COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN

SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Major in Educational Leadership and Management

Course Code: DELM 313

Course Title: DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF
ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY SYSTEM
Discussant: MS. EDITHA I. BALLESTEROS
Professor: DR. EUGENIA B. RAMOS

TOPIC/S: The Role of Schools in Addressing Contemporary Issues

 The Role of Schools in Imparting Democratic Education

 The Importance of Character Education and Skills Development

 The Role of Schools in Imparting Democratic Education

What comes to mind when you think of democracy? For many people, the
word democracy elicits thoughts of freedom and autonomy from government or at
least full choice in governmental decisions.
The concepts of choice and control are at the heart of democratic education.
Choice, the ability to have autonomy in the direction of one's own educational path,
and control, the ability to decide how to approach major educational needs, are the
two main principles of democratic education. Students are given choice and control
over their own educational careers.

Logistics of Democratic Education

It is easy to say that students should have choice in their educational paths and
control over their own educational goals, but what does that mean in the actual
classroom?
In the most democratic classrooms, teachers should creatively engage students in
activities that are of the students' choosing. For some students, this may mean quiet
worksheets, but for many, this is most likely hands-on manipulative work. Students
should be allowed to choose an area of study, and the entire educational plan should
revolve around that subject area. (For instance, if the students like space and vote on
having a space unit then all subject matter should pertain to space.)
 Class schedules should be open for debate and vote so that all students in the
class feel as if they have had a voice in the decision-making process of day-to-day
educational tasks. If it is feasible, students should be allowed to work to their own
schedules, but if not, a class vote to decide on time tables will suffice.
From a school-wide perspective, democratic education takes the form of
student body government with real power to make decisions for the school in areas
such as educational planning and programs to be offered.
Benefits of Democratic Education
The most important benefit of democratic education is student ownership of
their education. When people own their choices, they are more engaged in making
those choices work to their own benefit and good. When a choice is pushed on a
person without consent, the person does not have a sense of ownership, and thus, does
not always feel compelled to work to make the situation a success.
However, when they have chosen a path, they do not want to fail because they
own the choice, and thus, will own the failure as well. Ownership leads to
engagement, which leads to success in education, and that is the goal of every
educational approach.
Other, more objective, benefits are:
 Higher attendance
 Greater participation in educational activities
 Higher student achievement
 Increased intrinsic motivation
Finally, democratic education teaches students the value of being a true
participant in one's own environment and making sure one's own voice is heard. This
prepares students for a future in a democratic state. By teaching students that their
voices are important and can make a difference, you raise adults who believe that they
can change the world as long as they are prepared to be involved in the process.

Concerns in Democratic Education

The greatest concern for any educator considering creating a democratic

education environment is authenticity. If students are asked to voice their opinions, or
even take a vote on a topic, and then their decisions are not responded to, they will
lose all faith in the process. To truly have a democratic education environment, with
all the benefits it offers students, the adult educators must be fully signed on to the
process.
School councils are recently a common development, with most schools
having representative bodies that include student leaders. Increasingly schools are
looking to involve pupils effectively in important aspects of school life, hence a sense
of democracy in the schools.
In this case, schools need to work upon the growing amount of experience by
developing structures, providing for the effective involvement of pupils in democratic
procedures. This will stimulate the sense responsibilities and leadership, in the pupils.
It would also provide the pupils/ students with the real experience to influence and
make decisions in matters which affect their lives inside and outside schools.
How students can participate in democratic processes in schools
 Making contributions to the day to day activities of the class and
school
 Taking responsibility for their actions, by making rules together and
supporting them
 Participating in decision-making processes of the school life, relating it
with the democratic processes such as councils, parliaments,
government and voting.
 Showing understanding of how changes are effected in the school and
the society as a whole.
 Evaluating the effectiveness of different ways in which change can be
brought and implemented at different stages in life.
 Participating effectively in school and community-based activities.
Therefore it is vital that students are provided with structured opportunities to
explore actively on aspects, issues and events through school and community
involvement. Activities such as role play, case studies and critical discussions that are
challenging and lives relevant to their growth can be used to facilitate this process.
Students should be given the opportunity to learn from their bad decisions and
mistakes.

“Failure is instructive. The person, who really thinks, learns quite as much from his
failures as from his successes.” ― John Dewey .
  The Importance of Character Education and Skills Development
Character education represents a relationship between knowledge, values and
skills necessary for success in life. By knowledge, we refer to two kinds of
knowledge:
a) general knowledge; that is, knowledge that encompasses a wide subject range and
b) specialized knowledge obtained via extensive reading and training in a particular
area or field of studies. Values, on the other hand, are the beliefs and moral codes of a
person or a society about what is good and bad which tend to influence attitudes and
behaviors. Lastly, skills – or better life skills – are the abilities that individuals possess
acquired via teaching, training, or direct experience that enable them to cope with the
demands and challenges of everyday life.
The need for character education lies in the ‘moral crisis’ found in today’s
societies. Character education is important and necessary as modern societies are
struggling with disturbing trends such as racism, xenophobia, violence, to name a few.
Character education can help people build good character that in turn can help build
good societies. Thomas Lickona, a leading expert in character education, has written
extensively about the need for character education today, citing several reasons for its
importance, such as:
There is a clear and urgent need. Young people are increasingly
hurting themselves and others and are decreasingly concerned about
contributing to the welfare of others.
Transmitting values is and always has been the work of civilization. A
society needs values education to survive and thrive. Historically, this
is a role shared by home, school, and faith communities.
There is common, ethical ground, even in our value-conflicted society.
Democracies have a special need for moral education because
democracy is government by the people themselves.
The great questions facing both the individual person and the human
race are moral questions. Of utmost importance: How should I live my
life? How can we live with one another?
What is Skills Development?
Skills development is the process of (1) identifying your skill gaps, and (2)
developing and honing these skills. It is important because your skills determine your
ability to execute your plans with success.
Imagine a carpenter trying to build a house. He has the raw materials but lacks
good wood working tools. He has, however, a flimsy hammer and a small
screwdriver. Without the right tools like a hand saw, he can’t turn these raw materials
into house building pieces.
It is well said by an individual, “Education is more important but skill is the most
important”.

Why are Life Skills important?

Life Skills are important as these bring positive effects in the life of an
individual. In this 21st century, all these skills are essential to gain success not only
for a healthy society but also for successful individuals. Thus, it is important to evolve
skill training among children from an early age itself.

What is Life Skills Education?

Activities like critical thinking, creative art & craft work, decision-making,
problem-solving, an ability to collaborate & communicate along with a sense of
responsibility towards personal as well as society at large, to contribute good
citizenship comes under Life Skill.

Life Skill Education in Schools

These life skills must be made compulsory in school education as without
learning these skills, children can struggle when it comes about real-world
responsibilities. Therefore, it becomes necessary that schools provide their students
with these types of basic mental, social & physical skills to make them ready for
leading a better after-school life. Overall, it can be said that these life skills should
also be brought into high-school education. Concluding all this, there are lots of skills
that children must need for their future. Some of these are:

1. Collaboration across networks

2. Finding new ways of problem-solving ability with Critical thinking.
 3. Imagination & Curiosity
4. Agility & Adaptability
5. Initiative & Entrepreneurialism
6. Oral & written effective communication
7. Accessing & analyzing information.
8. Potential to lead by influence
9. Working well as part of a team
10. Time and People management

The Importance of Life Skills

In a constantly changing environment, having life skills is a basic part of being

able to address the difficulties of regular day to day existences. The dramatic changes
in global worldwide economies over the course of the recent five years have been
coordinated with the change in innovation technology. All these are putting a greater
impact on education, the working environment and at our home life.

To be able to cope up with the increasing pace and change of present-day life,
students need to learn life skills, for example, the capacity to manage pressure and
disappointment.

Benefits for the Individual

In regular day to day life, the development of life skills encourages students to:
1. Encourages them to take responsibility for what they do, instead of shifting blames.
2. Build confidence both in speaking skills, for group collaboration & cooperation
with joint effort and participation.
3. Analyze various alternatives, make decisions and understand why they make
certain specific decisions outside the classroom.
4. Develop a greater sense of self-awareness, feeling of mindfulness and an
appreciation for other people.
5. The capacity to self-manage, tackle issues while understanding individual
responsibilities.
6. Readiness and flexibility to various jobs in adaptable workplaces.
7. Help them develop self-confidence & higher self-esteem.
8. Give them a voice in their group, community, society & at schools.
9. Enable them to make a positive contribution by developing experience & expertise
within them.
10. Prepare them for upcoming challenges, difficult situations as well as opportunities
in their later life.

Benefits for Society as a Whole

The more we develop life skills individually, the more these benefit the world
in which we live by recognizing cultural awareness and citizenship makes
international cooperation easier with people of other societies and by respecting
diversity to allow creativity and imagination to flourish a more developed society.
Vocational & life skills need to be encouraged. These factors are the reason that
developing countries like India should invest in skill development for youth with
proper education. In short, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”

References:
BENNINGA, J.S., 1997. Schools, character development and citizenship. In: MOLNAR, A. (Ed). The construction of children’s
character. Ninety-sixth yearbook of the National Society for the study of Education, part two. Chicago: The University of
Chicago Press, pp. 77-96.
https://www.theasianschool.net/blog/importance-of-skill-development-in-education/