Jane McDonnell

‘The art of democracy’: Young people's democratic learning in gallery contexts

In this article the authors report on research which aimed to explore the opportunities for democratic action and learning in a number of artist-led gallery education projects in the south-west of England. The research takes an approach to citizenship learning and democracy that is less focused on citizenship as a specific subject in the formal school curriculum and the achievement of specific citizenship outcomes that can follow from it. Rather, it is more focused upon understanding how democratic practices that are embedded in the day-to-day lives of young people contribute to their democratic learning and participation as citizens. Drawing upon conceptual categories and concepts that illuminate the process, the authors demonstrate the nature and character of young peoples democratic learning. An implication arising from this is the need for practice-orientated research in other contexts (e.g. work, leisure and home) to fully understand the nature of democratic learning.

Reimagining the Role of Art in the Relationship between Democracy and Education

Abstract Increased attention to the relationship between democracy and education in the UK has been accompanied over the past thirteen years by an interest in how art can be used to promote democratic citizenship.While this approach has led to increased funding for the arts, it is not without its problems,and has often entailed an apolitical and instrumentalist view of both art and education. This paper turns to the political philosophy of Mouffe and Rancière, the work of Rancière in aesthetics, and Biesta’s educational philosophy to develop an alternative way of understanding the significance of art for democracy and education. Building on their work, I take a performative and collective view of democratic subjectivity as the basis on which to construct this alternative understanding. I further argue that this conceptualisation can aid our understanding of democratic learning and our ability to provide opportunities for it through art and educational practice.

Making Space for Democracy through Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education: Thoughts from an Action Research Project in Education Studies.

This paper reports on an action research project into the development of a ‘democratic feedback model’ with students on an education studies programme at a post-1992 university in the UK. Building on work that has explored the dialogic dimensions of assessment and feedback, the research explored the potential for more democratic practice in this area. Although much learning and teaching on the programme in question took a collaborative and dialogic approach, assessment and feedback were modelled entirely differently, around the concept of an ‘expert’ marker and ‘novice’ marked. The findings of the research indicate the elements necessary for ‘democratic feedback’, and illustrate the emotional impact of moving from more transmission-based models, grounded in notions of expertise, towards democratic practice. They also highlight the ways in which such work can alert students to the imperfect, messy and human nature of the assessment process. Although the model has limited applicability in its extant form, its constitutive elements might be usefully incorporated within existing practice to promote democratic learning.

Learning together and expanding horizons: reflections on a student—lecturer collaborative enquiry

Abstract The paper reports on findings from a 2011 ESCalate-funded project, Assessment Reassessed. Three student—lecturer research teams engaged in collaborative enquiry with education studies programmes at six universities in the UK. The paper draws on the reflections of students and lecturers who took part to consider the possibilities and difficulties of this approach for research. It explores the complex dynamics of making and maintaining research teams, and the potential for learning together and expanding horizons. In providing an account of the rich potential of student—lecturer collaborative enquiry, it concludes by reflecting on the lessons all participants took from the process.

Political and Aesthetic Equality in the Work of Jacques Rancière: Applying His Writing to Debates in Education and the Arts.

This paper draws on insights from Jacques Ranci`ere’s writingon politics and aesthetics to offer new perspectives on debatesin education and the arts. The paper addresses three debatesin turn; the place o f contemporary art in schools and galleryeducation, the role of art in democratic education and theblurring of boundaries between participatory art andcommunity education. I argue that Ranci`ere’s work helps toilluminate some essentialist assumptions behind dichotomousarguments about contemporary art in the classroom—bothover-hyped claims about its value, and exaggerated fearsabout its threat to educational values alike. On democraticeducation I argue that his work highlights the importance ofthe aesthetic dimensions of democratic learning and, on artand community education, I issue caution against readings ofRanci`ere’s work that frame his contribution as a‘rehabilitation‘ of the aesthetic. Although each debate istackled discretely, the paper advances the overall argumentthat attention to equality in Ranci`ere’s work—both aestheticand political—is vital when applying his philosophy to debatesthat occupy the boundaries of education, politics and art.

PFI and the Performative Politics of Dissent: Lessons for Democratic Education

This article reports on an instance of direct political action undertaken in the form of a boycott of a school canteen. The action was staged by students at the school, following redevelopment through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project. The young peoples experiences of the boycott and its impact on their learning were analysed in the context of a larger, interpretative study exploring the relationships between democratic education and the arts. The research offers some important insights into the nature of young peoples political engagement and suggests some important implications for democratic education. Specifically it indicates that – at least in the case of the participants in this study – young people are not politically disengaged but are rather differently engaged, and that such engagement can act as an important resource within a critical approach to democratic education.