Integrating sensitive issues into teacher training
An obstacle or a lever for action?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5077/journals/aiufe.2025.e2257Keywords:
Sensitive topics, teaching postures, multiple perspectives, agency, controversyAbstract
Addressing sensitive issues in the classroom is a challenging task for teachers, especially during their training. These topics can be highly controversial, often engaging both teachers’ and students’ personal values. While some educators incorporate such themes into their lessons, others, fearing controversy or disruption, adopt a stance of "exclusive neutrality"—avoiding the subject altogether. However, this approach risks diminishing the richness of their teaching and reinforcing the idea that school is a sanctuary disconnected from reality.
This highlights the need to develop strategies for handling the emergence of sensitive topics in the classroom, not only to navigate them effectively but also to consider them as valuable teaching content. It is equally important to reflect on how to manage their sometimes unexpected appearance in class.
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Some rights reserved 2025 Jean-Charles Buttier, Eva Waltermann
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
