An Open Society

In an open society, every person is afforded the opportunity and right to be a participant in, rather than an observer of, the democratic process. 

• The South African Constitution lays the foundation for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people.

• In an open society (Links to an external site.), every person is afforded the opportunity and right to be a participant in, rather than an observer of, the democratic process. It means being given access to as wide a range of information as possible through as wide a range of media as possible.

• It also means encouraging a culture of dialogue and debate: a culture of discussion out of which values and priorities are perpetually being evaluated and reassessed (Department of Education 2001:16).

• Educators should ensure that learners have a positive experience in the cooperative learning (Links to an external site.) environment, participating freely in group activities and not merely watching others work.

• Learners should be taught to value each other’s contributions to group activities and be allowed to offer opinions and assistance to each other.

• Learners should be allowed to share ideas, argue various points and jointly get clarity on topics they study together.

• In such cooperative learning settings, learners get to be exposed to viewpoints which differ from their own, and the educator should guide them on how to deal with such divergent views to reach an acceptable position which the whole group can support.

• Getting used to participating in positive discussions where views, values and priorities can be reviewed and adjusted when needed will provide a valuable background later in life for adult participation in an open society (Kitshoff, 2006:22).