Practices of and Opportunities for Social Citizenship in Responsive Education

Of the domains that comprise comprehensive citizenship (Carter 2015, 2020), social education has the earliest start in human development. Learning about social relationships, cultures, needs, and responsibilities occurs during interactions everywhere that young learners observe. The families, caretakers, and teachers of young children educate in the environment that they prepare as well as the interactions they model and facilitate. The prepared environment, which Maria Montessori (1972) advocated for cultivation of world peace, starting in early childhood, remains a cogent concept in citizenship education. It is more than the physical setting of learning. Preparation of the formal or nonformal curriculum involves planning how to have learners develop their understanding of concepts through multiple modalities and cultural adaptations, along with assessment of their understanding of and ability to apply the new concept. Concepts of peace development support preparation of the social environment for young to adult learners. The theories that underlie peacebuilding in a society with diverse groups and strategies for response to conflict without violence are tools for responsive civic education. Opportunities for learning about students’ interests, with inclusion of their culture, and needs in their community evidence responsive instruction. Worldwide, in new as well as ongoing democracies, these theories have been variably enacted for social education in several contexts besides schools. Beyond the practices that schools have used for learning civics, there are currently unused resources for that goal outside of schools. This presentation identifies contexts of social citizenship and the practices in them that have demonstrated opportunities for facilitation of civic learning across age groups. It includes description of instructional methods and the theories that supported them in those learning situations. With critical analysis and other tools which call for responsive and empowering instruction, there is recognition of opportunities for learning civic knowledge, values, and skills (Johnson & Johnson, 2006). This paper concludes with recommendations for fostering peace-oriented social citizenship that builds capabilities in stressed societies. Carter, C. C. (2015). Social education for peace. Foundations, curriculum, and instruction for visionary learning. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Carter, C. C. (Ed.). (2020). Teaching and learning for comprehensive citizenship: Global perspectives on peace education. New York: Routledge. Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (2006). Peace education for consensual peace: The essential role of conflict resolution. Journal of Peace Education, 3(2), 147-174. Montessori, M. (1972). Education and peace (H. R. Lane, Trans.). Chicago, IL: Regnery.