Tajikistan

In Dushanbe, Tajikistan, teachers are teaching "Democracy For All" with a textbook adapted for Tajikistan by the local "Street Law" team. Faina Bogoutdinova, one of the teachers writes:

I have been conducting lessons in "Democracy for All" in grade 8-B since November 2000. After initial problems in classroom management due to the student's lack of familiarity with interactive teaching methods, the lessons became easier to teach and very interesting to the students. Now the 8-graders know what democracy is, how it is different from dictatorship, they know the types of representative democracy, the branches of power and the government structures.

The students began to give more reasoned answers to the questions asked of them, not only at this lesson, but also at other lessons. They began to give more evidence to support their opinions as they learned to understand the current events in the country. They possess a feeling of excitement, since every lesson brings something new to their understanding.

There is no coercion in these lessons. Students feel free and relaxed and what is really important, they begin to understand students' basic rights and responsibilities even though law is not studied until the 9 grade.

After these lessons all of the students from grade 8-B:
1. Are more active in the class, as well as, in other lessons.
2. Present more evidence and arguments in discussion
3. Work together with all students, not just their friends
4. Learn to listen to others (since teacher is not lecturing, at first students thought this was an opportunity to make noise)
5. Solve problems themselves
6. Have greater self discipline
7. Give honest opinion to questions that have no right answer.

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