Engaged Youth » Features and Functions for Online Civic Learning

Features and Functions for Online Civic Learning

April 24th, 2008 at 04:11pm Chris Wells Permalink

Considerable research suggests that while schools are still a major predictor of civic engagement, youth do not gain nearly the civic skills we might hope from their experiences at school. Scholars point to a number of reasons for this:

Recent trends in education policy have reduced the time devoted to arts, music, and civic education, in favor of math, reading, and assessment.

A lack of resources often prevents schools from offering programs that enable youth to develop and work on their own civic and political concerns and connect classroom learning with extracurricular activities.

A disconnect in citizenship styles has schools emphasizing a duty-based style of citizenship to young people who are much more accustomed to using expression tools to craft individual identities.

Political pressures lead many teachers and school administrators to limit political discussions and debates, despite evidence suggesting that open classroom and school atmospheres greatly enhance civic learning and engagement.

If young people are not developing civic skills at school, are they doing so elsewhere in their lives? An important question is what role online activities may play in civic learning for the millions of young people online—but most young people only occasionally pursue civic information and activities online, preferring to devote their time to social networking, gaming, and entertainment.

This produces something of a Catch-22: when they offer civic skills, most schools emphasize traditional modes of interacting with government and politics, and they present it in a dry manner. The online world is much more attractive to young people, but only occasionally offers civic learning opportunities.

This situation has us at the CCCE thinking about the potential of the new world of online youth engagement projects, especially as we prepare Puget Sound Off for its upcoming launch. The overarching question we ask ourselves is:

Can online projects create spaces for civic learning that engage young people?

And, more concretely: What functions and features should an online environment have to both hold the attention of young citizens and foster the development of important civic skills?

Entry Filed under: adviser conversations, civic learning goals, digital learning skills

2 Comments Add your own

1. Peter Levine | April 29th, 2008 at 6:56 pm

Thanks for kicking off the discussion with this great post.

I’m not sure that NCLB is really reducing time devoted to social studies and other subjects. That is what educational administrators report today, recalling the past. CIRCLE is doing a study that actually looks at time allocations in schools from year to year. It appears that the high school curriculum is becoming richer and broader. More kids get more credits in more subjects. The middle school curriculum is unchanged. And changes in the elementary curriculum are very small and mostly affect first grade.

I think that the “disconnect in citizenship styles” is a major barrier, but a hard one to address in schools. Working online is a great idea.
2. Joe Kahne | April 29th, 2008 at 11:19 pm

Thanks for this post amd for laying out some key aspects of the argument. I completely agree that young people often don’t develop the civic and politcal skills, knowledge, and commitments needed to fully participate in civic life.

I’m not sure if you are arguing here that schools aren’t doing it but that on-line experiences can meet this need. Seems to me that both probably offer valuable ways to support this agenda - and both likely often fail to fully realize their potential. I’ve heard many folks say, for example, that on-line participation distracts youth from meaningful engagement and fosters consumerism… mindless gameplay… etc. perhaps — but it also can do a great deal that is valuable. And I suspect you are right that there are likely some things — like political action and engagement with controversial issues - that are easier to do on-line and separate from schools.

In addition, schools and on-line environments can probably work together at times. Educators may be able to play an important role in helping young people make the most out of their digital media opportunities.

That said, I’m very excited about this project b/c I think it likely creates some powerful opportunities. You ask about key features — I suspect many of them are the same features you’d want in schools and elsewhere — discussions of controversial and engaging public issues, an emphasis on ways to make a difference, the development of networks that connect young people to those who are working for change, opportunities to make a tangible difference, the creation of social groups that reflect and reinforce civic identities, opportunities for meaningful audiences….

Would be curious what you and others see as the key features … and features best suited to your initiative.