Democracy and Civic Literacy
How students can best act in later life as members of society in terms of personal responsibility and the common good is an elementary teaching-learning aspect in school.
Civic education or civic literacy is promoted by school actors and, in combination with democratic education, encourages students to develop the skills of reflection, communication and self-determination that are necessary for the preservation of a democratic state.
The school, as an institution, plays the essential role of mediator, simultaneously promoting theoretical and practical knowledge among the students. In addition, the concept of democracy is introduced to the students with the help of experiences and actions during school life and in the classroom.
The thematic group Democracy & Civic Literacy includes the IZBD (= Initiative Center for Civic Education and Local Democracy) as a cross-faculty project association of scientists at the TU Dortmund University who research and teach on political education, especially on questions of promoting democracy and civic literacy and with a focus on the local level, as well as the research activities in the National Education Panel (NEPS) with a focus on civic literacy and other projects, among others on democracy learning and leadership in schools (Impakt Schulleitung Digital) and on the development of children's political understanding.
