ACTIVE AND ENGAGED

The author is Teacher

ANN CYRILL C. UTULO

Preparing students to be active, engaged citizens requires sustained effort across grade levels. Students need to understand how the levers of power work if they are going to take an active role in their democracy.

According to studies, we all we all need to learn to “communicate with people who do not share the same opinion.” We should listen to other perspectives, disagree respectfully with others, and know how to work toward consensus. These are necessary skills in a democratic society.

Sadly, these skills are taught too little and too late, and are often disguised as “lectures” rather than through investigating issues and advocating for solutions. Furthermore, low-income students are less likely than their peers to have access to high-quality civics experiences.

To foster a more equitable, hands-on citizenship education from elementary years through high school, we should implement various projects and programs in schools, like learning how to get along in a community. This is a key focus of the early elementary years.

Citizenship projects for young learners should focus on students’ rights and responsibilities at school. Children should learn how to identify a local problem and make a compelling argument to influence behavior.

There should also be a program that would provide resources to help students (and teachers) work through the challenge of identifying a problem, gathering information, examining solutions, developing a public policy, and implementing an action plan to effect change.

But projects to promote citizenship aren’t limited to social studies classes only. There should be science inquiry projects that teach students to take action on issues like climate change. More than ever, our students need strong civics skills. — oOo— I at P. Luma Elementary School, Arayat, Pampanga