Embracing the Social Inquiry of Democratic Pedagogy: Digital Video Production as Embodied Democratic Practice

• In Event: Exploration of Civic and Politics Education

Abstract

Critical democratic pedagogy is distinct from traditional approaches to democratic education because of its embodiment of critical democratic practice in instructional approaches that prioritize the development of students’ sociopolitical consciousness, intellectual self-determination, authentic civic communities, and Socratic questioning. Through a cross-case analysis of two qualitative studies of digital video production for social inquiry in secondary classrooms, we offer digital video production as a uniquely powerful embodiment of critically reading the world through authentic, relational, and question-driven explorations of social issues. This experience of embodied democratic practice is a catalyst for students’ developing sociopolitical consciousness. (94)

Authors

• Melissa Leigh Gibson, Marquette University

• Candance Doerr-Stevens, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee