Developing Democratic Citizenship Skills

Formulating public policy in a multicultural society would require ongoing dialog and negotiation, critical evaluation of existing practices, and imagining alternatives. How can schools teach democratic civic skills such as CT, creativity, and imagination? In BiH, as elsewhere, the development of these skills is not actively pursued in public school instruction, partly because there are no effective laws to support such efforts. While education in BiH is particularly constrained by the political environment, the country’s complex education system provides a unique opportunity to acquire multiple perspectives as a student learns in different types of schools and/or in an integrated class with multiple curricula and textbooks. CT skills are recognized as essential, but educators around the world are struggling to find effective pedagogical methods to teach them. There are some promising examples, including the use of COIL. While reflection and open dialogue facilitate the acquisition of CT skills, creativity, imagination, and self-efficacy drive students to put their CT skills into action. Creativity is essential in finding a concrete and just solution to a problem involving trade-offs in resource allocation. Another skill required for a peaceful and sustainable society is to imagine the consequences of one’s own actions and those of others. Finally, self-efficacy can be strengthened through practical tasks such as dialog with policymakers, mock debates, and a public policy formulation workshop.