How to create and guide a class council?

Kontext / Contexte

Democracy education is one of the three pillars of the Ecole internationale Gaston Thorn. Creating a class council in primary education allows children at a young age to become aware of their needs and wishes and to communicate them, to their class teachers and to the school management. The children learn by applying and in this way develop into attentive children capable of dealing with conflicts.

Zielsetzung / Objectifs

Knowledge
The participants will learn:
- what participation means in everyday class life and why it is important
- why a class council is used and what the aims of a class council are.

Know-how
The participants will be able to:
- familiarise themselves with basic grassroots of democratic methods, e.g. collective decision-making by voting
- prepare and conduct a class council.

Posture
The participants will:
- be aware of the importance of democratic participation of their pupils
- want to implement the class council method in their daily work or extend its use
- give their pupils more say in everyday school life.

Inhalt / Contenu

- Introduction to the topic: democratic school culture, participation, class council
- explanation of the class council method (e.g. prerequisites, procedures, roles)
- practical development of a class council concept for own lessons
- explanation and provision of materials.

Arbeitsformen / Approche méthodologique

- Paper
- discussion
- individual and group work.

Referent, Referentin / Formateur, formatrice

Vanessa Reinsch, Zentrum fir politesch Bildung (ZpB)
Michel Torres, Zentrum fir politesch Bildung (ZpB)