Civic learning is a process through which students develop the knowledge, skills, and commitments to interact effectively with fellow community members to address shared problems. It includes preparation for both civic engagement (or practices seeking to promote the public good through non-governmental organizations and informal community work) and political engagement (or activities aiming to influence state action through formal avenues such as voting, lobbying, or petitioning). There are many practices that directly improve the quality and effectiveness of civic learning in schools, including civic action projects; digital literacy education and engagement; classroom instruction in government, history, law and democracy; discussion of current events; service-learning; extra-curricular or co-curricular activities; student voice in school governance; and simulations of democratic processes.
 

This series is jointly offered by UNCW's Center for Teaching Excellence, ECU Office for Faculty Excellence and ECU Intercultural Affairs.

In this workshop we will introduce the National Issues Forums deliberative discussions model and run through a full example of how the model works and how it can be used in classrooms or other contexts involving students in civic discourse. This model is designed to facilitate a conversation of important but difficult to discuss issues through an interactive exchange that allows for inclusion of all voices. The outcome of the discussion is a starting point for a report on the issue and potential solutions.