Educators who have obtained
sufficient information about the context within which they intend to operate
must develop a general approach to their programmes. This general approach, or
strategy, provides an operating framework within which educational objectives
can be established and operating paradigms determined.
While there are theoretical
commonalities, whether the educator is responsible for Voter
Information, Voter Education or Civic Education, there are also differences among them. These nuances are discussed in
the section on Basic Ideas and Definitions of Voter
Information, Voter Education and Civic Education This section of the topic area outlines
matters educators have to address in a general strategy.
Because the word
"education" has become loaded with many meanings and nuances, it
appears more neutral to think of voter education as primarily a communication
problem - a. A message is created and then it is communicated to willing recipients.
Irrespective of the problematic nature of this concept itself, voter and civic
education are indeed educational enterprises. Both involve people, knowledge,
experience and power. They result in learning, understanding, and changes in
the world and personal behaviour.
It is essential that
educators consider, therefore, the educational strategy they intend to adopt
for the whole programme. A clear strategy enables them to bring together the
necessary resources in a cost-effective way. It equally enables educators to communicate to the broad audience of
learners, stakeholders, partners, individual practitioners and producers.
This section looks
primarily at informal and adult educational strategies. While some of these
have classroom implications, they are more suited to the national education
programmes that are required in countries that are engaged in building and
sustaining democracy. The topic area leaves open the possibility that all
countries may consider this a necessary prerequisite for democracy.
In order to provide some
information to assist in developing the educational strategy, this section
considers Educational Theory, ways of organising (see Organisation), different general methodological
options (see Methodology Selection), and the question of the relationship between message development and
educational needs (see Message
Development) and
curriculum development.
