1

What Schools Can Do to Promote Young People’s Civic Learning and Development

Youth-Nex 2011Ariel Hernandez, Ben Kirshner, DeVante

Moss, Adam York

The rest of the Critical Civic Inquiry Team: Co-PIs Carlos Hipolito-Delgado & Shelley Zion

RAs: Carrie Bemis & Elizabeth Mendoza

• CCI works to create sustained and systemic opportunities for students to ask critical questions about their schools and participate in efforts to improve them

• It is a…– Learning experience for high school youth– Seminar for teachers–Research study

Research supported by the Spencer Foundation

Summer Institute

• “What makes an excellent learning environment?”

• Original research and meetings with teachers

7

???

8

What schools can do

• Teach civics in engaging ways

• Invite students to be at the table

• Take students seriously

9

Teach civics in engaging ways

• Learning sciences & sociocultural theory– Shared goal– Distributed roles – Saturated with tools and expertise– Trajectories of participation are visible and

accessible

10

Teach civics in engaging ways

• Learning how, not just learning about • Connecting coursework with opportunities

outside of school• Creating a supportive context for critical

questions

Examples from our research

11

Invite students to be at the table

• Classroom invitations – Build interest through presentations in classes

• School invitations – Student Council– Field trips to CU-Boulder (not allowed)

• Outside of school – Internship (academic credit) for participation

12

Take students seriously

• Why include student perspectives?

• The experience of being excluded

• What sharing power can look like

Teacher: “It was shocking to hear how even students are aware of the flaws in our school systems. If the students care so much, the teachers should also!”

13

Conclusion

14

Thank you