What is Democratic Education

Open educational process, based on the guarantee of collective representation, with freedom of expression and participation of all individuals in decision making.

A philosophical and pedagogical approach to schooling, teaching, and learning that encourages students to take participatory roles of shared civic responsibility in the classroom. This approach often encourages significant student choice, shared teacher-student leadership of the learning space, a commitment to democratic life, the quest for justice, and equality amongst children and adults.

An educational ethos focused on creating classrooms that are democratic spaces and preparing students for active participation in democratic processes.

Morin has highlighted the problem of the inadequacy of knowledge (which is divided by the boundaries between disciplines while the reality of the world is increasingly global and interconnected) and the challenge of complexity. Complexity is a method and a form of knowledge which requires a dialogical approach. Gregory Bateson also spent his life demonstrating the interdependence between elements and the interconnections between different worlds and disciplines. So the new idea of knowledge, does not only refer to concepts that are to be transmitted but, above all, to the itineraries and the network of individual and collective experiences which are in a state of perpetual change. The process of building knowledge that can come about through the use of the network of ideas and information available on the internet produces social progress. This is what Dewey calls “social efficiency”: everything that makes an experience valid for the community, as well as oneself; everything that makes it communicable and useful in the demolition of social barriers. The same efficiency that he considers to be the final aim of education in a democratic society.

A method of education where democratic values are taught as well as experienced within the instructional environment.

This is education where learners are central to the learning process and are not receivers of knowledge but active participants in creating the knowledge and share in solving problems in their communities. It is education that is closely linked to citizenship education where learners are trained to be active and engaged citizens.