Basic Steps for Democratic Existence and Education
Talk with people, not to them.
Educators aim to teach critical thinking, human rights, and conflict resolution skills to students as 21st-century skills by using old teaching styles such as setting rules FOR students, lecturing them, and punishing them without explaining the reason. 21st-century skills cannot be built by using these authoritative teaching styles by both teachers and parents.
I would like to mention a more effective and useful path for democratic education that anyone can use to live in a democratic way. You can use these steps whether for your children, housemates, or parents. These steps should be considered as a baseline to create a democratic environment. Alfred Adler, who is an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology, emphasized democratic education and its steps to build a just society. Oberst and Stewart (2013) stated five basic measures of democratic education.
- Taking instead of lecturing
This is simply the definition of being a democratic person. As Confucius stated:
“Don’t do unto others what you don’t want done unto you.”
Behave in a way that you want others to act to you! It is a simple step like this. Try to give attention to what they need in a healthy way
2. Encouragement
Encouragement can be considered as “social reinforcement”. It includes giving attention to the action, not the person. Thus, encouragement means avoiding the criticisms and emphasizing the strengths and positive aspects of the person when the person fails or there is a problem while reaching the goals.
3. Using natural and logical consequences instead of punishing
I explained logical and natural consequences in a detailed way in this story. It might be useful to check it as well. Punishment includes humiliation and inferiority. Using logical and natural consequences serve established basic rules. These rules are accepted by both parties. Thus, it is different from punishment and there are still some consequences of the not-proper actions.
4. Avoiding critical situations
Critical situations may include power-seeking behaviors. Most of the debates might happen because one party refuses to obey an order and try to do something forbidden. This brings a hierarchical situation and continuous superiority/ inferiority. In this case, natural and logical consequences can be evaluated as punishments as well.
If there is no enemy, there can be no victory!
If this is the case, rules should be checked and collaboration should be provided as opposed to fighting.
5. Living together
Establishments of councils are the fundamental way of living together. It could be family councils, classroom councils, or the ‘home councils’ that you can create with your housemates. This is how everyone can establish, discuss, and check the rules again.
Talk WITH People, not TO them!
