Should politics be taught in schools?

[Lizard]

I came to the conclusion that a lot of people in the UK have no knowledge in politics and thus effectively blind vote and vote for whoever isn't running the country half the time as they don't really know who stands for what.

In some countries people are educated a little on politics and thus they have more of an understanding of who they really support.

So should people have a basic education in politics?

 

[PeterJB]

I think it should at least be a compulsory subject up until Year 9, and then be optional for GCSEs and A levels.

It would make a very well-rounded subject of study. Students could be taught about the political spectrum, how governments work, the history of politics etc.

 

[TyrrellRacing]

I think teacher personal bias would be extremely prevalent. Also, isn't how the Government works already taught? It's taught in my school, albeit simplified.

 

[BobK]

What's taught in schools (here anyway, and back when I was in school) is how politics *should* work, not how it actually works. No mention of backroom deals for instance, not in the civics classes anyway.

 

[Johnnypenso]

What's taught in schools (here anyway, and back when I was in school) is how politics *should* work, not how it actually works. No mention of backroom deals for instance, not in the civics classes anyway.

So lie to the kids and don't tell them how things really work in the real world? I disagree with that completely.

I think it should be taught, but from an unbiased perspective. The curriculum should be clearly laid out as with any course, and the teacher's personal bias left at the classroom door. Any teacher taught giving their own political views or supporting a personal agenda should be disciplined or fired.

 

[Lizard]

So lie to the kids and don't tell them how things really work in the real world? I disagree with that completely.

I think it should be taught, but from an unbiased perspective. The curriculum should be clearly laid out as with any course, and the teacher's personal bias left at the classroom door. Any teacher taught giving their own political views or supporting a personal agenda should be disciplined or fired.

I agree that bias should not come into it. Just the facts.

It seems to work at universities as they do politics courses and I would imagine it would be known by now if they were terribly biased.

 

[Liquid]

I agree that bias should not come into it. Just the facts.

It seems to work at universities as they do politics courses and I would imagine it would be known by now if they were terribly biased.

While I can see the logic, the difference in levels of maturity between schoolchildren and university students is quite significant. It's difficult enough teaching midteens anything, let alone something as 'boring' as politics.

Not everybody likes or would want to study politics, so if anything, it should be an optional module. I for one would have loved to have studied politics at school, in addition to what I actually did of researching it myself in my own time, but I fear that I would have been in a significant minority out of my schoolyear in wanting to learn that.

 

[Lizard]

While I can see the logic, the difference in levels of maturity between schoolchildren and university students is quite significant. It's difficult enough teaching midteens anything, let alone something as 'boring' as politics.

Not everybody likes or would want to study politics, so if anything, it should be an optional module. I for one would have loved to have studied politics at school, in addition to what I actually did of researching it myself in my own time, but I fear that I would have been in a significant minority out of my schoolyear in wanting to learn that.

I am not suggesting anything with too much depth. What I am suggesting is that people have a basic outline of who puts forward what ideas so they can have an idea of who they would actually like to vote for. Nothing in the detail required for a job in that sector.

 

[Keef]

...they don't really know who stands for what.

Even if they knew what everybody stood for it wouldn't help if the kids don't know what to stand for and why.

So should people have a basic education in politics?

No. Politics if nothing but an art of manipulation - a completely fraudulent "science", like "constitutional law" here in the States, which only serves the purpose of overcomplicating its material to the point of confusion, opening strategic opportunities for the manipulator.

What people need to learn is logic and problem solving. There's a difference between learning about how our government was designed to work and why it was designed to work that way. Issues like these need to be deciphered for a more complete understanding of why things don't work anymore and how they should be.

For example, the word democracy is thrown around a lot here in the US. Most people have no idea what that is or what it entails, clearly, because if they did they'd understand that we don't have a democracy and never should. Students in school should understand this fully and passionately. The first time those high school kids hear their teacher talk about our democracy they should question him until he realizes he was wrong.

 

[Lock2Lock]

Honestly it and religion both shouldn't be taught in schools. When i was in high school I found myself learning things that were totally irrelevant to what I wanted to do when I got out of high school.

In my honest opinion. Say for example I am wanting to major in computer science. I think high school there should be classes that are nessasary for learning that before you go the college.

I don't want to take gym, zoology, and some of these history classes when they honestly will not help me succeed in my career path.

Maybe it should be there as someone may want to be a some sort of politician, judge, ect
so maybe then that is a class that they would be needing to take.

 

[Danoff]

Even if they knew what everybody stood for it wouldn't help if the kids don't know what to stand for and why.


No. Politics if nothing but an art of manipulation - a completely fraudulent "science", like "constitutional law" here in the States, which only serves the purpose of overcomplicating its material to the point of confusion, opening strategic opportunities for the manipulator.

What people need to learn is logic and problem solving. There's a difference between learning about how our government was designed to work and why it was designed to work that way. Issues like these need to be deciphered for a more complete understanding of why things don't work anymore and how they should be.

For example, the word democracy is thrown around a lot here in the US. Most people have no idea what that is or what it entails, clearly, because if they did they'd understand that we don't have a democracy and never should. Students in school should understand this fully and passionately. The first time those high school kids hear their teacher talk about our democracy they should question him until he realizes he was wrong.

This.

 

[Lizard]

Honestly it and religion both shouldn't be taught in schools. When i was in high school I found myself learning things that were totally irrelevant to what I wanted to do when I got out of high school.

In my honest opinion. Say for example I am wanting to major in computer science. I think high school there should be classes that are nessasary for learning that before you go the college.

I don't want to take gym, zoology, and some of these history classes when they honestly will not help me succeed in my career path.

Maybe it should be there as someone may want to be a some sort of politician, judge, ect
so maybe then that is a class that they would be needing to take.

That wasn't the point of the lessons. The point was so you know who you want to vote for come election day rather than just voting for some guy who looks good.

 

[Joel]

I had a civics class that basically went over the general way our government worked. It went over how the riding system works, how MP's are elected, etc etc. It was non biased and factual in elementary school, but when I took it in high school it was hilarious. The teacher basically just bashed the 3 big parties (Conservative, Liberal, and New Democratic) for all their hypocrisy, and went off about how the average Canadian effectively works 7 months of the year to pay taxes. It was pretty funny, but overall I agree with Keef and Danoff, I don't think it's enough to just say "these guys are for green subsidies, and these guys are for oil subsidies", there needs to be a better focus on logically asking why these things are or aren't good for the economy and for the country, rather than just displaying the platforms as logically sound even if they may or may not be.

 

[Lock2Lock]

That wasn't the point of the lessons. The point was so you know who you want to vote for come election day rather than just voting for some guy who looks good.

Agreed that should be taught.

 

[Dean]

It's important, so yes, it should be taught.

 

[Danoff]

It's important, so yes, it should be taught.

Which current subject do you think it is more important than?

 

[Rykon Zero]

You mean to tell me that you can't shoehorn politics into curriculum somewhere?

 

[Danoff]

You mean to tell me that you can't shoehorn politics into curriculum somewhere?

Ok, even if we do presume that there is room to shoehorn a politics class into the school curriculum (which is not really true), is it the most important subject to shoehorn in? Economics, for example, is barely taught in schools in the US, and would be far far more important to "shoehorn" in.

 

[Dean]

Which current subject do you think it is more important than?

It depends on which subjects, I can choose from, honestly. Subjects varies (I think) from country to country. In Denmark, it's a part of social studies, - I don't know, if it's the same way in other countries. I personally find P. E., woodshop and cooking (and etc.) less important, and I know some might differ from my opinion.

I would have said math as well, as I'm not that good, but it's important as well.


And economic isn't taught in Denmark either (you can choose it after you've completed the "minimum years"; 10 years which is 0 to 9th grade), and that honestly work fine, here. - Couldn't the US government teach this in math? I find it odd, that it's a "lonely" subject, but that might be because of the way the Danish educational system is.

 

[wfooshee]

We can't even teach science, supposedly the most unbiased, most completely evidence-based subject it's possible to have, without someone telling us they don't want their kids learning that. How the hell are we gonna teach politics?

What needs to be taught is thinking. All the rest will follow. Kids want the answers to the tests, not the knowledge behind those answers, and until that motivation is corrected, nothing else will work.

It's amazing that my stepkids think I'm smart because I know so much. I don't know jack about anything, but I know how to find what I need to know about something, whether that's an old-school library and encyclopedia, or modern-times Google searches. My daughter wants to memorize EVERYTHING! From a list. "Give me the answers and I'll take the test." I could never convince her that learning how to solve meant she could know ANYTHING.

Give a man a fish vs. teach him to fish. We have to teach our kids to fish.

 

[analog]

I've had the basics of our political system taught at school which I think it should be, but as for explaining the content and aim of each political party and the general day to day reality of politics, I've found it was mostly useless.

In hindsight (when I had already selftaught these things), it was easy to see the clear bias (deliberate or not) being expressed by several teachers, be it leftwing or rightwing.
I've went through the usual stages of naive idealism to increasing cynicism and eventual pragmatism without any of what I've been taught playing any role in that (also it obviously didn't take into account the completely changed political spectrum since and the arrival of new parties).

You can't teach people to be interested in politics either, other than making clear it's important to get informed and hope they're able to make a proper judgement (whatever that might be) of the current situation when it's time to vote.
It's a voluntary responsibility foremost which requires getting up to date information and perhaps a thing called life experience, which simply can't be taught at school.

 

[Danoff]

My daughter wants to memorize EVERYTHING! From a list. "Give me the answers and I'll take the test." I could never convince her that learning how to solve meant she could know ANYTHING.

Memorization is commonly confused with intelligence and understanding. Your daughter probably has that inclination because her teachers don't understand the difference. I know my school teachers were constantly on me to memorize dates, names, etc. Almost none of that stuck with me of course, but the underlying theory has in many cases.

I couldn't tell you the dates of just about anything regarding the civil war. I don't know the names of many of the people involved, I don't even know for sure which side certain states fought on (I know some, but not others). But I could write several essays on the laws, reasoning, and motivation behind what caused the war and why that matters to us.

 

[ShobThaBob]

I wish people were taught about the importance of state, local, and congressional elections. Those lawmakers have far more impact on our day to day lives than the President ever could.

 

[Dean]

Give a man a fish vs. teach him to fish. We have to teach our kids to fish.

I couldn't agree more. I've been like you describe it, - I know I'm still young, but I think that's just the way "my" generation is. "I'd like 'to learn how to fish', but I would rather 'have the fish' without doing anything", is basically what I used to think.

 

[DK]

I remember my old CSPE (Civic, Social and Political Education) classes when I was in 1st-3rd year (7th-9th grade) - barely anyone took it seriously.

 

[Akmuq]

I remember my old CSPE (Civic, Social and Political Education) classes when I was in 1st-3rd year (7th-9th grade) - barely anyone took it seriously.

"What can you do to raise awareness of Road Safety?"

"Draw a poster."

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Politics could easily replace any religious subjects in school, as both are related to lying to the masses of followers.

 

[BobK]

So lie to the kids and don't tell them how things really work in the real world? I disagree with that completely.

I was stating a fact, not voicing an opinion. Please do not put words in my mouth.

 

[XoravaX]

Politics could easily replace any religious subjects in school, as both are related to lying to the masses of followers.

Nah, at least here politics are a part of civic studies, but that depending on the teacher allows the teacher to indoctrinate the students to his/her own views: our teachers often discreetly bash the leftists and anti-nationalists, be they language, history or civics teachers; though it doesn't matter because most of the students in my school are already anti-socialists. But why would we need politics as a separate subject when it's already taught in civics? In the US or UK maybe, but I think it should be just a part of the civic studies there too.

Religion, as nowadays by our national curriculum should be taught as non-denominational only (ie. history of Christianity and other religions and what they teach). I believe no EU countries still allow religion to surpass science in explaining our origin etc., except in the private catholic schools.


Indoctrination already occurs through other subjects like history and native language lessons though.

To recall a few, our high school (upper secondary) history teacher held one lesson of western Allied actions violating the Hague and Geneva treaties (bombing of eg. Dresden and Tokyo with the intent of killing civilians; nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing surrendered German soldiers without trial etc.): the same amount as Axis war crimes was taught of; then another lesson of Soviet crimes against humanity before and during WWII. Of course the German war crimes were taught already in junior high (lower secondary) with a mention of the Allied actions, but by these lessons someone without any knowledge would have got the view the Allies were those who committed the most and worst war crimes.

 

[Lizard]

But why would we need politics as a separate subject when it's already taught in civics?

.

Because here it isn't taught at all.