Comparative Lessons for Democracy

The Challenge of Teaching Democracy

Comparative Lessons for Democracy: A Resource for Teachers

John M. Fischer and Dawn M. Shinew, Editors

Every democratic society faces the challenge of educating succeeding generations of young people for competent citizenship. A fundamental question looms before educators throughout the world: How can we prepare students for active participation in a democratic society, particularly in an increasingly interconnected world? Comparative Lessons for Democracy offers once response. It is a resource book for American high school teachers.

This teacher resource book has several distinctive characteristics. They include a unique focus on Central and Eastern Europe, the organization of the book, the structure of the lessons, an emphasis on active teaching and learning methods, and the inclusion of comparative analysis.

Educators and scholars from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Russia contributed large amounts of the materials included in the lessons. The content of the lessons is designed to raise questions, not only about Central and Eastern Europe, but also how these same issues relate to American society and politics. Analyzing issues and events related to these emerging democracies encourages U.S. students to clarify some of the basic assumptions and principles upon which democracies exits.

The book is organized into four major sections: (1) historical connections, (2) transitions: comparative trends, (3) constitutionalism and democracy: comparative issues, and (4) citizens' rights and a civil society. This structure offers teachers a sense for how certain lessons are, or could be, connected. The sections offer a first step to opening issues that resonate in our own nation.

The structure of the lessons provides teachers with a wealth of avenues. Each begins with a quote which can be used to prompt an essay, begin a discussion, or add another commentary to the lessons. It is followed by objectives identifying specific goals for each lesson, then background material. A variety of teaching strategies designed to get students actively involved wit the analytic process are included. Among them are role-play, discussion, and analyzing text. The authors aim to promote a model of what society should be, including active participation of its citizens, in the classroom.

Comparative Lessons for Democracy was developed as part of the CIVATAS: An International Civic Education Exchange Program. The volume includes 35 lesson plans and resource materials. To order contact the Center for Civic Education, phone 800/350.4223, fax 818/591.9330, email: center4civic@aol.com. $21 each.

Sample Lesson

NOTE: The Center for Community Legal Education has 2 copies of Comparative Lessons for Democracy in the Lending Library. Also, the Center for Civic Education is looking for classrooms to pilot the lessons. Be sure to go to their page and check out this opportunity.