Civic education to foster peer dialogue and participation of all
Sabina Langer
This article explores the possibility of fostering dialogue and participation in middle schools through civic education. The author understands this «teaching» (established in Italy by Law 92/2019) as an opportunity to set up democratic spaces in which all voices can express themselves and be heard. The starting point will be the skills for democratic dialogic and participatory acting, which are core to promoting active citizenship. It follows a brief description of the research — ascribable to Educational Design Research –, the prototype curriculum developed for secondary schools and its implementation. Text fragments relating to the categories «peer dialogue», «participation», «differences between civic education and normal lessons» are described. The data are then discussed in relation to the literature. In conclusion, it is argued that the civic education curriculum experienced and the teachers’ willingness to get involved have provided generative, inclusive and democratic spaces, in which all pupils had the chance to become active and feel included.
Keywords
Civic education, Peer dialogue, Participation, Democratic and inclusive environment.
