4 Participation

4.2 Promoting participation

How can schools create experiential spaces for participation to adequately prepare pupils for their lives as responsible citizens?

1. Teach and train crucial skills

Create opportunities for your pupils to try out and practice important skills they need for participation:

• To recognise and respect one's own needs and those of fellow human beings. (Security and survival)
• To form one's own opinion and to be able to formulate it clearly. (Power)
• To be aware of one's abilities but also of one's limits. (Power)
• To be actively involved without excluding or dominating others. (Power)
• To make decisions and weigh up the consequences beforehand. (Freedom)
• To coordinate with others and make the common good important. (Love and belonging)
• To be open-minded and willing to leave one's comfort zone. (Fun)
• To be able to be enthusiastic about a cause and to commit oneself to it. (Fun)

2. Establish democratic values

In the chapter 4, Strengthening democratic values, we described how to build a democratic culture in classrooms. It is very important to establish a democratic culture before offering participation opportunities to your pupils, otherwise the rules will not be clear and there is a risk that the quieter or shyer pupils will be overlooked.

3. Strengthen the pupils' ability to work in a team

Train your pupils in team skills by having them work in groups more often and then reflect on their cooperation.

4. Create a supportive feedback and error culture

Create a working atmosphere in which your pupils are allowed to show themselves as learners in the most positive sense. This also means being allowed to make mistakes, to admit weaknesses, and to give constructive and benevolent feedback to others. 4.

5. Keep the right pace

Challenge your pupils, but do not overwhelm them. The different steps of the participation ladder can help you to climb one step at a time according to the maturity of the pupils.