Dilemma-based learning in the humanities: integrating social, emotional and thinking skills

Use dilemma-based learning techniques in your humanities classroom to teach your students important skills that will help them make wise choices in their lives

Written by Phil Wood, Barry Hymer and Deb Michel

Dilemma-based learning in the humanities will help to develop understanding of how the dilemma-based learning framework can be applied to the secondary humanities classroom.

This unique book will enable you to delve straight in to working with dilemmas and allow you to develop a practice which involves reflection and action in equal measure. It does this by allowing you to expose your students to enquiries into a number of difficult choices based upon real life.

The dilemma-based learning approach will also help your students to improve their group skills, as enquiries are based upon a joint quest, in the belief that several thinkers working together are more effective than just one.

The book will enable you to implement tools and techniques that will:

• allow your students to practise and develop skills they can use throughout their lives to make considered decisions, including skills of reflection, enquiry, logical and analytical thinking and considering multiple solutions
• improve students' ability to work with others as part of an effective group
• encourage whole-class and group discussion that will challenge and stretch your students' thinking
• give students skills that they can use in other subjects to raise performance, such as creative thinking and reasoning.

Dilemma-based learning in the humanities provides:

• a consideration of how dilemma based learning sessions can be facilitated within the classroom
• a number of suggested dilemmas covering geography, history and religious education
• suggestions for developing your own dilemmas
• a consideration of how the approach can positively affect students
• explanation of how dilemma-based learning can be applied beyond and between classrooms
• a simple framework for reviewing and planning further development of the technique
• a simple continuing professional development element for use with individuals, small groups, or whole staff meetings, which highlights some of the main ideas and approaches.

Dilemma-based learning is an approach that can be used in a range of situations, including whole-class situations and enrichment or extension withdrawal groups.