Unpack democracy
What is democracy and how does it work in Australia? Use these discussion starters to kick start your classroom conversation.
What will I learn?
- What democracy is and why it matters
- The democratic values that underpin Australia’s system of government
- Ways that Australians can participate in Australia’s democracy
Resource links
Getting started
Decide how you will use these activities in your classroom. Some suggested options are:
- As a hook to engage students in at the start of the topic or a lesson
- As formative assessment to gauge student understanding throughout a unit of work
Activity (10-30 minutes)
- Use the Democracy discussion starters or Rights, power action discussion starters to introduce democratic ideas with your students.
- Democratic ideas and discussion strategies are listed from easier (personally relatable) to more complex (abstract thinking). Select the ones that will work best for your class, the topic and the discussion activity you have chosen.
Discussion questions
- How did listening to different people’s ideas impact your own views?
- Are there are any topics or ideas that you want to find out more about as a result of these discussions?
Extension
If there are topics that students are interested in as a result of these discussions, they may wish to find out more using the resources in the Understand section of the PEO website.
If there are issues that students feel particularly strongly about, they may wish to take action by contacting their local member, writing a speech or starting a petition.