CIVITAS: International Civic Education Exchange Program
Strengthening Democracy: The Role of the Citizen
January 23-29, 2008

• The Michigan Center for Civic Education (Michigan)
  the Center for Education in Law and Democracy (Colorado)
  the Law-Related Education Center of the Oklahoma Bar Association
I expected
• to learn more about the governmental systems in Czech and Slovak republics
• to meet teachers from the Czech and Slovak republics to exchange ideas and history
• to learn new teaching strategies to take back to my classroom
• to meet dynamic and passionate teachers of Civic Education
• to share ideas and learn about Czech and Slovak culture
• to engage in crosscultural discussion about teaching civicslearning experience about Czech and Slovak point of view of citizen and democratic government
• dialogue with other teachers from Czech and Slovak republics about teaching democracy
• to dialogue about democracy and different ideas about citizenship
• meeting different people
• learning new lessons for the classroom
• to gain info and techniques about teaching civics in my classroom
I have learned
• some strategies to use in the classroom to teach more democratic practices from other countries, ex.> multiparty activity in a parliamentary system
• So much! I have learned all about another cultures and governments.- about the differences in the Parliamentary v. Presidential systems
• what I have expected and more
• I always enjoy that the same issues that American people wrestle with that people in other countries deal with
• multi-party system, Czech/Slovak history, politics, sentiment
• greater appreciation of Czech/Slovak culture/ teaching influence of history / experience of views
• importance of history to current civic life democracy as Amer. see it so influential by an early beginning history of the Czech and Slovak republics
• influence of government in the participation of people
• the bias and defacto segregation seen all over the world
• the views of „participation“ depending on your society
• the progress and process of the our democratic government sabout the different perspectives from a „newer“ democracy and their views of citizenship
• more about the Parliamentary practice
• more about different historical events in both our countries and in Europe
• a lot about the Czech and Slovak trials and tribulations through their history
• that teachers in all areas face similar challenges with teaching democratic principles
• Civitas-CZ (Czech Republic)
• Orava Association for Democratic Education (Slovakia)