2021 IAS Rainmaker Start up grant ShiftEd: Lewis Deep Democracy in Education

This project will examine the implementation and pilot of a manualized programme for training teachers in the use of democratic processes in the classroom to improve students’ active listening, confidence in voicing views, dealing with tension and achieving resolution. Volunteer teachers will participate in training sessions and receive support from the programme facilitators over six months. Educators’ enrolment profiles, time series surveys and in-depth participant stories of most significant change will provide insights into the training processes, implementation and impact on student skills. Students’ perceptions of the classroom experiences will be included pending ethical considerations. Following this first phase of research, the project will conduct a scaled up implementation and impact study in other Australian jurisdictions. The network has potential for comparative studies with Belgium, Turkey, South Africa, Germany and the Netherlands.