The teaching of democracy: challenging the meaning of participation, discourse and dissent in the English school curriculum

Gibson, H (2015) 'The teaching of democracy: challenging the meaning of participation, discourse and dissent in the English school curriculum.' In: Smith, R, ed. Philosophy of education II. Major themes in education . Routledge, London. ISBN 9780415830096

Abstract

The teaching of democracy featured strongly in the Crick Report, the theoretical forerunner of the legislative framework, and is today an important element underpinning the citizenship curriculum in English schools. This paper suggests, however, that democracy is a more complex and problematic term than the one assumed by these documents. It therefore approaches the term more critically with the aim of unearthing some of the assumptions by exploring in detail three of its central tenets, viz. democratic participation, debate or discussion and the link between law and justice. It concludes by suggesting that teachers, charged with energising and re-engaging students with the democratic process, are currently expected to work with a framework that is theoretically questionable and concerned more for the generation of social cohesion than education.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Divisions:	School of Education
Date Deposited:	09 Apr 2015 10:11
Last Modified:	15 Aug 2021 09:39
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/5767

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