The effort to shift the focus of secondary
government courses from where it is now – on national political factors and the
major structure and processes of the national government – to a consumer
orientation – how individuals identify, seek, and secure governmental services
– is more involved than one might suspect.
One area of responsibility and in which individuals have a right to seek
satisfaction is in them advancing their interests when interacting with their
government.
Therefore,
before those individuals finish their formal education, a course of study
should be dedicated to how and why they can be functional and responsible regarding
how they interact with what would probably be their local government. And unlike other dealings, interactions with
government have added elements to which citizens should be aware.
That
is, that instruction assumes that one, interaction with government calls for
reflective decision-making (not reflexive responses), and two, citizens engage
in public decision-making not private ones.
Individuals, once dealing with government and the public domain, are
subject to public scrutiny, at least in terms of the reasoning they bring to
bear in their dealings. Surely, most
such interactions stay below the radar, but the possibility to solicit public
interest is always there.
There
are times when individuals interact with government and the matter is fairly
straight forward. All that individuals
need to know is the process by which to successfully conclude the
interaction. At other times though,
individuals are faced with moral decisions.
That is, they must decide to engage in cases in which their self-interests
or the interests of loved ones are involved, and some moral or ethical element
is engaged.
In the first case, the straightforward ones, a
cognitive deficiency might exist (lack of knowledge). A consumer government course would be geared
to remedy this deficiency to a meaningful degree. Naturally, it would provide the appropriate
information or share the appropriate sources where that information can be
found. In the second case, the moral
ones, individuals need to apply rational, public decision-making skills. This course can be organized and committed to
teaching a rational decision-making process.[1]
From what this blog has shared concerning the
offering of a consumer government course – a sharing that started with the posting,
“A Practical Turn” (March 19, 2024) – this course of study could strive to
achieve the following relevant educational aims:
1.
To prepare students for normal, social adult
life.
2.
To prepare students to identify, protect, and
advance their legitimate self-interests.
3.
To prepare students to recognize their social
and legal responsibilities.
And at a more specific level:
4.
By the end of their formal education, to
develop:
a.
Cognitive skill knowledge that allows them to
interact with government agencies in such a way as to generally protect and/or
advance their self-interests,
b.
Cognitive skills that allow them to interact in
a rational fashion,
c.
Cognitive knowledge of the responsibilities
society legitimately expects them to meet, and
d.
Willingness to engage in public discussion that
relates to the issues inherent with controversial decision areas where government-citizen
interactions are concerned, and moral values are considered.
And with those aims this posting comes to an
end and suggests that to come in upcoming postings are instructional ideas that
can be utilized in achieving these aims.
[1] There are various rational decision-making models that
are designed for classroom use. See for
example, “Jack Woerner and Jennifer Lombardo, “Rational Decision-Making
Model: Overview, Steps, and Examples,” Study.com,
November 21,2023, accessed March 23, 2024, URL:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-rational-decision-making-model-steps-and-purpose-in-organizations.html#:~:text=The%20model%20involves%20comparing%20multiple,or%20other%20significant%20life%20events.
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