Teaching Democracy (DLL 1)

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

What is Democracy?

Democracy, literally, rule by the people. The term is derived from the Greek dēmokratia, which was coined from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century bce to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.

How it works?

There are numerous forms of democracy in existence, including presidential and parliamentary systems. Regardless of their specific characteristics, all democratic systems rely on representatives to make decisions on behalf of the people. This is known as representative democracy.

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Why teaching democracy is important?

Boosts Active Participation

The civic and political participation of young people has been constantly heralded in media and political discourse, including in the current EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027

Learn their role in society

Knowing about democracy and how it works will help students understand their role in society, including their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Undestand complex issues

Understanding complex contemporary political and societal issues requires knowledge on the current governance system

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Teaching Practices

Open Classroom Environment

Using News Media

Awareness of Minority Perspectives

Highlighting Critical Perspectives

The Power of Voting

In-class Referendum

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Interdisciplinarity in Teaching Democracy

It is crucial to identify how interdisciplinary strategies can be integrated into an educator's promotion and teaching of democratic principles. To this end, we will apply the teaching methods previously analysed to a practical context, enabling educators to adapt them to their own learning processes.

Why it is important?

Benefits of Teaching Democracy

Building Empathy and Intercultural Skills

Community-based Problem-Solving

Critical Inquiry and Reflection

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Building Empathy and Intercultural Skills

Teaching educators to build empathy and intercultural skills in their students through an interdisciplinary perspective involves equipping them with strategies that encourage holistic, integrated learning experiences. By combining knowledge and methods from various disciplines, educators can help students understand and appreciate diverse perspectives, foster empathy, and develop the skills necessary for positive intercultural interactions.

Combine Disciplines for a Holistic Approach Why? Empathy grows when students explore topics like culture, history, and social justice across subjects.

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Critical Inquiry and Reflection

Critical inquiry encourages students to ask deep, meaningful questions about the world and their place in it, promoting empathy and intercultural understanding and thus educators should be able to develop this skill.

HOW

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Community-based Problem-Solving

Community Problem Solving (CmPS) is a team or individual activity in which students identify and implement solutions to real-world problems in a community setting, whether local, state, national, or even global. Students utilise the skills of the problem-solving process as they work on their project.

Infographic on Benefits of CmPS

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

Conclusion

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Teaching Democracy: Why it is Important?

References

• Council of Europe. (n.d.). TASKs for democracy: 60 activities to learn and assess transversal attitudes, skills, and knowledge. Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/learning-resources/-/tasks-for-democracy-60-activities-to-learn-and-assess-transversal-attitudes-skills-and-knowledge
• Chadjipadelis,T., Sotiroglou,M. & Papaoikonomou,A. (2020). Teaching democracy: Tools and methods in the secondary education. International Journal of Educational ResearchReview,5(4),380-388.
• Teaching Expertise. (n.d.). 23 civic engagement activities to cultivate model citizenship. Retrieved from https://www.teachingexpertise.com/social-studies/civic-engagement-activity/

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Why Is This Important?

The ability for communities to effectively identify and solve their own problems is essential for creating more equitable societies where everyone has access to basic rights and opportunities regardless of their background or circumstances. It also allows individuals who have been traditionally excluded from decision making processes due to cultural, language or geographical barriers a chance to participate so that their needs are taken into account when formulating solutions.

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According to Petra Rauschert and Fabiana Cardetti, in their paper "Fostering Democratic Competences in Learners: An Interdisciplinary International Experience" As the world becomes more interconnected, global concerns about critical issues grow, fueled by political instability, social injustice, inequality, and human rights violations. Solutions rely on our ability to communicate across cultures and combine ideas from various fields. As educators, we have a responsibility to design learning experiences that equip students with the skills they need to collaborate and address these challenges.

Feel free to discover more about that Paper by clicking here!

Global Citizenship

Processes of globalisation and increased interdependence mean that no one,wherever they live in the world, can remain completely isolated within a single nation. … If democracy is now re-conceptualised as cosmopolitan, then the actors within the democracy are, by extension, cosmopolitan citizens. (Osler and Starkey 2003, 245–6) Therefore, teachers should focus on creating democratic awareness citizens through building intercultural skills.

What educators should know?