Transcript Germany

EFFECTIVE CIVIC
LEARNING
BY
REFLECTIVE CIVIC DOING
Theory and Practice of Experiential Civic Education
F. Klaus Koopmann
Faculty 08 / Dept. of Political Science
(1) Introduction
• We should do better preparing our students
sustainably for their roles as

enlightened and autonomous citizens
• Making the case for
 experiential civic learning
(2) The Rationale of Experiential Civic
Learning
John Dewey:
overcoming traditional dualisms of




mind and body
mind and world
individual and public community
knowledge and experience
(2) The Rationale of Experiential Civic
Learning
David Kolb:
learning: an active, self-directed process
knowledge: through transformation of experience
experiential learning:
concrete experience

reflective observation

abstract conceptualisation

active experimentation
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.1 Sustainability of Early Civic Participation
Early public engagement fosters ...
 social and political participation
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.2 Youth Attitudes on Society and Politics
 Youth volunteerism rates are high –
it is focused on
apolitical social services
Civic education consequences:
• fostering youth volunteerism but
• gradually ‘politicizing’ social activities
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.3 De-civilization – Re-civilization
Phenomena:
 Society at risk
 Individualization
 Globalization / De-nationalization of
politics
 ‘Thin‘ democracy
 Symbolization of politics
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.3 De-civilization – Re-civilization
Effects:
 People become objects
 Impeding democratization
 De-civilization
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.3 De-civilization – Re-civilization
Social answer:
 Reclaiming citizens as subjects
 Citizens should experience their ability to
act as citizens
(3) The Increasing Need for Experiential
Civic Learning
3.3 De-civilization – Re-civilization
Civic education answer:
Offering young people the possibility
to
 experience their ability acting as citizens and
 learn actively the process of policy-making
by
 developing and organizing learning strategies
 being oriented towards the notion of
 action as experiential learning
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
Thesis:
Experience-oriented learning processes, aiming at
the sustainable acquisition of competences which
are relevant in politics and civil society, will
particularly unfold in the course of the (inter)active,
reflective dealing of the individual(s) with the
authentic public problems and processes that
surround and concern them.
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
Core idea of the thesis:
5 essentials of experiential civic learning:





.
Subject-orientation
Action-orientation
Problem-orientation
.
Authenticity
Policy-orientation
.
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
 Subject-orientation
Youngsters control
.
their learning processes
themselves .
.
.
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
 Action-orientation
Youngsters. solve
public problems by acting and reflecting.
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
 Problem-orientation
Youngsters’ activities
are focused on
identifying and solving public problems.
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
 Authenticity
The problems to be solved are
not simulated but
real-world problems .
(4) Essentials of Experiential
Civic Learning
 Policy-orientation
Youngsters do not deal with private but
with public problems
.
that have to be solved politically.
Doing so, youngsters learn about
• political content. (policy),
• institutional frameworks (polity) and
• decision-making processes (politics)
in a functional way.
(5) Experiential Civic Learning in Practice:
‘Projekt: Aktive Bürger‘/ ‚Project Citizen‘
The project’s aim is to help youngsters learning
 to identify public problems within their environment
 to develop and present problem-solving strategies (gathering
and evaluating relevant information included)
 to decide which political institutions and which branches
of public administration are adequate for the implementation
of the problem-solving approach developed by the youngsters
 to actively monitor and to influence public policy processes
(5) Experiential Civic Learning in Practice:
‘Projekt: Aktive Bürger‘/ ‚Project Citizen‘
Projekt: aktive Bürger recommends the following ten steps of reflective action:
Step 1: Identifying public problems
Step2: Selecting a problem to study
Step 3: Gathering information about the problem
Step 4: Examining alternative problem-solving approaches
Step 5: Developing a policy to solve the problem
Step 6: Developing an action plan
Step 7: Preparing a portfolio
Step 8: Presenting the portfolio as an exhibition
Step 9: Getting actively involved in the policy process
Step 10: Reflecting the experiential process
(5) Experiential Civic Learning in Practice:
‘Projekt: Aktive Bürger‘/ ‚Project Citizen‘
All in all, ‘Projekt: aktive Bürger’ and ‘Project Citizen’
offer
 10 steps of reflective action
combining core-elements of
 experiential civic learning
Students are learning by
 interacting
 cooperating and
 reflecting
in the context of an authentic policy-process
dealing with an authentic public problem
(6) Conclusion
Effective civic learning by reflective civic doing
[ > experiential civic learning < ]
meets
advantages of early public participation
 twofold youth attitudes on society and politics
 the challenges of de-civilization
because this learning strategy offers young people the possibility
 to reflectively act as citizens and
 experience their ability to be citizens
(Addition) What Is a Public Problem?
A problem is defined as a gap between the unpleasant
current state of a specific situation and its desired future
state.
The tension between the gap of what you have and what
you want initiates problem-solving motivation.
A problem is defined as a public problem if it is not only
concerning individuals within their private environment
but
groups of people as part of the public. Public problems
concern the common good.
(Addition) What Is a Public Problem?
Public problems are to be solved
by
public policy making.
Public policy strategies and processes include
political institutions.
Some characteristics of public problems:

unpleasant quality of the current situation

public character of the problematic situation

(groups of) people being concerned by the problem

desired future situation
EFFECTIVE CIVIC
LEARNING
BY
REFLECTIVE CIVIC DOING
Theory and Practice of Experiential Civic Education
F. Klaus Koopmann
Faculty 08 / Dept. of Political Science