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Democracy education at work: Experts call for new approaches in schools!
The University of Rostock promotes democracy education in vocational training under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Franz Kaiser.
Democracy education at work: Experts call for new approaches in schools!
Professor Franz Kaiser, spokesman for the Institute for Vocational School Education at the University of Rostock, calls for a comprehensive expansion of democratic values in vocational training. According to him, greater recognition can play a crucial role in enabling experiences of democracy and counteracting increasing “democracy fatigue” and radicalization. As part of his research on promoting democracy in vocational training, Kaiser emphasized that teachers in particular must play a central role in protecting and maintaining democracy.
Democratic cooperation in education is of great importance in order to actively introduce students to the values and behavior of our society. It is essential that prospective teachers receive appropriate training in order to counteract future threats to democracy and extremist trends. The aim of these educational approaches is to promote respectful interaction and discussions about how the world is shaped.
Recommendations for action for democratic education
In the presentation at the working group meeting of the Pact for Vocational Schools, the structural need for action in vocational training was pointed out. The pact, an initiative of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, aims to make vocational training fit for the future. Kaiser advocates, among other things, the integration of competencies for a democratic teaching culture into the standards of vocational training teachers.
The challenges are diverse. This includes promoting appreciative communication and creating spaces for expression of opinions. Small meditations and physical exercises before events can increase students' mindfulness. Initiatives such as “School without Racism” are also needed to counteract inhumane behavior.
The need for democracy education is also highlighted in a dossier by educational server highlighted. These resources offer teachers suggestions for designing democratic learning processes that can take place in different educational contexts, especially in training companies and vocational schools. The focus is on topics such as respect, participation and critical thinking.
Democracy education as a key competence
Democracy education is increasingly seen as the key to strengthening democratic structures. Studies show that training companies are places of social interaction where democracy can be learned in everyday life. Programs such as “Our Diversity” aim to counteract racism and right-wing extremism and participate in 34 projects nationwide that strengthen basic democratic values.
To promote democratic principles, there are specific projects at vocational schools that collect practical examples and offer support to teachers. Accordingly, a school experiment on values education was launched in order to enable students to actively participate in democratic events. These initiatives reflect the goal of turning young people into oriented citizens of their society.
The context of democracy education is supplemented by the recommendation of Conference of Ministers of Education that all teaching subjects, especially those in the social sciences, have a responsibility to promote values such as freedom, human rights and justice. The importance of these topics for school education has repeatedly been brought into focus at specialist conferences in recent years.