Voice and Choice in a University Seminar: The Struggle to Teach Democratically

Abstract

This action research study focuses on my attempt to teach a graduate social studies seminar democratically. The discussion of two key themes, voice and choice, highlight the issues that emerged in my efforts to share power and decision making with the students in the course. My struggles led to understanding various forms of resistance that mediate against democratic teaching in many university settings. Findings point to the importance of teachers' clarifying their conceptions of democratic education and developing “practical theories” of teaching democratically for higher education settings.