Doing democracy through simulation, deliberation, and inquiry with elementary students

PurposeDemocracy is learned through doing, not telling. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project where a group of fourth-grade students participated in a simulation that explored the possibilities and the constraints of acting democratically, while faced wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social studies research & practice 2017-05, Vol.12 (1), p.56-69
Main Authors: Payne, Katherina Ann, Hoffman, James V., DeJulio, Samuel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Classrooms
Cooperative learning
Core curriculum
Democracy
Earth
Grade 4
Inquiry method
Language arts
Learning Strategies
Literacy
Methods Courses
Preservice Teachers
Simulation
Social studies
Society
Student teachers
Teacher education
Teacher Educators
Teaching Methods
Urban schools
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Summary:PurposeDemocracy is learned through doing, not telling. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project where a group of fourth-grade students participated in a simulation that explored the possibilities and the constraints of acting democratically, while faced with the dilemmas of environmental disaster and establishing a new society.Design/methodology/approachThe authors studied how participating students engaged in deliberations and self-directed inquiry. The authors focused the data collection on the responses of students to the challenges presented in the simulation.FindingsBased on the analysis of student work during the simulation and reflection on the simulation after the project, the authors documented the ways in which students critiqued authority or expressed their distrust in it, engaged in difficult deliberations around controversial issues, and developed expanded agency through inquiry-based learning.Originality/valueThis paper presented a model of inquiry learning that can be critical, i.e. examining issues of power and justice, while engaging in deliberation via a simulation that integrated social studies and English language arts. Creating space for young students to deliberate issues, steeped in values, and ethics, allows them to recognize the inherent tension and dissension necessary to a healthy democracy.
ISSN:1933-5415
1933-5415
DOI:10.1108/SSRP-03-2017-0009