The Trinity of Citizenship Education and the aim of the new 'improved' Citizenship curriculum

As decreed by the Advisory Group on Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools:

1. Social and moral responsibility
2. Community involvement
3. Political Literacy

 

At Key Stage 3, Citizenship should equip pupils with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. It should help pupils to become informed, critical, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work collaboratively, take action and try to make a difference in their communities and the wider world.

 

At Key Stage 4, Citizenship should equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for effective and democratic participation. It should help students to become informed, critical, active citizens who have the confidence and conviction to work collaboratively, take action and try to make a difference.

Using blogs in Citizenship lessons and to support CVs.

For some time now, my Key Stage 4 students have been taught to use social media such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as old fashioned letters and phone calls to their local press and MP, to raise awareness for their campaigns. However, with news this week that Facebook is some Black Death-style phenomenon that will inevitably go into decline and oblivion by 2017, I feel - like a plague-carrying rat - that the time has come to jump ship.

 

So, the Schemes of Work have come out again, this time to incorporate the growing popularity of 'the blog'. A Facebook page is all very well, but let's face it, a blog is a much  more professional approach to tackling issues and setting up Citizenship projects, plus a blog can always be used in a link on a CV to explain much more about what students get up to in their own time than a tiny little paragraph ever could.

 

The benefits seem obvious to me. Students can learn how to produce blogs on just about anything, and can learn the value of occupying their own little space on the internet. Of course, a blog alone is not really active citizenship, but if it used as a tool to organise something in the real world, then it has the potential to be a very powerful medium.

I'll be teaching them to create blogs on local or global issues, but they can take the skills they have learnt to create blogs on anything else they may be interested in - journalism, fashion, sport, photography etc - and pool all those ideas together too. If further convincing is needed, the following clip from the BBC shows the case studies of two very successful teenagers, whose blogs would be absolutely invaluable on their CVs. Good luck to them.

PS. Any lesson on using social media to voice an opinion should be handled responsibly - so here is the legal bit on the dangers of libel and defamation.

National Voter Registration Day - 5th February 2014

 

 

The Hansard Society, which was so instrumental in advocating the provision of citizenship and political literacy within schools, as recently become a founding member of the Democratic Life coalition. Democratic Life actively 'promotes high quality citizenship education for all young people' and like many Citizenship based organisations is currently behind the drive to raise awareness of the National Voter Registration Day on 5th February.

 

Recent changes in the law mean that for the first time, new voters will not be registered by the head of their household but will have to register themselves - something which can of course still be done from the age of 16.

 

For Year 11 lessons, Bite the Ballot have helpfully put together two games designed to demystify the voting process. Both games fit neatly into 45 minutes, and finish with a link to register for the vote at the end if the student so wishes. Of course, if the student wishes to follow the example of Russell Brand and exercise their democratic right not to vote, then all power to them. This is the UK, not Australia.

 

All together, this would fit nicely into a 60 minute lesson, with a choice of plenary, either to set up as a fully fledged registered future voter, or to write a short piece on why voting is not something that a student wishes to engage in. I personally don't have a problem with people not voting (can I say that?), but I do think people should actively consider why they don't want to exercise this privilege. If the bulk of the voting population can't be bothered to vote, then that is society's problem to deal with (MP's take note), not an individual slur on anyone.

 

More information can be found in the coming weeks via Twitter @BitetheBallot #NVRD.

Citizenship Lessons from World War One

Michael Gove may be of the opinion that World War One should be taught simply as a 'justified' military response to the 'pitiless' and 'aggressive expansionism' of the German Empire, but I still choose to see World War One as an opportunity to learn important lessons from the past.

As Tristram Hunt puts it, "Whether you agree or disagree, after the death of 15 million people during the war, attempting to position 1918 as a simplistic, nationalistic triumph seems equally foolhardy – not least because the very same tensions re-emerged to such deadly effect in 1939."

In terms of Citizenship, "One essential difference between 1914 and 2014 is that we have the EU to ensure that democratic values cannot and will not be undermined," he said. "European integration is the answer to the catastrophe of the first half of the 20th century, where our continent was facing wars, the Shoah [the Holocaust], totalitarianism, poverty and injustice."

Gove holds a very outdated view of the classroom, where students should learn about the might of the British Empire, but in 2014 classrooms are a little more complex - in my recent work with students on World War One, they were asked to create a file on a family member and their role in the war. Even from our pretty mono-cultural backwater in deepest (and beautiful I might add) North Devon, soldiers stories from the UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany and Austro-Hungary came in for my perusal.

 

I for one won't be apportioning blame for the war on anyone, as it seems obscene to make the Great War a story of 'goodies and baddies' when that was so far from the truth (Mr Gove, it didn't work in the Treaty of Versailles and it won't work now - listen to those of us who actually have a degree in History), but I will focus on the need for European and global co-operation in maintaining peace.

To help with the delivery of World War One during this centenary year, the BBC  has created a great archive of resources - licence money well spent on this occasion.

We Day 2014

The very first We Day UK is coming to London on 7th March 2014. Applications for tickets are actually still open until 24th January, but for those of us who have already completed our Report One with our Plans of Local and Global Action for this academic year, the first acts have begun to be announced.

At the We Day UK launch held at Paddington Academy in London, Craig Kielburger of Free the Children has released the following names:

• Al Gore - former US Vice President
• Ellie Goulding - Brit award-winning singer
• Malala Yousafzai - co-founder of the Malala Fund
• Clive Owen - multi-award winning actor
• Martine Wright - Paralympian
• Jamal Edwards - CEO and founder of SBTV
• Sir Richard Branson - Entrepreneur

More names to be released in the coming weeks!

We Day - First names for We Day UK announced

 

 

Citizenship Foundation Mock Trial 2014

How to prepare for the Citizenship Foundation Mock Trial 2014

• Make sure you have a dedicated team chosen by November.
• Always have 2 good substitutes on standby.
• Keep up morale!
• Start workshops at least 3 months in advance (January-March).
• Draft in extra help where you can get it - Magistrates, Solicitors, etc.
• Fill in paperwork needed for a field trip in January.
• Give team homework where necessary - we're very much the underdogs so the extra mile is required.
• Stick to the Workshops like glue - the suggested workshops are as follows -

1	Introduction to the Legal System
2	Introduction to the Competition
3	Case Analysis
4	Opening Speeches
5	Closing Speeches
6	Examination-in-Chief (EIC)
7	Magistrate Visit to School
8	Cross-Examination
9	Examination-in-Chief and Cross-Examination Practice
10	How to write a Summary of the Law
11	Court Layout Run Through
12	‘Guilty’ or ‘Not Guilty’
13	Full Run Through
	Mock Trial

Why Citizenship is Important to me

"We aim at no less than a change in the political culture of this country, both nationally and locally: for people to think of themselves as active citizens, willing able and equipped to have an influence in public life….Unless we become a nation of engaged citizens, our democracy is not secure"[1].

After completing a Bachelor’s degree in 2004 in History and Politics, this idea that the individual has a role to play in contributing to a peaceful, positive, and democratic society became a firmly held belief that I have passionately subscribed to ever since. In light of the recent events this summer, the Crick Report has shown a remarkable foresight in the dangers of a fragmented and irresponsible group within society. As stated by Huddlestone and Kerr in Making Sense of Citizenship:

"…for society, (Citizenship) helps to create an active and responsible citizenry, willing to participate in the life of the nation and the wider world and play its part in the democratic process"[2].

Upon my application to a PGCE course in History, I concluded that an interest in the education of the young would have to include some element of developing students’ sense of responsibility, identity, and empowerment. A commitment to mentoring and guiding students through their academic development was, of course, still vital. To this end, I was able to make use of the Politics component of my undergraduate degree by applying for a PGCE in History and Citizenship. I believe that while all students should be equipped with the academic knowledge to acquire qualifications and progress in their chosen careers, they should also understand their sense of identity and belonging, and develop the values and attitudes that would make them good citizens, impacting not just on their own life, but on that of others. Citizenship in the Secondary curriculum is vital, both as a tool of building students’ sense of agency, identity and belonging, and as a means of bringing together the whole school curriculum with the common aim of developing successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens, as advocated by the PLTS framework. On a personal leveI I strongly agreed with the Every Child Matters agenda, which set out the Five Outcomes that would underpin all agencies’ work with young people – I felt that Active Citizenship would be vital in providing students with the tools to ‘make a positive contribution’[3].

Therefore, in my opinion, it is clear that the main thrust behind Citizenship provision in schools hinges on two fundamental principles: increasing the knowledge of students so that they are able to understand how to function as citizens; and developing their skills, e.g. confidence, team work and independence, so that they are able to use this knowledge and perform as citizens. Active Citizenship is key.

In 2009 I applied for the role of teacher in charge of Citizenship at my current school, after 4 years of teaching a blend of PSHE/Citizenship in two schools. This blurring of the two subjects into one timetabled session left me feeling that somehow Citizenship was not being understood by a number of the teaching staff body, who often saw both PSHE and Citizenship as one and the same subject. My aim, upon successfully taking charge of Citizenship at school was to immediately emphasise the difference between the two similar, but fundamentally different, subjects. I emphasised the difference in focus and content[4] between the two subjects, resulting in the Senior Management Team agreeing to have two different staff members in charge of each individual subject, to clearly distinguish the two. With discrete lessons, the next step was to create a Citizenship Programme of Study that incorporated the three main cornerstones of good Citizenship provision; an academic subject which challenges and arms students with a ‘core of learning…unique to Citizenship that is not properly addressed in other subjects, e.g. the justice system, central and local Government, etc.; an ethos and culture embedded in school; and an opportunity for students to engage and interact with the wider community to fulfil the ideal goal of Active Citizenship. In the first instance, I moved away from the idea of using other ‘carrier subjects’ as a vehicle with which to deliver Citizenship. While this seemed like a good idea in theory, as it would contribute to a whole school ethos of good Citizenship, I felt that it was imperative that Citizenship was, at its foundation, able to operate as a stand-alone subject – so as to raise the profile of it as a discrete lesson. Since I completed the Programme of Study at School, and now feel confident that the subject has ‘a clear identity’[5], I feel that linking with other subjects is at last viable, and this will be my next step forward in further raising the profile and effectiveness of Citizenship in creating well rounded, responsible and capable citizens.

With regards to my own teaching, my firm belief was that Citizenship had to first be an academic subject which incorporated all aspects of the Citizenship Curriculum, and was comparable with the other subjects in being headed by a specialist teacher, a rigorous content, and a robust assessment procedure. However, it was also not simply enough to have written assessments as in many other subjects. Citizenship is not just about knowledge. There is equal emphasis on participation, interaction and ‘making a change’. Thus, within each unit of my Programme of Study, I included an assessment which emphasised skill as well as knowledge. In Year 8 for instance, I wrote a unit on Recycling and the Environment which armed students with the knowledge they would need to understand the idea, need, and future plans for recycling, but I decided to not assess this knowledge through an ‘in-lesson’ written test paper, but rather to task the students with a team work project which involved creating a video explaining the need for recycling, Government initiatives and a School Action Plan for further development[6]. The videos were then assessed and placed on the School Virtual Learning Environment to advertise the need for recycling to students from other years. Many of the students then chose to become involved in the school’s plan to become an Eco-School. In effect, the students had taken the project and extended it to a whole school action.

In another Year 8 unit on Community and Identity, I taught the students the benefits of becoming involved in Community Action, and the six week Scheme of Work was designed to encourage students to question their role in the community, as well as the duty of the community to each other[7]. This time, the assessment would have a written element to it, but the students would be writing out a speech to advocate a positive change in the community. They would meet with local councillors during Local Democracy Week to discuss their ideas and concerns, and would self-assess their role in making a positive contribution in lesson at the end of the unit[8]. As the Citizenship Curriculum advocates, the subject should ‘equip young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an effective role in public life’[9]. This particular unit is ongoing, but this is the unit (current year) from which I have included some of the students’ work to show their realisation that they could work to create a positive impact in their community[10]. In a debate between students and councillors in a previous Local Democracy Event, students campaigned for a Surf Bus to be brought to North Devon and, although this took a long time (their involvement dates from 2007), their influence was eventually successful in 2010[11]. This has done wonders for the morale of the students. They had successfully made a positive contribution in the wider community, leading to a feeling of empowerment and belonging – the apex of citizenship. Building upon this, we rolled out student involvement in the community to create Community Day, where students had the opportunity to effect change on their community at a grass roots level, to which every student could excel. Students had a choice of tasks, from helping out at the local Residents’ Home, to creating a wildlife Garden in Braunton, which the local supermarket very kindly funded for us[12].

Throughout, the pedagogy behind my teaching has been to arm students with the knowledge and skills to achieve the outcomes set out by the Every Child Matters Agenda, and with particular emphasis on students feeling empowered to have a positive influence. Indeed, my core belief is that the role of Citizenship education is to achieve positive empowerment, to allow students to develop into adults with a positive agenda, a commitment to one another, and the knowledge, skills and motivation to make society as a whole better.

 

Bibliography

Brown, Kate and Fairbrass, Stephen. (2009) – The Citizenship Teacher’s Handbook (London: Continuum)

Gearon, Liam. (2010) – Learning to teach Citizenship in the Secondary School (Cornwall: Routledge)

Huddleston, Ted and Kerr, David. (2006) – Making Sense of Citizenship: A Continuing Professional Development Handbook. (London: The Citizenship Foundation)

Labour Government Publication (2003) – Every Child Matters (Green Paper)

The Crick Report (1998)

www.qca.org.uk/curriculum Citizenship Programme of Study for Key Stage 3 and Attainment Target (Extract from the National Curriculum 2007)

---

[1] Crick Report (1998)

[2] Huddleston, Ted and Kerr, David. (2006) – Making Sense of Citizenship: A Continuing Professional Development Handbook. (London: The Citizenship Foundation) p.5

[3] Labour Government Publication (2003) – Every Child Matters (Green Paper) p.7

[4] Huddleston, Ted and Kerr, David. (2006) – Making Sense of Citizenship: A Continuing Professional Development Handbook. (London: The Citizenship Foundation) p.46

[5] Huddleston, Ted and Kerr, David. (2006) – Making Sense of Citizenship: A Continuing Professional Development Handbook.p.49 (London: The Citizenship Foundation)

[6]Appendix 1: Year 8 Scheme of Work – Recycling and the Environment

[7] Appendix 2 : Year 8 Scheme of Work – Local Community

[8] Appendix 3 – Student Self-Assessment Forms

[9]www.qca.org.uk/curriculum Citizenship Programme of Study for Key Stage 3 and Attainment Target (Extract from the National Curriculum 2007)

[10] Appendix 4 – Student Work and Resources

[11] Appendix 5 – Press Release on North Devon Surf Bus

[12] Appendix 6 – Various information on Braunton School Community Day- 27^th May 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog on one teacher's musings on the Citizenship curriculum created on Martin Luther King Day.

MLK was an activist and humanitarian who saw the changes that needed to be made in society and was not afraid to stand up for the advocation of reform, ultimately sacrificing his life. He was a true inspiration for any future active citizen.