What is Civic Learning?
Civic learning is a process through which young people develop the knowledge, skills, and commitments to interact effectively with others, improve their communities and the broader society, and participate in democracy. The digital age has made the need for such education all the more urgent. New skills and dispositions are needed to help youth fully leverage new opportunities for effective participation while navigating new challenges. Explore the resources below to learn more about civic learning:
Watch this video to learn more about civic engagement and to find out how teachers in Oakland Unified School District are integrating civic learning throughout the district.
Key Components of Civic Education and What We Know from Research:
Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age
To learn how you can support young people to navigate civics and politics in the digital age and how you can prepare your students to become thoughtful and effective participants in our democracy, watch this video. Then, read the article “Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age: Participatory Politics and the Pursuit of Democratic Engagement” by Joe Kahne, Erica Hodgin, and Elyse Eidman-Aaahl.
Lived Civics Approach to Civic Education
Also, read the report “Let’s Go There” by Cathy Cohen, Joseph Kahne, and Jessica Marshall for a description of a lived civics approach to civic education that attends to race, ethnicity, and the heightened political and civic activity among young people of color.