Student councils in action: developing a democratic school culture
Course details
When pupils graduate from school, they are expected to have a democratic mindset. They should be interested in politics, be able to form informed opinions about the parties represented in elections, engage in participatory processes as active citizens, by means of shaping their living environment, or raise their voice when necessary. This requires not only political knowledge relevant to democracy, as taught in the subject of political education, but also respective social skills and the gradual development of a democratic attitude, which is indispensable in any democratic culture. Pupils can develop these skills in their own school environment, practicing what we know as “democratic participation”.
A democratic school culture lies at the heart of whole school approaches. This course focuses on practical implementation and explores on how the specific instrument of class councils can serve as a powerful tool to promote student voice and agency in whole school development processes. Although changing an entire school system is complex and takes time, class councils offer an easy way to begin and provide an important first step towards greater participation in school life. In this course we will learn more on how to successfully implement this method and about its advantages not only for our pupils but for the school community as a whole.
The course is offered by the European School Education Platform. Visit our website for more information.
Duration and workload
Start date: Monday 17 November 2025
End date: Wednesday 3 December 2025
Duration: 2 weeks
Workload: 8-10 hours
Course competences
This course includes content & activities that develop the following competences according to the digital competence framework of the European Commission's Selfie for Teachers tool.
- Professional Engagement - Professional learning through digital technologies B1 level
- Professional Engagement - Professional collaboration B1 level
- Teaching and Learning - Teaching B1 level
- Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence - Problem solving B1 level
For more information about the competences and the proficiency levels see the SELFIE for TEACHERs toolkit.
.Target audience
TARGET AUDIENCE
Learning objectives
- Understand the role of student voice and participation in democratic school development by exploring different pedagogical concepts and frameworks related to democratic processes and active citizenship.
- Learn step by step how to establish, facilitate, and link class councils to broader school development processes.
- Gain an overview of the relevant components of a democratic school culture and a whole school development process.
- Engage in collaborative exchanges that will empower you to implement class councils in your schools and promote it among colleagues.
Offered by
This content is offered by the European Commission. The European Commission is the European Union's politically independent executive arm. It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
Schedule
- How this course works
- Module 1: Whole school approach and democratic school culture
- Module 2: Designing class councils for transfer into school life
- Module 3 Final activity: Further building blocks, whole school development processes and outlook
- Certificate of completion
