Teaching for Democracy: Fostering Civic Engagement and Understanding - EPFP Alumni Webinar - February 25, 2021

Teaching for Democracy:
Fostering Civic Engagement and Understanding

          EPFP Alumni Webinar – February 25, 2021

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***This session is being recorded. Live captioning is available. Recording will be available at
https://epfp.iel.org/page/webinarseries

Dr. Brian Shoup                Dr. Paula McAvoy              Natacha Scott
   Assistant Professor of      Assistant Professor, College of   Director of Educator
Political Science and Public   Education, NC State University    Engagement, iCivics
Administration, Co-Director,
        Civic Life Lab,
Mississippi State University

CIVIC LIFE, POLARIZATION, AND
ENGAGEMENT IN 2021 AMERICA
           IEL Alumni Webinar
            February 25, 2021
             Dr. Brian Shoup

Disclaimers

■ Civil speech is not a panacea.
■ Civility has at times been used to exclude, rather than include.
■ Civil speech is a counterfactual …
            … but a valuable orienting ideal.
■ There is a difference between polarization (wide disagreements about policy
  preferences) and disagreements based on the fundamental rejection of facts.

Civil vs. Uncivil Speech

■ Civil speech is …      ■ Uncivil speech is …
   – Inclusive              – Polarized
   – Procedurally fair      – Oversimplified
   – Responsible            – Crisis-focused
   – Self-skeptical         – Singular in perspective
   – Issue-driven           – Identity-driven

Rebuilding
        Main Street

•   Collaborative game

•   4-10 players

•   Skills taught:

    •   Deliberation
    •   Civil cooperation
    •   Balance of individual goals with public
        good

Frameworks for Civil Speech

                    “We don’t have demagoguery
                    in our culture because a
                    demagogue came to power;
                    when demagoguery becomes
                    the normal way of
                    participating in public
                    discourse, then it’s just a
                    question of time until a
                    demagogue arises.”

Civil Speech in Action

■ Seek opportunities for deliberation
■ Practice empathy and perspective-taking
■ Avoid assuming worst intentions or interpretations
■ Avoid zero-sum thinking
■ Disagree with curiosity, not hostility
■ Listen actively, engage respectfully

the

      Evidence and Ethics
      in Democratic Education

A Roadmap for
Excellence in History
    and Civics for
     All Learners

5 Design Challenges

    How can we help students understand the full context for their role as
1   civic participants without creating paralysis and a sense of insignificance?

    How can we integrate the perspectives of Americans from all different
2   backgrounds in narrating our history (e pluribus versus unum)?

    How can we acknowledge that from its inception, Americans have
    simultaneously disagreed about the ideal shape of self-government while
3   also ultimately agreeing to preserve shared institutions?
    How can we narrate our country’s history in a way that is honest about
    the past without falling into cynicism and appreciative of its founding
4   without tipping into adulation?
    How can we support instructors in helping students move between
5   concrete, narrative, and chronological learning, and thematic, abstract or
    conceptual learning?

EAD Pedagogy

                    Civic
                Participation

               Transformations

Question & Answer

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Link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6215681/EPFP-Webinar-Teaching-for-
        Democracy-Fostering-Civic-Engagement-and-Understanding