ERIC Number: EJ745173
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-8655
EISSN: N/A
6 Steps to Pupil Participation in Democratic School Control
Bolmeier, E. C.
Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, v79 n5 p198-201 May-Jun 2006
Democracy within the school without participation of the students in planning and carrying out the program is just as lacking as it is within a state where the people who are governed are denied the privilege of determining the scope and processes of the government. There is no one who is more directly concerned with and affected by the development and administration of the school program than the student. In this article, the author describes the observations he had made from an experiment science class wherein students were allowed to control the class discussion. Based on his observations, there was convincing evidence that students had experienced democracy in the classroom. He further provides six steps in getting students involved in democratic school control. These steps include: (1) Early and constant instruction and experience in democratic procedures, with gradual grants of responsibility are required to develop trustworthy students and citizens; (2) The type of school activity conducted determines to a great extent the degree of planning and control which can properly be exercised by the students; (3) A third essential to the successful participation of students in planning and conducting activities of the school is a teacher who believes in democratic practices and possesses the ability and ambition to exercise them in the process of teaching; (4) A fourth factor conducive to democratic procedure in the classroom is a proper physical environment; (5) A fifth requisite to successful student participation in democratic school control is moral support for the teacher and students concerned; and (6) A sixth factor which tends to promote democratic behavior in the public schools is an effective guidance program. (Contains 1 note.)
Descriptors: Student Participation, Participative Decision Making, Learner Controlled Instruction, Educational Practices, Teaching Methods, Democratic Values, Democracy, Student Responsibility, Class Activities, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Environment, Public Schools, School Guidance, High School Students, Moral Values
Heldref Publications. 1319 Eighteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036-1802. Tel: 800-365-9753; Tel: 202-296-6267; Fax: 202-293-6130; e-mail: subscribe@heldref.org; Web site: http://www.heldref.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A