Teaching for and about Citizenship in a Democratic Society: Comparative Views of a Selected Civic Educators in the United States, Europe, and Latin America

Autor/inn/en	Burroughs, Susie; Hopper, Peggy F.; Brocato, Kay; Sanders, Angela
Titel	Teaching for and about Citizenship in a Democratic Society: Comparative Views of a Selected Civic Educators in the United States, Europe, and Latin America
Quelle	In: International Journal of Social Education, 22 (2008) 2, S.49-69 (21 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0889-0293
Schlagwörter	Citizenship; Democracy; Citizenship Education; Exchange Programs; Foreign Countries; Cultural Influences; Educational Opportunities; Teaching Methods; Federal Legislation; International Educational Exchange; Surveys; Comparative Analysis; Teacher Attitudes; Florida; Hungary; Mississippi; Romania; Texas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Staatsbürgerschaft; Demokratie; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Exchange programme; Exchange program; Exchange programmes; Austauschprogramm; Ausland; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Bundesrecht; Internationaler Austausch; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Lehrerverhalten; Ungarn; Rumänien
Abstract	The "Education for Democracy Act," authorized by the United States Congress, provides funding through the U.S. Department of Education to support programs designed to assist educators in creating and implementing civic education programs both at home and abroad. One such program is Civitas: An International Civic Education Exchange Program. Much of the work undertaken by Civitas is conducted through the various partnerships that exist between and among some 30 U.S. states and 26 new and emerging democracies. One such partnership is the Florida-Texas-Mississippi-Hungary-Romania partnership. Established in 1995, the partnership has provided cross-cultural exchange opportunities for students, teachers, university faculty, civic leaders, and elected officials from each of the five partner countries and states. Teaching effectively for and about democratic citizenship is demanding, and educators must be energetic and imaginative in their approach to teaching about it. A recent example of the partnership's efforts to meet this demand and enhance civic education around the world is the staging of an annual democracy camp. The camp provided a weeklong opportunity for the educators to explore, discuss, and debate issues related to teaching for and about democratic citizenship. The international design of the camp afforded the participants a unique experience to examine and reflect upon the combined challenges for teaching for and about democratic citizenship in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Pre and post surveys were conducted during the camp to determine differences in views within and among the groups. The findings of the survey research provided evidence that the participants changed their definitions of democratic citizenship to more global definitions after their week-long cross-cultural interactions. The findings of the study also indicated that as a result of their experiences during the camp, the educators further affirmed their commitment to the importance of teaching for and about citizenship in a democratic society. Additionally, they became more inclined to teach the concept of democratic citizenship in explicit, rather than implicit, terms. (Contains 2 tables, 3 graphs and 8 notes.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	International Journal of Social Education. Ball State University, Department of History, Muncie, IN 47306. Tel: 765-285-8700; Fax: 765-285-5612; Web site: http://ijse.iweb.bsu.edu/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10