By Laurel White
Experts in politics, civic education, and media literacy from across the country will once again gather at UW–Madison this fall to provide a day of training and support for educators preparing to provide high-quality lessons about an upcoming election.
The Teaching About the 2024 Elections Conference, the latest in a series of conferences on the subject hosted by UW–Madison since 2008, will be held on campus Sept. 21. It will provide an opportunity for K-12 teachers and administrators to learn about important election-related issues, access resources that support instruction and enhance student learning, and be introduced to national civic education programs and their curricula.
Li-Ching Ho and Jeremy Stoddard, professors in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, are organizing the conference. Ho is an expert on global democratic citizenship and curriculum models focused on deliberative civic education. Stoddard’s research includes the teaching of civics and history in partisan contexts and the integration of media education into democratic education.
Stoddard says the gathering aims to provide educators tools to effectively teach about politics amid the compounding factors of increased political polarization and increased political attention on curriculum and day-to-day classroom activities.
“Politics can be divisive, confusing, and challenging to approach,” he says. “This conference will help educators find ways to ensure their students can discuss these sensitive and important topics with care, knowledge, and facts.”
The conference’s keynote address will be delivered by Zac Schultz, a reporter and occasional anchor for PBS Wisconsin’s “Here & Now.” Schultz’s address will focus on media coverage of the 2024 election.
Experts from across the country will bring a wide swath of expertise and insight to the conference.
Katie Payne, a School of Education alumna and associate professor of curriculum and instruction at The University of Texas at Austin, will present on best practices for supporting preschool through 5th grade students’ development of civic communities and “democratic imagination.” The session will address children’s civicness in their everyday interactions, how children negotiate ideas of being and belonging within a civic community, and how children can engage with the broader political landscape, particularly during contentious times.
Brittany Jones, an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, will lead an interactive workshop on strategies to center students’ emotions when teaching about presidential elections. In the session, Jones will contend that popular conceptions of civics and government put too much emphasis on cognitive aspects of civic participation, while neglecting its non-cognitive dimensions.
And, in recognition of Asian Americans’ distinction as the fastest growing group of eligible voters in the United States, Kennesaw State University associate professor of curriculum and instruction Theresa Alviar-Martin will lead a session examining historical and recent examples of Asian American activism. Through discussions, the session aims for teachers to recognize the issues that Asian Americans sought to address, their actions and advocacy, and continued efforts in the broader fight for civic equality.
School of Education experts will also present.
Suzanne Eckes, the Susan S. Engeleiter Professor of Education Law, Policy, and Practice in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, will lead a session about curricular challenges, parental rights, and the courts. Nathan Smith, a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will offer a session on teaching students to be critical consumers of political advertisements by exploring media markets, election finance, and population data.
Other sessions will focus on subjects including misinformation, social media influencers and politics, and gerrymandering.
The Teaching About the 2024 Elections conference is supported by the office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE) in the School of Education and is funded by the Gibb Democracy Education Fund. Mary Hopkins Gibb is a 1955 School of Education alumna. Her husband, Bill, was a 1953 Wisconsin School of Business alumnus.
More information about the conference is available here. Registration is free for UW–Madison students, $10 for non-UW–Madison students, and $25 for professionals.