By Deliberating in a Democracy in the Americas

This lesson is designed to promote the teaching and learning of democratic principles and the skills of civic deliberation. Students complete a reading (available in English, Spanish, and Audio-English) and engage in a Structured Academic Controversy.

Question for deliberation:
Should our democracy allow schools to punish students for off-campus cyberbullying?

Objectives

At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:
-Define cyberbullying.
-Explain how technology has changed the nature of bullying.
-List at least three reasons to support and three reasons to oppose the government’s
authorization of schools to limit off-campus student speech.
-Give at least one example from their school that demonstrates the tension between the right
to free speech (expression) and the right to personal security.
-Explore the influence of technology on the specific balance of values and legal protections in different democratic societies.
-Identify areas of agreement and disagreement with other students.
-Reach a decision, individually and collectively, on the deliberation issue using evidence and
sound reasoning.
-Explain the importance of deliberation in a democratic society.

Go to: Cyberbullying (DDA)

Source

The initiative is conducted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC), the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles (CRF) and Street Law, Inc. with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.