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Paper short abstract:

There are introduced three kinds of educational materials for “Politische Bildung” which are aimed at school-age children, young immigrants and refugees, as well as at immigrant and refugee adults in Germany. Through that, we clarify the aims of “Politische Bildung” and the importance of development of teachers’ own democratic citizenship.

Paper long abstract:

As mentioned in presentation 1, Germany has implemented the "Politische Bildung" which aims to strengthen democracy and form a peaceful society based on lessons learned from World War II. In this presentation, an overview is given about three kinds of educational materials for “Politische Bildung” based on the principle of the “Beutelsbach Consensus”, which clearly states that issues of “Politische Bildung” should be seen differently from “indoctrination” and set apart from a particular political standpoint. Through these materials, the aims of “Politische Bildung” are clarified, and it will be a stepping stone to the presentation 3, which shows examples of application to Japanese education.

The first material is meant for school-age children in Germany. These materials foster the ability of children, as social agents, to take the initiative in solving social problems and to think for themselves and make decisions.

The second material is for young immigrants and refugees. In addition to acquiring knowledge of politics, students can engage in a wide range of activities in stages, from basic questions such as "what is politics?" to creating opportunities to connect with others and form networking.

The third material is used in orientation courses aimed at enabling immigrant and refugee adults to coexist in their host country, Germany. The textbooks aim to foster an attitude of concern towards the country and its people, courage, as well as an attitude of expressing their intention, understanding others and having tolerance for others.

The aim of these materials is to develop the knowledge necessary for users to participate in society and politics autonomously, to view politics and social issues as "for oneself", to have an interest in different things and to understand various values, and to foster judgement and action. At the same time, it will be emphasized that it is important for teachers to develop their own democratic citizenship, to learn together with learners and to build a democratic foundation together.