledgeable teachers are crucial to ensuring students feel empowered and ready to become informed and engaged members of our democracy. Below, you can find resources about teaching certain civic education topics and can discover professional development opportunities.
Nervous about Teaching Controversial Topics?Take a look at TFDA's Webinar which explains the ins and outs of discussing current and controversial topics. 
Videos Galore!The Teaching Channel has great videos addressing a variety of classroom topics such as Talking Across Political Differences, Taking Action in the Digital Age, and Using Infographics in the Classroom. Their Productive Discussions piece is particularly useful when discussing controversial and current issues in the classroom. 
Professional Development OpportunitiesExplore Mikva Challenge's opportunities for professional development , as well as details about their Action Civics Summer Institute. |
Promote Engaged CitizenshipNCSS' Digital Library has many different resources for teaching about elections and voting. The C3 Framework provides significant opportunity to discuss active and engaged citizenship. NCSS also provides a variety of opportunities for professional development including conferences and webinars. 
Fostering Civil DiscourseFacing History and Ourselves' Fostering Civil Discourse is a guide for teachers on how to create meaningful classroom discussion on difficult topics and current events. This guide provides activities and tips for implementing effective teaching strategies and navigating partisan politics. Facing History also provides online and in-person professional development opportunities. |
Teach Action CivicsDemocracy works best when everyone participates. Generation Citizen's Action Civics Model inspires students to become civically involved through project-based classes. Take a look at how their model helps youth around the nation learn how to engage with local government and solve community issues. 
Teaching Media LiteracyNAMLE's Core Principles of Media Literacy Education outlines the central goals and methods for effective teaching on media literacy. NAMLE provides numerous resources for teaching on elections and civics that are in line with these principles on their website. 
Kick Start Action CivicsBring the classroom to life for your students by learning how to teach Action Civics through this Kick Start Action Civics, an online course from Generation Citizen. |
