On civics education. ESRI Memorandum Series 78

Raven, John (1964) On civics education. ESRI Memorandum Series 78. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Perhaps more than any other subject civics can be used to encourage pupils to develop the tendency to notice socially important problems, and to take on themselves the responsibility for doing something about them, to develop integrated thought-action strategies which involve developing the tendency to spontaneously engage in effective behavior-to be sensitive to the feelings that indicate that all is not as well as it might be, to bring these up into full conciousness and think about the situation to translate these thoughts into effective action by collecting relevant data (and shutting off and ignoring irrelevant data, such as most of what pupils are taught at school) sifting relevant data from irrelevant information, analysing situations, planning action strategies, anticipating obstacles to goal attainment, seeking out needed help and information, seeking out resources, tracking on progress toward one’s goals and, if necessary, taking effective corrective action, making use of the cues available from the environment which indicate ways of improving the effectiveness of what one is doing, working with others, learning to lead and to follow: learning to articulate goals and means to their attainment, learning to build up one’s own understanding of a total plan of action and one’s own part within it without having to be told exactly what to do and when to do it.

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