Resources

Wondering what we mean by aesthetic and embodied learning for democracy?

Watch these video guides for an explanation.

Position papers

The AECED project is preparing a series of ‘position papers’ on key concepts. A position paper is a paper that clarifies a key concept in the AECED project and which the project commends as providing a useful insight into that concept, thereby helping to anchor the project’s shared conceptual framework.

The project’s Concepts Group oversees the position papers and contributes to their production, but the Authors are responsible for their theoretical perspectives.

Members of the Concepts Group:

Pauliina Jaaskelainen*
Claudia Neves*
Karine Oganisjana*
Monika Pazur*
Susanne Weber*
Philip Woods*
*current members

Lea Spahn**
Joonas Vola**
** former members

Three position papers are now available.

The four dimensions of holistic democracy. This paper provides an elaborated description and explanation of the four dimensions of holistic democracy, which comprise: holistic learning, relational well-being, power sharing and transforming dialogue. They comprise important principles, offering guides for action in the creation of holistic democracy as a process of becoming. This paper is authored by Philip Woods.

The importance of the aesthetic-embodied dimension in learning for democracy. This paper explains why it is crucial to involve the whole body in learning processes to fully understand and bring into practice democratic values and principles. This paper is authored by Pauliina Jääskeläinen, Philip Woods and Karine Oganisjana.

Democratic sensibility. This paper explains the concept of democratic sensibility, a quality important for democratic practice which aesthetic and embodied learning for democracy is intended to nurture. This paper is authored by Philip Woods and Monika Pazur.

Further papers will be added as the project proceeds.

Publications

We are pleased to share details of a Portuguese paper that has been published, presenting results from the Portuguese cases in the AECED project. “Education for Democracy in Virtual Environments: Teacher Education Practices for Aesthetic and Embodied Learning in eLearning“ explores how online teacher education can foster democratic, aesthetic, and embodied learning practices through participatory and reflective pedagogies. The paper presents the results of an online continuous training course developed within the scope of the AECED project, focused on teachers and educators of pre-school, early years and vocational education in Portugal. Based on the principles of Aesthetic and Embodied Learning for Democracy (AELD) and anchored in the Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology, the training promoted spaces for co-research, critical reflection and pedagogical co-creation in a digital environment. The training proposal articulated somatic and aesthetic approaches with the foundations of democratic pedagogy, aiming to reconfigure teaching practices and expand the possibilities of an education centred on sensitivity, expression and dialogue.

Resources you may also be interested in

This resource from the Publications Office of the European Union that aligns closely with the goals of the AECED project (Aesthetic and Embodied Learning for Democracy). The Standing Up for Democracy booklet highlights EU-funded research and innovation projects from the 2023 call for proposals under Horizon Europe’s Cluster 2. It celebrates initiatives that promote democracy, culture, creativity, and inclusivity – a shared ambition of AECED.

For anyone passionate about innovative approaches to developing a better understanding of democracy, I encourage you to explore the booklet and connect with the ideas we’re working on at AECED. Together, we can deepen education for democracy across diverse contexts.

Access the booklet here: Standing Up for Democracy – EU Booklet

Democracy Talks from our Democrat sister project

The Democrat project is funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union. The Democrat project has produced a series of online Democracy Talks, the videos to which can be found via this link: Democracy Talks

The Democrat project have variety of material to share regarding Education for Democracy via their Agora platform, which can be found via this link: Agora