All You NEED is LOVE....no... HOPE!

There is uncertainty in anything that we experience. This author uncovers the reality of the world that we live in and how this can lead to uncertainty about the future. However, his message is one of hope. In classrooms everywhere, he argues that; “schools should be in the business of strengthening realistic hope for the future. (Werner, W., pg. 5). When we focus on problems we can unnecessarily impart uncertainty. Werner offers a compelling argument for teaching hope through focus on emotion, information, vision, and efficacy.

Emotion can and should be part of our classroom lessons. Werner argues that we need to share our emotions (adult and student) to listen for and to mitigate anxious feelings. This is part of the teaching and learning process that is so crucial to building resilient citizens. When we engage in teaching that addresses emotions, we are equipping students to filter their emotions and to effectively understand them without creating more anxiousness.

Information is a very interesting part of Werner’s work. I was caught be the power of his words; “thoughtful discussion of information is essential, because a source of hopelessness can be misinformation, or a lack f information about the nature and extent of the problem.” (Werner, W., pg. 7). This is compounded in our age of vast information, social media and the entrance of “fake news”. How can we expect adolescents to navigate this on their own without valuable tools to confirm whether information is legitimate, real, and worth knowing? We much teach robust research skills! When we walk with them on the side by teaching and learning this skill, we will then also be able to probe for correct inferences as discussed by Werner.

What about vision? This covers it well; “Rich imagination is the stuff of hope”. I’m captivated by this simple statement because it captures the essence of creativity and innovation! This is about crafting carefully the essential questions that we feel students should uncover but also leave the space for them to make their own essential questions and big ideas that help them make sense of their world. YES!

Efficacy? Werner suggests that the development should allow students to partake in meaningful social, personal and political activities. When they can do this, this is authenticity. The ability to believe in yourself and your decisions is the root of efficacy. It drives everything forward and exposes students to divergent and convergent ideas that assist them in making sense of their world. This idea of efficacy is also attached to teaching and learning, a skill that can be taught and learner in the classroom in the right conditions are present.

Werner, W. (2016). Teaching for hope. In R. Case & P. Clark (Eds.), The anthology of social studies: Issues and strategies for secondary teachers (Updated ed., pp. 193–197). Vancouver, BC: The Critical Thinking Consortium.Sources: