Description
Teachers know how important it is to teach students about democracy and how to participate in it, but for many students, it seems like something distant and out of their control.
They often think that important decisions are made by powerful people, not by themselves.
So, how do we show students that they can start being part of democracy right in their classrooms and make a real difference?
This course is all about giving teachers practical strategies and tools to create a lively democratic environment in their classrooms using a method called Value-Based Learning.
In this course, teachers will learn about the Competencies for a Democratic Culture Framework, which is a guide created by the European Union to help educators teach democratic values.
We’ll focus on building communication and problem-solving skills and promoting values like diversity, fairness, and respect.
The goal is to help students understand the world critically, making our schools more inclusive, culturally aware, and socially responsible.
By the end of this course, teachers will have a hands-on approach to teaching civic and social skills, giving them knowledge they can use to improve decision-making and encourage responsibility in their students.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Apply Civic, Cultural, and Social Literacy in the fabric of the school life and subject curriculum;
- Activate students as resources of learning for one another to foster values such as dignity, respect, inclusion, and tolerance in the classroom;
- Design units and lessons that take into account Value-Based Learning in any subject and curriculum orientation;
- Plan and execute activities that place the student and the group of learners at the center of the learning process cultivating meaningful collaboration and effective communication skills.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Course introduction
- Introduction to course concept, the school, and the external week activities;
- What is Value-Based Learning?;
- The 3H’s of Holistic Learning;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools.
Day 2 – Student and teacher agency
- The whole-school approach;
- P.E.A.C.E. Pedagogy;
- Learning about values through student-centered learning experiences;
- Strengthening collective well-being through action-centered education.
Day 3 – Decision-making and critical thinking in democracy
- Developing analytical and critical thinking skills;
- Learning to know, learning to do, learning to be together, learning to be;
- Classroom tactics to teach and develop responsibility as a value and skill.
Day 4 – Different values lead to different challenges: how to respond to conflict?
- Bullying and conflict: key strategies to prevent, tackle and overcome challenges;
- Responding to different cultural needs and languages;
- Embedding diversity and respect in the classroom environment.
Day 5 – Unit design
- Developing tailored solutions to participants’ needs.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.
