CFP: Teaching Hub, APA 2020 Pacific Division Meeting

Addressing Student Resistance and Alternative Facts: Classroom Activities and Assignments

Please consider submitting an abstract for this Teaching Hub session sponsored by the APA Committee on Teaching Philosophy and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers, planned for the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in San Francisco, CA, from April 8–12, 2020.

The Teaching Hub is a collaborative meeting space, co-sponsored by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) that hosts a series of informative programs about the teaching of philosophy at divisional meetings of the APA. The CTP invites abstracts on addressing student resistance to factual information and how to respond to students promoting or making arguments based on ‘alternative facts’. Sample ideas for presentations could include:

• Lesson plans on evaluating information acquired via the Internet;
• Lesson plans on media literacy and critical thinking in relation to the media;
• Lesson plans on evaluating information acquired via social media;
• Lesson plans on library literacy and research;
• Specific strategies for responding to students defending ‘alternative facts’;
• Specific strategies for responding to students who don’t want to accept facts that contradict their personal ideologies;
• An examination of student motivations for resistance and how to address these motivations;
• Case studies of specific examples of resistance and the strategies employed to successfully or unsuccessfully confront them;
• Dealing with student ‘trolls’;
• Managing class discussions around contentious issues with ideologically diverse students;
• Addressing and dealing with white/male privilege and fragility in the classroom.

Submissions: Abstracts prepared for anonymous review should be sent to Ian Duckles at [email protected] with the subject line “TH Submission: Student Resistance.” In the body of the email, please include your name, institutional affiliation (if any), position (if any), and contact information. Attached to the email, please include an anonymized abstract of 500–750 words (in .doc, .docx, or .pdf form) describing the focus of your presentation and what you hope the audience will take away from your presentation. The Teaching Hub aims to engage audience members as active participants, so we prefer presentations that capture this interactive spirit. The organizing committee will select 3–4 participants for the session by late-September and will aim to assemble a panel that is diverse in many respects, including career stage and institutional affiliation.

Deadline for Submissions: September 3, 2019

Selection of Presenters: late September 2019

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ian Duckles at the above address. A stable version of the call will live on the CTP page of the APA website, where you can find additional information about other Teaching Hub calls, the CTP's Facebook page, and our committee's activities

The AAPT-APA Teaching Hub is a series of interactive workshops and conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. Jointly organized by the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) and the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT), the Teaching Hub aims to offer a range of high-quality and inclusive development opportunities that address the teaching of philosophy at all levels, pre-college through graduate school.

For general information about the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub, please check out the AAPT website and Facebook page and the CTP website and Facebook page. For more specific information about the Teaching Hub at the 2020 Pacific APA meeting in San Francisco, California, please contact Renée Smith at [email protected].