You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Connected Learning Alliance Logo
  • About Connected Learning
  • Who we are
  • Resources
  • Publications
  • Blog
  • Get Connected
August 11, 2016

Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age

Author

Erica Hodgin
Categories: Civic Engagement, Digital Learning
teens using a tablet

“Ms. Tate asked the ninth graders in her social studies class in Oakland to choose a contemporary issue related to a social movement they had studied and to develop their own Taking Action Plan. One student used Facebook to show her peers that feminism is still relevant today. On her Facebook page, she circulated links to information and thought-provoking memes about the status of women in today’s society. Another student produced a music video about marriage equality that she circulated to her networks on YouTube in order to raise awareness about gay rights. The ease with which these young people were able to produce and circulate content to a wide audience far outstrips what young people could typically accomplish without digital tools and social media.”

In our recent article, Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age: Participatory Politics and the Pursuit of Democratic Engagement, Joe Kahne, Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, and I highlight examples of curricular reform — like the one above from Ms. Tate’s classroom — to help frame an expanded agenda for civic education in the digital age. In the article, we conceptualize key changes in civic and political life. These changes, brought on by the digital age, have created new opportunities and challenges for youth to enact core civic and political practices, such as investigating issues of public concern, engaging in dialogue and feedback around their perspectives, producing and circulating civic ideas and content, and mobilizing others to get involved. We also draw on the nationally representative Youth and Participatory Politics (YPP) survey to assess the frequency and expansion of these new practices that we call participatory politics.

EPP Framework

This article builds off of the research of the MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics, as well as the work of the Educating for Participatory Politics (EPP) project. The EPP project is an effort to develop a framework for education informed by the core practices of participatory politics growing out of the on-the-ground work by four teams based in three different cities. The EPP teams and the educators we partnered with created and piloted model educational resources that promote young people’s capacity to engage as civic actors in the digital age. And, finally, you can check out my last blog post — Educating for Participatory Politics in the Digital Age — where I describe some highlights from a webinar series that we co-hosted in March that included project staff and teachers talking about their work in Oakland, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Four Core Practices

As we describe in the article, “We find that participatory politics hold great potential, especially for youth, as a significant support for the pursuit of a democratic and just society.” And, it is for this reason, that we believe educators play a critical role in redesigning civic education to take into account the new opportunities and challenges pertinent to educating for democracy in the digital age. In order for youth to be able to take full advantage of these opportunities and navigate the challenges and risks, educators must consider the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that youth require to participate effectively. In order to do this, we describe four core practices that are central to civic and political life in the digital age: investigation and research, dialogue and feedback, production and circulation, and mobilizing for change. We also detail in a series of charts (linked here) how these practices have changed in the digital age, the opportunities and risks these changes create, and the implications for educators.

YPP core practices graphic

Youth are at the forefront of these changes in the digital age. For example, like the students in Ms. Tate’s class, we see young people utilizing digital tools to cry out in response to the criminalization of Black youth and police brutality, to draw attention to the issues that matter to them in the lead up to the presidential election, and to organize others to push back against North Carolina’s anti-transgender law HB2. And yet, now more than ever, educators in and out of schools can play a vital role in supporting all youth to take advantage of these opportunities and to navigate the challenges of the digital age. “By attending to ways that the expansion of participatory politics is altering political practice, civic educators can better respond to the democratic purposes of schooling. These efforts will enable more youth to see and seize available opportunities for civic and political engagement that are empowering, equitable, and impactful.”

Resources

  • Educating for Participatory Politics (EPP) article: Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age
  • EPP curricular resources: EPP educational resources
  • EPP webinar series: Youth-Led Inquiry, Connection, and Action: Redesigning Civic Education for the Digital Age
  • EPP charts: Core Practices for Educating for Participatory Politics
  • Ten questions to consider as a civic actor: YPP Action Frame

Related Posts

December 12, 2022 ConnectedLib Toolkit 2.0: Bringing Connected Learning to Small and Rural Libraries

November 14, 2022 Building Relationships, Building Projects: Engaging Families in Joyful, Creative, and Caring Experiences in Computing

A young Black boy with glasses types and sits in front of a large computer monitor.

November 1, 2022 Education During COVID: The Voice Of Teachers Across Canada and the US

Categories

  • Civic Engagement
  • Connected Learning
  • Critical Perspectives
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Digital Learning
  • Edtech
  • Educational Practice
  • Equity
  • Featured
  • HX
  • New Trends
  • Research
  • Youth Well-Being

Blog Archive

  • 2023
    • 2022
      • January 2022
      • February 2022
      • April 2022
      • May 2022
      • June 2022
      • July 2022
      • August 2022
      • September 2022
      • October 2022
      • November 2022
      • December 2022
    • 2021
      • January 2021
      • February 2021
      • March 2021
      • April 2021
      • May 2021
      • June 2021
      • July 2021
      • August 2021
      • September 2021
      • October 2021
      • November 2021
      • December 2021
    • 2020
      • January 2020
      • February 2020
      • March 2020
      • April 2020
      • May 2020
      • June 2020
      • July 2020
      • August 2020
      • September 2020
      • October 2020
      • November 2020
      • December 2020
    • 2019
      • January 2019
      • February 2019
      • March 2019
      • April 2019
      • May 2019
      • June 2019
      • July 2019
      • August 2019
      • September 2019
      • October 2019
      • November 2019
      • December 2019
    • 2018
      • January 2018
      • February 2018
      • March 2018
      • April 2018
      • May 2018
      • June 2018
      • July 2018
      • August 2018
      • September 2018
      • October 2018
      • November 2018
      • December 2018
    • 2017
      • January 2017
      • February 2017
      • March 2017
      • April 2017
      • May 2017
      • June 2017
      • July 2017
      • August 2017
      • September 2017
      • October 2017
      • November 2017
      • December 2017
    • 2016
      • January 2016
      • February 2016
      • March 2016
      • April 2016
      • May 2016
      • June 2016
      • July 2016
      • August 2016
      • September 2016
      • October 2016
      • November 2016
      • December 2016
    • 2015
      • January 2015
      • February 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015
      • May 2015
      • June 2015
      • July 2015
      • August 2015
      • September 2015
      • October 2015
      • November 2015
      • December 2015
    • 2014
      • January 2014
      • February 2014
      • March 2014
      • April 2014
      • May 2014
      • June 2014
      • July 2014
      • August 2014
      • September 2014
      • October 2014
      • November 2014
      • December 2014
    • 2013
      • January 2013
      • February 2013
      • March 2013
      • April 2013
      • May 2013
      • June 2013
      • July 2013
      • August 2013
      • September 2013
      • October 2013
      • November 2013
      • December 2013
    • 2012
      • January 2012
      • February 2012
      • March 2012
      • April 2012
      • May 2012
      • June 2012
      • July 2012
      • August 2012
      • September 2012
      • October 2012
      • November 2012
      • December 2012
    • 2011
      • January 2011
      • February 2011
      • March 2011
      • April 2011
      • May 2011
      • June 2011
      • July 2011
      • August 2011
      • September 2011
      • October 2011
      • November 2011
      • December 2011
    • 2010
      • January 2010
      • February 2010
      • March 2010
      • April 2010
      • May 2010
      • June 2010
      • July 2010
      • August 2010
      • September 2010
      • October 2010
      • November 2010
      • December 2010
    • 2009
      • October 2009
      • November 2009
      • December 2009

    Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with our latest news and information.

    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • Connected Learning in Teaching Practice
    • Connected Learning Research Network
    • Connected Learning in Libraries
    • Connected Educators
    • Connected Courses
    • Connected Civics
    • Institute of Play

    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Work With Us
    • Media
    • Write for Us
    • People
    • Newsletter
    • CLRN
    • CL Summit
    • CL Lab