Creating responsible citizens through discussion in classroom

Democracy is a lived experience, more than a taught one. It underscores the value of every human experience and existence, and power as distributed and legitimized through constant accountability. Teaching democracy begins with creating democratic classrooms. As an intrinsic part of our socializing experience, nurturing responsible citizenship starts by fostering democratic values and ideals in our schools. As learners understand the dynamic of power and responsibility as a give and take, the inherent value of the democratic ideal can be realised.

The democratic experience as learning

What makes a democratic pedagogy? How can the learner be at the centre of the journey, more than just a receiver? This calls for a tectonic shift in the role of the teacher as a guide, leading towards the light, rather than holding it. Instead, the torch is for the learner, to find, light their path, and even use to change direction where necessary. Student voice and choice in the classroom, with the freedom to explore and learn from mistakes without chagrin are critical. Also crucial is for the teacher to establish legitimacy, not simply as a position of authority, rather through mutual respect, transparency and open communication. Experiencing the core basis of democracy as equal voice and choice can easily be then translated to learning it conceptually, and applying it in adulthood.a great way to bring this into the classroom is to use the school’s student council elections as an example. By analysing the process of the council elections, we can explore democracy as well as evaluate the process through student feedback.

Dialogue, discussion and democracy

The national curriculum investigates democracy from an analytical and multi-perspective lens in the senior years. Students engage with different types of democracies, as well as the many incarnations of it including representative democracy. With a lived experience of democratic principles, students can lead these discussions and debates, as active stakeholders. The preparation for them to become responsible voters and citizens takes shape as they arrive mutually towards establishing the relevance of democracy to human dignity and freedom. This discussion itself can be fostered by using methods such as the Socratic dialogue (use questions to probe principles, values and beliefs) or even micro experiments in voting within the classroom to unpeel responsibility, accountability and even dissent as critical concepts to explore.

In our school, we use experiments toinvolve issues concerning students to understand the role of bias, identity, emotions, rationality among others, when exercising one’s right to vote.

An experiment I use frequently is the ‘Mars Thought Experiment’. Humans are on their way to colonise Mars, students debate and discuss how the state will be structured to ensure freedom, equality and justice. The different groups with their ideas form political parties and stand for elections, which the entire class takes part in. Once the results are announced we reflect and analyse.

Democracy as a continuous process

Responsibility in a democracy, especially representative democracy, is not just to hold leaders accountable.

It is to also hold ourselves accountable as citizens and voters, the primary power holders in ‘We the people’ who legitimize power. Both action and inaction are meaningful, and disagreement and dissent important tools to keep striving to achieve the best way forward. Bringing this ideal as a constant endeavour to future voters is integral to foster an honest understanding of democracy as both a means and an end. A responsible citizen can understand that democracy is not a one-time goal, rather a constant churn leading us towards equity and growth. Inculcating democratic values within the school experience needs us to go beyond didactic discourse, towards active exploration. If we nurture an environment where students can experience democracy, they will continue learning from it, and be ready and aware voters and citizens when the time comes for them to cast their vote. It is our responsibility as educators to facilitate this experience from a young age, to envision power as an equalizer and not a differentiator. To secure for ourselves and our future generations the unity of the nation and the dignity of the individual.