International Education Washington

Democracy by Design: Using Discussion to
Create Culturally Responsive Classrooms

Presentation by the Capitol Forum team at the 2007 OSPI Summer Institutes.
 

Background on the Workshop
prepared by Carol Jo Coe

Our public schools are charged with the task of preparing students for participation in a democratic society. Research indicates that skills of citizenship are most easily acquired when instruction involves both understanding and application of specific concepts. Perhaps this is why Washington State requires students to demonstrate civic competence through various Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs). These CBAs can be assessed in several ways; discussion is one such possibility, and it is at the heart of this workshop.

While the literature is replete with studies indicating that discussion increases learning, there is, nonetheless, a dearth of discussion in most classrooms. The vast majority of teachers avoid classroom discussion altogether. Instead they rely on a question-answer format, what researchers label IRE (teacher Initiation, student Response, teacher Evaluation). Consequently, most students leave high school ill-equipped to participate effectively in this rudimentary process of democratic citizenship.

The absence of discussion in our schools is a serious problem, one that can be addressed by increasing teacher competence and confidence as discussion leaders. Research indicates that the key to effective classroom discussion lies with the teacher. So an important question follows: Can teachers provide effective instruction and facilitation of discussion? In short, yes. Several studies point to the fact that with appropriate training most teachers use more discussion-based classroom activities.

By providing direct instruction and application of basic discussion formats, this workshop deconstructs and demystifies the discussion process. Participants learn and practice proven discussion strategies for bringing democracy to life in their classrooms and schools, exploring such applications as social contracts, class meetings, deliberation, debate, multicultural lesson design, and the use of restitution.

Democratic schools, like democracy itself, do not happen by chance. They result from explicit attempts by educators to put in place democratic processes and practices. We, the leaders of this workshop, believe that our society will not fulfill the dual mission of our public schools – (1) to ensure that all students master important content and skills, and (2) to prepare all students for active citizenship – until we move from Education FOR Democracy to Education AS Democracy. Increasing classroom discussion is an important first step.

Focus of the Workshop

The Capitol Forum on America’s Future is a civic education initiative developed at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University in Rhode Island that uses Brown University’s highly regarded Choices Curriculum. The Choices Curriculum engages high school students in civic practice and consideration of current international issues. Prof. Walter Parker of the University of Washington describes it as

“[one] of the best resources for the high school social studies classroom, especially history and government courses…[which] engages students in the kind of deliberation that develops their understanding of one another, of the array of alternatives, of the problem itself, and of its historical context.”

Walter C. Parker, “Teaching Against Idiocy,” Phi Delta Kappan, January 2005.
(For full text, see http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v86/k0501par.htm.)

The Washington State Capitol Forum is a year-long program open to any high school in Washington state, culminating in a day at the Capitol in Olympia. There, students interact with policymakers and deliberate on important issues, such as immigration, trade, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and environment, as well as exploring four alternative futures for America’s role in the world.

In this workshop, you’ll experience a “mini” Capitol Forum based on the Choices curriculum, U.S. Role in a Changing World. We’ll show you how to use these materials as a resource for Social Studies Classroom Based Assessments, such as U.S. Foreign Policy. Teachers can use the materials in their classrooms to engage students in meaningful discussion and deliberation to create culturally responsive classrooms.

Handouts & Resources


For more information and to participate in the 2008 Capitol Forum in Olympia,
visit Washington State Capitol Forum.

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