How can the teaching of knowledge in schools contribute to the development of students as individual human beings, with the capacity not only for problem solving within the existing structures of society but also for developing ideas and solutions that go "beyond the existing structures?" The purpose of this article is to bring this…

Critics suggest that youth lack basic civic knowledge and are disengaging from civic action, particularly political action. The validity of these criticisms depends on how civic knowledge and civic engagement are defined. The results of four studies of civic education, conducted by the IEA over a period of almost 50 years, are examined in terms of…

Interpreting the modern heritage of 'Bildung' in connection to education theory, this open access volume explores non-affirmative theory of education and 'Bildung' as a language of education for the 21st century. In this 'Bildung'-centered view of education, discerning thought on knowledge and values are critical objectives of education. To…

In this article, the central question is how the relationship between democracy and education can be understood in terms of civic literacy. By taking as a point of departure John Dewey's basic understanding of democracy in terms of communication and experience, which also forms the basis for the pragmatist knowledge concept of "transactional…

In this essay, I review Sarah M. Stitzlein's "Teaching Honesty in a Populist Era: Emphasizing Truth in the Education of Citizens," which addresses the decline of honesty in education and politics in the context of rising populism. Stitzlein advocates for a pragmatist inquiry approach to teaching, arguing that students should engage in…

The author discusses what it means to be a "good" citizen in a democracy, whether schools are teaching children to be good citizens, and ways to implement citizenship education in schools.

Global citizenship education (GCE) has become a key topic in educational discourse, especially since its inclusion in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This scoping literature review analyses 43 articles published between 2012 and 2023 on school-age youth activism within GCE literature. Articles were sourced from the…

Structured in-class debates are a valuable addition to courses that seek to foster students' development as citizens. In this study, we examine how different debate formats can impact their effectiveness as a pedagogical tool for advancing students' civic learning outcomes. We consider "moderated dualistic" debates that ask students to…

Since the beginning of public education in the United States, there has been a strong tradition of viewing schools as the mechanism for preparing young people for their role as citizens in a democratic society. Moreover, citizenship education has held a foundational place in social studies classrooms. However, despite this central focus of social…

This article describes a collaboration between the "Rubin Center" and my "Methods of Teaching Art" class and explores how constructivist practices support democratic citizenship and idea-based art education curriculum building. The collaboration came about as a revived attempt to expand the performance-based and experiential…

Using participatory observations accompanied by video and audio recordings, this article investigates how negotiations about play scripts evolve during play in two Waldorf kindergartens. In particular, this study aims to examine how child-initiated play can contribute to the development of basic democratic skills in early childhood. The concept of…

The article adds to a growing conversation that recognizes and supports young children's civic capabilities, positioning them as citizens-now and not simply citizens in the future. They detail how three different classrooms sought to work with children to engage in social action on behalf of their broader community. This response wonders alongside…

Societies concerned with preventing acts of violent extremism often target the ideas that are thought to motivate such acts. The state's use of educational institutions is one mechanism by which those ideas are subjected to challenge. Teaching liberal democratic values to students is one method. Here, David Stevens argues that this model is…

The concept of historical and democratic consciousness in Turkiye is approached in a multi-layered manner. These layers consist of a structure in which many factors such as historical process, social structure, education system, political developments, and cultural factors play a role. History lessons and curriculum focus on how younger…

While the teaching of controversial issues has generally been supported by schools and education scholars, new laws and public outcry have impacted whether and how controversial issues are taught. Calls to ban or limit teaching of controversial issues have largely been spurred by conservative parents, policymakers, and political groups. Some…