Civic education
Civic education develops knowledge, skills, and dispositions for understanding government, exercising rights, and participating in public life.
Citizenship: Membership in a political community, carrying rights and responsibilities under its laws. Civic education explains what citizenship entails and how people can exercise it.
Service-learning: An educational approach that combines academic study with structured service addressing community needs. It connects civic learning with practical work on local concerns.
John Dewey: An American philosopher and educator who argued that education and democracy develop through shared experience. His work connected democratic life with learning through participation.
Citizenship education: Education about citizenship, civic responsibilities, and participation, often shaped by a country's educational tradition. The term overlaps with civic education but can emphasize national citizenship and duties differently.
Political efficacy: A person's belief that they can understand politics and influence political outcomes. Civic learning can build confidence in navigating institutions and taking action.
Civic engagement: Individual and collective action intended to address public concerns or influence community life. Participation is a central capacity civic education aims to develop.
Student council: A student representative body that organizes activities and provides a channel for student views in a school. It offers a small-scale setting for representation and collective decision-making.
Civic republicanism: A political tradition that emphasizes self-government, public virtue, and participation in a common political life. It supplies an influential tradition behind education for active citizenship.
Patriotic education: Education that cultivates attachment to a country and its symbols, history, or institutions. It highlights the tension between civic learning and instruction centered on national loyalty.
Social capital: Resources available through networks of trust, reciprocity, and social connection. Civic activities can create relationships that support collective action.