“Education for Democracy” (Volume I) is a teacher-support manual developed by the Council of Europe as part of its Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (EDC/HRE) series. It provides theoretical foundations, practical guidance, teaching approaches, assessment tools and classroom activities for developing democratic citizenship and human-rights competencies. The volume covers democracy, political participation, children’s rights, democratic school governance, critical thinking, cooperative learning, task-based learning, assessment and student participation.
Why it matters for ENACT-AI
Although the resource is not specifically about AI, it provides a strong pedagogical foundation for developing critical thinking, evaluating political issues, participating in democratic processes and understanding how citizens can engage responsibly with information. Its methods can be adapted to AI-related topics such as misinformation, algorithmic influence, AI and democracy, and the critical evaluation of digital information.
Learning outcomes
Learners will be able to:
Understand fundamental concepts related to democracy, citizenship and human rights.
Develop competences needed for active democratic participation.
Analyse political and social issues from different perspectives.
Develop and justify their own opinions and judgements.
Practise critical thinking and constructive discussion.
Work cooperatively and participate in democratic decision-making.
Evaluate information and use different sources for research.
Reflect on their own learning, attitudes and participation.
Understand the relationship between individual rights, responsibilities and democratic society.
Suggested activity
Use the student activity “Internet Search” together with the tool for “Moderating plenary activities (discussion and critical thinking).” Give learners a controversial question related to AI and democracy, such as whether AI-generated political content should be labelled. Students research the issue using several online sources, compare the reliability and perspectives of the sources, identify arguments for and against the proposal, and then participate in a moderated classroom discussion. They finish by reflecting on how the quality and reliability of information affected their judgement. The manual explicitly includes Internet research, discussion, critical thinking and debate as learning tools.