1. Educating every child for life in a democracy: Towards a democratic pedagogy Dr. M.V.S.V. Prasad Asst. Professor (Political Science) Department of Education in Social Sciences National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) New Delhi, India 18 January 2013 (Friday)

2. Do flowers fly? Does the current school system encourage or discourage imagination of children? How are the children 'learning'? How can they go beyond the textbook / school? How to make young citizens imbibe democratic temperament? Direct observation and experience make learning more meaningful for children. 2

3. Pedagogy for democracy Pedagogy for democracy is a crucial element in the education for democracy. Curriculum is implemented through pedagogy. So the potential of a democratic curriculum can only be realized by a pedagogy that is democratic in nature. 3

4. Democracy and Education Education for democracy has to begin at school in a practical way. Democratic curriculum = democratic pedagogy = democratic school = democratic society Democratic curriculum, autocratic pedagogy? Development of democratic citizenship is a work-in-progress. President of Mongolia, Mr. Tsakhia Elbegdorj: Just like as babys diaper must be changed every morning, freedom must be taken care of every day. 4

5. President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the Human Rights Day function, 10 December 2012... we have an outstanding Constitution and a plethora of sound laws and policies to uphold different dimensions of human rights. However, such an elaborate legal infrastructure to manage human rights will count for nothing if implementation is lacking in form and spirit. We must therefore focus efforts on translating our laws and Constitutional provisions into a reality for the common man. 5

6. National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 5 Guiding Principles 1. Connecting knowledge to life outside the school 2. Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods 3. Enriching the curriculum to provide for overall development of children rather than remain textbook-centric 4. Making examinations more flexible and integrated into classroom life and 5. Nurturing an over-riding identity informed by caring concerns within the democratic polity of the country 6

7. Promoting Critical Pedagogy Critical pedagogy provides an opportunity to reflect critically on issues in terms of their political, social, economic and moral aspects. It entails the acceptance of multiple views on social issues and a commitment to democratic forms of interaction. This is important in view of the multiple contexts in which our schools function. A critical framework helps children to see social issues from different perspectives and understand how such issues are connected to their lives. (National Curriculum Framework, 2005, p. 23) 7

8. 3 Kinds of Knowledge of an Effective Teacher Knowledge of general instructional strategies (Pedagogical Knowledge) Knowledge about the subject matter s/he is teaching (Content Knowledge) Knowledge of specific strategies for teaching a particular subject matter (Pedagogical Content Knowledge – PCK) PCK enables practising teachers to make interconnections between their knowledge of pedagogy and their knowledge of content. These interconnections are essential for teaching effectively. 8

9. Content for a democratic pedagogy NCF, 2005 emphasises democracy content across the curriculum at all stages of school education Textbooks for consciousness-raising (the process of making people aware of important social and political issues) Textbooks for promoting social conscience (the state of being aware of the problems that affect a lot of people in society, such as being poor or having no home, and wanting to do something to help these people) 9

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12. Right to Water: Issues of daily life 12

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14. Laxmi Lakra: A Remarkable Journey 14

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16. Unni Munni All this is so remote for me. Is democracy all about rulers and governments? Can we talk about a democratic classroom? Or a democratic family? I want to be in Lyngdoh Madams class! That sounds like a democratic classroom. Doesnt it? 16

17. (Ab)use of Authority (Social and Political Life–III, Storyboard, p. 7) 17

18. Role-play by Teacher-Participants NCERT Orientation Programme about Textbooks May 2008, RIE, Ajmer, Rajasthan 18

19. Secularism in India – Rights of Minorities (Social and Political Life–III, Storyboard, p. 23) 19

20. Role-play by Teacher-Participants NCERT Orientation Programme about Textbooks May 2008, RIE, Ajmer, Rajasthan 20

21. 21 Which Scope?

22. 22 Focus on Focus on the whole world... Focus on the whole nation… Focus on the whole State… Focus on the whole district… Or just on your nation. Or just on your State. Or just on your district. Or just on your locality.

23. 23 Multiple Perspectives about Pedagogy Macro Birds eye view Broad General Global United Nations (UN) More complex? Micro Worms eye view Narrow Specific Local Municipality Less complex?

24. Learning democracy here and now! The best school of democracy and the best guarantee for its success is the practice of local self-government. – James Bryce (1838 – 1922) What does democracy look like in practice in our locality? Meaningful pedagogy requires localization of content. Students can be enabled to learn by doing, through active, participatory experiences in the school, neighbourhood and beyond. 24

25. Measures for developing a democratic pedagogy Decentralizing education for democracy Undertaking applied research on pedagogical issues Moving back and forth between content and context Creating an online corpus of innovative and workable pedagogical techniques for promoting democracy Establishing collaborative ventures between various institutions in developing locally relevant teaching- learning materials and training educators for participatory democracy 25

26. Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) (Lebanese-American Poet) Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Lifes longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.... 26

27. Thank you all for your kind attention! 27