What Kind of Citizen? Educating our Children for the Common Good

In this session, we will have an indepth discussion about citizenship, democracy and the role schools play in developing our students. Joel Westheimer is an award-winning scholar and has recently updated his book What Kind of Citizen?. In the book, Joel asks us to “imagine the kind of society we would like to live in and shows how schools might best be used to make that vision a reality.”

Join invited guest Joel Westheimer (University Research Chair and Professor, University of Ottawa; Ottawa, Canada), respondent Liz Moorse (Chief Executive, Association for Citizenship Teaching; London, UK), and host Dominic Regester (Director, Center for Education Transformation, Salzburg Global; Salzburg, Austria) for this compelling discussion. Registrants are welcome to engage with these leaders through the chat.

1.  What are the fundamentals of citizenship education? Why is it a controversial subject?

2.  Why is teaching about democracy so critical in our schools today?

3. How can teachers create a classroom environment that enables students to develop as citizens of the classroom, school, and community?

4. What is the connection between social emotional learning and citizenship education?

5.  What advice do you have for policymakers, district and school leaders to ensure that schools are safe places to explore the tenants of citizenship?