Introducing Democratic Education

Objective: To spark a provocative conversation on democratic education 

Grade Level:  5th-12th 

Procedure:

1. Open an introductory conversation with students about how they feel about school—if you feel
your school is democratic, have them reflect on the majority of schools in the U.S.  What words
come to mind to the students in these schools?  Possible words or phrases may be “boring” or
“too many rules.”

2. As the students share these words or phrases, take notes and list them.  If you notice a lot of
students agreeing with one particular word or phrase, make sure to write a checkmark next to it
indicating its favor with the crowd. 

3. Now have the students watch the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=S_LbZ3XcfK4

4. As students are watching the video, have them write down on construction paper words or
phrases which come to their minds.  Give them big markers and tell them to just brainstorm it out
on the page. 

5. While they are doing that, you will select the top 5-8 phrases used to describe non-democratic
schools on 5-8 pieces of chart paper which you have posted around the room.  For example, one
chart paper may have the word “BORING” in the middle of it. 

6. After the video is done, have the students look over their own brainstorms and direct them to the
sheets around the room.  Instruct them through a silent discussion—a “chalk talk.”  They will
each take a marker and go to one of the posters and comment on the word when they compare it
to democratic education (as they understood it in the video). Make sure to stress respectful,
thoughtful commenting practices (anonymity may lend itself to off-color comments).  For
example, under the word boring a student may write, “The schools in the video look like they’d
be fun because we get to go outside.” To this, the following student may write, “Yeah—we only
get to go outside for recess here.”  The rule is, everyone must stay silent—this helps to give
everyone a chance to formulate their ideas independent of what others think.

7. With 10 minutes left in class, open the discussion. Target the conversation by asking, "What are
some ways we could realistically make this classroom more like the schools in the video? What
about the school?" Write them down on the board.

Potential Follow-Up:
  Students take their brainstorms, cut out their words and phrases and create a democratic education
collage with pictures and other mediums.  They must then write a letter to the administrator
articulating their ideas for how to make their school more democratic.

 Students read the following blog entry on a transition from a Waldorf-inspired school to a
traditional public high school: 
http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/article/from_student_to_conformist/

o Have them debate the following statement: Students learn best in a Non-Conventional
School like the Waldorf-inspired school versus a Conventional school. 

o The definition of these 2 types of schools should come from the debate, not the teacher.

Lesson plan designed for IDEA: Institute for Democratic Education in America, by Ammerah Saidi, an
urban public school teacher from Detroit, Michigan. Visit IDEA at www.democraticeducation.org