Lesson 3: Draft statutes
Living Democracy » Textbooks » Taking part in democracy » Part 2 – Taking part in politics: settling conflict, solving problems » UNIT 7: EQUALITY » Lesson 3: Draft statutesComparing ideas in institutional design to solve the majority/minority issue
| This matrix sums up the information a teacher needs to plan and deliver the lesson. Competence training refers directly to EDC/HRE. The learning objective indicates what students know and understand. The student task(s), together with the method, form the core element of the learning process. The materials checklist supports lesson preparation. The time budget gives a rough guideline for the teacher’s time management. |
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| Competence training | Giving brief presentations, comparing and judging ideas and reasoning. |
| Learning objective | Institutional design involves criteria such as feasibility, fairness and stability. |
| Student tasks | The students explore criteria of institutional design. They give presentations and compare their ideas. |
| Materials and Resources | Student handout 7.4 Matrix for the students’ presentations (blackboard or flipcharts). Five A4 sheets with markers per group; glue stick or tape. |
| Method | Group presentations, plenary discussion. |
| Time budget | 1. Presentations: draft statutes for the sports club. (30 min) |
| 2. Comparison of the draft statutes. (10 min) | |
Information boxThis lesson devotes most of the speaking time to the students. The groups are given the opportunity to express their views (participation), provided their presentations are ready, and the speakers must observe the time limit (efficiency). Participation depends on efficiency. Working efficiently is a prerequisite for taking part in democracy. For this reason, training methodical skills is important in EDC/HRE. |
Lesson description
1. Student presentations
The teacher outlines the agenda: the group speakers give their presentations, referring to the key questions in student handout 7.3. These questions reappear in the matrix. They refer to criteria of institutional design – feasibility, fairness, stability.
The teacher draws the matrix on three flipcharts or the blackboard. To reduce writing time, the teacher attaches A4 size sheets of paper to the matrix showing the key questions. This is also a demonstration of the method of presentation that the students are to use.
| Key questions | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Comparison |
| Distribution of funds: how? | |||||
| Who decides on distribution? | |||||
| Autonomy for groups? | |||||
| Non-discrimination? | |||||
| … |
Each group has up to six minutes for its presentation. The groups present their results in turn. The teacher chairs this presentation session. The students should not begin a discussion before having heard all presentations. However, the presenters should explain the reasons for their group’s suggestions.
The teacher encourages the presenters to face the class, and not to establish eye contact with the teacher alone.
A second team member is responsible for recording the Information. This student makes brief notes in the sections provided on the blackboard or, preferably, the flipchart (an overhead transparency can also be used). The students take notes in their student handouts. This record provides the material for the discussion in the following lesson.
The teacher encourages the presenters to explain the reasons for their group’s suggestions.
2. Comparing the draft statutes
The students compare the modeis before judging them. While the group presentations were structured vertically in columns, answering the key questions in succession, the students now switch their perspective and read the matrix across the rows horizontally, comparing the groups’ responses to one particular key question. In the last column, the teacher, who chairs this lesson phase, notes the students’ fmdings.
The students keep their own record on student handout 7.4.
3. Homework – preparing inputs for the discussion
The teacher explains that the students are to begin the next lesson with their inputs. Which of the draft statutes is most convincing in their opinion – and for what reasons?
Student handout 7.4 offers key questions for judging the statute, and also gives the students instructions on how to use these questions, and explains their purpose in EDC/HRE.
