Citizenship Education Essay

or so the Citizenship theme The Citizenship introduction is an independent cultu documentary charity that aims to empower individual(a)s to get in the wider lodge with education round the law nation and society. We focus, in particular, on set upment young peoples Citizenship skills, friendship and accord.Our defecate includes Citizenship resources for a wide audience from teachers to young offenders, subject field projects for base coil schools, active erudition initiatives for secondary schools, nationwide training programmes, and familiarity- found projects to build up citizenship education as a collective office beyond school and college boundaries. antecedent 1 Purposes and Values At the Citizenship tooshie we intend that the uncomplicated physical trunk presents an cardinal fortune for children to put forward reason of the changing society and the shrivel world they live in.While first-string school teachers deliver never found it difficult t o think about what bod of citizens they would like their children to become, the opportunities for developing the childrens acquaintance convey, in recent years, been squeezed by the convey to consume the spunk subjects and the pressure of SATs. There ar, at best, limited opportunities for teachers in English schools to cover accessible topics some(prenominal)(prenominal) as family or crime because, hostile the situation in many continental countries, thither is no usance of a social studies curriculum for this term group.B. B. 1. B. 2. The findings of the recent UNICEF report i underline the need to attend to pupils social well-being. For example the UK had the lowest comparison (43. 3%) of 11 and 13 year olds who described their friends as kind and helpful. We consider it of vital importance to cultivate in primary ripened children a concern to act fairly, responsibly and with compassion. B. 3. We believe that Citizenship raising is prerequisite to individual em powerment.Not further should it be statutory, it should be a centerfield element of the primarycurriculum, integrating taught and experiential learning in a coherent room leading towards a full apprehensiveness of what it doer to be a member of the community with rights and responsibilities. As part of our launching to the Education and Skills award Committees investigation into Citizenship Educationii, we suck c on the wholeed for the underway joint PSHE and Citizenship non-statutory good example to be accorded statutory status The particular polish up unveiling from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, test 2007.1 B. 4. Every Child Matters tierce and the Education Act 2002 make it a duty to consult children. Children so need to be systematically taught and given opportunities to develop the necessary skills, language and confidence to modify them to participate fully in decision reservation processes. Citizenship Education provides an opportunity for broadening cultural, social and political horizons, particularly in respect to developing a sense of identity, and an appreciation of the diversity of our society.These important functions of a broad social education should not be relegated to the margins or the optional, as they are within the non-statutory programme of study. With the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility, it is important that children have the opportunity to establish a sense of social and moral responsibility and develop a pull aheader understanding of the temperament of their legal and moral rights and responsibilities. Changing societal conditions and the earlier onset of adolescence have made it urgent for primary schools to do more than than by way of explicit social and moral education.For example, children are exposed to the media, and have door to the internet in a way that was not the cutting level at the time of the establishment of the subject field course of study. In 2003 the OECDiv placed the UK at the bottom of a league table of young peoples danger behaviours, which included drinking, smoking, bullying and sexual activity. At the Citizenship Foundation we believe that the primary curriculum should be broad enough to provide an rational foundation for choice, affording children the ability to make trustworthy decisions at later stages of their education.Citizenship Education endures children in their personal development, equipping them to investigate the wider social and economic world, and to develop personal aspirations for it. In addition it lays the foundations for their political literacy and promotes the skills of community intricacy. It provides them with an early introduction to financial literacy and agencies adviseing welfare support, providing them with noesis of where to go for help which is essential, in an increasingly complex world, to the economic well-being, both of the individual and the nation as a whole.B. 5. B. 6. subject area 2 Learning and Teaching B. 7. We know that intercommunicate language is a vital part of human learning in the first ten years of life, and that it is a strong determinant of childrens ability to handle the written word. Citizenship Education is a vital luck in any holistic approach to literacy and oracy, providing children with opportunities to analyse, compare, evaluate, reason, argue and justify. The work of psychologists such as Mercerv demonstrates the educational importance of exploratory talk to address divided problems.Citizenship issues are rich in such potential because they are real and relevant. Dunnvi has sh knowledge that attitudes and social concepts are shaped from an early age. From Key Stage 1 Citizenship Education provides an opportunity for teachers to nurture the development of this understanding in the context of use of a variety of issues salient to the young people themselves, developing understanding and fostering empathy before attitudes become ent renched. B. 8. The Primary review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, butt 2007.2 It offers a context through which children can develop critical thinking skills and emotional literacy in a coherent, integrated way. B. 9. period educational practice, and the wildness on target setting has led to more individualised learning, yet Vygotskyvii has identified learning as a social, interactive process that requires discussion, exchange and the sharing of perspectives. Citizenship learning provides opportunities for participation and active involvement.It is characterised by social thinking, and cannot be isolated or atomistic, as typified by more of the learning that currently takes place. Activities involving teamwork and enquiry skills, using Wallacesviii TASC (Thinking Actively in a Social Context) model for example, build a sense of interdependence and community. B. 10. stark naked research shows that childrens peers can be a powerful act on the ir receptivity and motivation to learn. We withal know that profound cognition is acquired through the practical application of knowledge we learn best through doing.Citizenship is rich in opportunities for discussion and dialogue between young people, and for applying their knowledge to make a difference to the world around them. The most stiff Citizenship Education is built around pedagogical approaches that place active learning at the core. B. 11. Researchers such as Margaret Donaldsonix suggest that concepts presented in familiar contexts enable children to grasp ideas more readily than when they are concept free, yet in that respect is still a tendency to teach the core subjects in a vacuum.The notion of curriculum breadth needs to be critically revisited, such that breadth is defined through a range of learning experiences earlier than simply a collection of subjects. We also know that children are more likely to recall matters which are important to them. Citizenship Edu cation can fulfil both these characteristics of learning, firstly by presenting a real life framework, or big picture, to help children make sense of new knowledge, and secondly by tackling issues of relevance and value to them such as fairness, bullying and responsibility for the environment.Indeed, Citizenship Education can provide a meaningful context for much of the primary curriculum, particularly aspects of learning in Literacy, History and Geography. It can also afford children opportunities to demonstrate their abilities across a wide range of intelligences, including inter-personal and intra-personal, which are currently not recognised and assessed through SATs. Theme 3 Curriculum and Assessment B. 12. At the Citizenship Foundation we believe that primary education should give to achieve Excellence and Enjoyment x across all subjects. presently there is a tendency to focus on excellence in the core subjects while restricting enjoyment to the foundation subjects in the w ider curriculum, as tends to be implied by the Primary National dodge (PNS)xi. A more holistic, coherent and enriched approach is needed, with the childrens personal experiences, and their place and future in society, as a key focus. The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 3 B. 13. During the primary phase children develop an increasing consciousness of social and environmental issues.They are entitled to opportunities to develop more informed, thoughtful and balanced views on these issues. The curriculum needs to be constructed in a way which promotes a higher level of interaction and cognitive engagement, as opposed to teaching with low cognitive engagement leading to pre-determined answers. Citizenship, with its emphasis on oracy, active learning, and emotional literacy can play an important case in redressing the imbalance of an overly narrow curriculum, and in providing children with the opportunities to apply their kn owledge in areas such as peer mediation, school democracy and community involvement.B. 14. Citizenship Education fosters social development and nurtures the social self, thus enriching the school community. Citizenship-rich primary schools (where practices such as peer mediation, students as researchers and school councils are embedded) offer social learning activities which are shown to have maturational and behavioural benefits to the individual and for the whole school. These benefits have the potential to become widespread across all schools if Citizenship is made statutory.B. 15. Citizenship Education is currently under-recognised and under-developed in the primary phase. This is especially the case in Key Stage 2 where issues such as bullying, stealing, the federal agency of the police, respect for law, and community cohesion issues are commonly addressed barely not always from a Citizenship perspective or in a consistent manner. Yet this is the time when attitudes to author ity figures are being shaped. Moreover, the risk is that key issues are overlooked.For example, whilst young people are criminally responsible by age ten, this significant fact and its implications, are not systematically communicated to primary school pupils as part of the statutory curriculum. B. 16. We believe that the core concepts and skills associated with Citizenship should be more precisely mapped and strengthened, and that there should be a clear pathway of progression, with identified cross-curricular tie in, from the Foundation Stage through to Year 6, convey Citizenship Education into line with and providing a sound foundation for Key Stages 3 and 4. B. 17.With regard to formative assessment we believe that the most appropriate system of assessment at this stage of learning is one based on success criteriaxii which leads to more focused teaching, and enables and motivates children to judge and improve their own performance in relation to the specific learning objectiv es which will have been identified above, for example objectives associated with enquiry and communication skills. B. 18. We are currently works with the QCA to develop an appropriate eight point assessment scale to support the teaching of Citizenship across the primary and secondary phases.This will be based as much as possible on the empirical work of developmental psychologists, including their work on concept and empathy development. The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 4 Theme 5 Diversity and cellular inclusion B. 19. In his recent review of Diversity and the Citizenship Curriculumxiii, Sir Keith Ajegbo highlighted the need to promote understanding between communities, and the importance of combating intolerance and religious extremism.He suggests that teachers should be brisk to tackle controversial topics such as immigration and the legacy of the British Empire, and that Citizenship lessons are the appropriate for um in which children can discuss and reckon their identities. Whilst his focus was the secondary curriculum, we believe that this work should begin in the primary phase. B. 20. Indeed, from April 2007, upon the implementation of the Education and Inspection Act (2006), all schools, primary and secondary, have a statutory duty to promote social cohesion.Citizenship Education provides the synthetical curriculum response to this duty. B. 21. Citizenship Education is the subject which provides the most natural forum for discussion of issues relating to equal opportunities, diversity, faith and culture. Work around topics such as similarity and difference and rights and responsibilities helps children develop empathy, deepens understanding and builds greater confidence to elicit personal views. It supports them in developing a sense of who they are, what they can do, and how they belong. so it helps get to social cohesion, which is essential for our personal well-being, and the maint enance of strong communities. Theme 8 Beyond the School B. 21. Every staff and governing body needs to reflect on the purpose of their school, and its wider relations with the community. Active community engagement is central to the Citizenship Education programme. Citizenship Education has the capacity for building links between home, school, and the community in which they are situated.Parents and their children belong to the same neighbourhood, national and global communities, and Citizenship Education can promote meaningful intergenerational activities. When children participate in projects aimed at making a difference to their community, or become act in research about the views and responsibilities of people from a variety of social strata and professions, they begin to see themselves as active members of wider society Theme 10 Funding and Governance B. 22. When Citizenship Education is appropriately represented within the primary curriculum, it will need to be resourced an d funded accordingly.At the Citizenship Foundation we believe there to be a need for a coherent National Strategy for Teaching and Learning in Citizenship, fully endorsed by the DfES and QCA, and that this can only be implemented with proper training for headteachers and their staffs. This analysis is now support by the report of the Select Committee. Equipped with the professional expertise, teachers will be enabled to recognise, nurture and develop The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 5 particular interests, talents and capacities to make it possible for each individual to parade in our society.B. 23. We recommend that every school be required to establish a school council constituted largely of pupil representatives, and that pupil representatives should be invited to become associate members of their school governing bodies, in line with the new governing body regulations introduced in 2003. C. Conclusion C. 1. Citizen ship Education has the potential to create more effective learners by promoting a reflective approach, enabling confederacy of knowledge, developing greater facility for shared learning with others, and increasing engagement and self-direction.Above all, Citizenship Education can play an important part in developing engaged and responsible citizens. The Citizenship Foundation has always argued that the failure to make Citizenship Education statutory in primary schools was a missed opportunity and results in developmental delay in this area. There are examples of refined Citizenship practice in the primary phase on which to build precisely we argue that that current provision (based on a non-statutory joint framework for PSHE and Citizenship) is inadequate, and deserves a much higher profile.We recognise that primary schools and practitioners will need support for the implementation of the above developments, and in the light of this the Citizenship Foundation is race for A desi gnated co-ordinator in every school, supported by an LA consultant Citizenship to feature in a revised primary SEF form NCSL primary programmes to include a primary dimension We will be blissful to discuss any aspect of this submission with the review team. C. 2 C. 3. C. 4.The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 6 References i UNICEF root on Child Well-Being in Rich Countries (2007) Education and Skills Select Committee Report on Citizenship Education TSO (2007) Every Child Matters DfES (2003) ii iii iv OECD League Table of Young Peoples Risk Behaviour. Programme of International Studies Assessment (PISA) (2003) Mercer, N. (2000) Words and Minds How We Use verbiage to Think Together. Routledge. Dunn, J.(1988).The Beginnings of Social Understanding, Blackwell Publishing. Vygotsky, L. S. (1962) Thought and Language Cambridge,MAMIT Press v vi vii viii Wallace, B. Maher. J. et al (2004) Thinking Skills and Problem Solving A n inclusive Approach David Fulton Publishers Donaldson, M. (1978) Childrens Minds. Fontana Press Excellence and Enjoyment DfES (1993) Primary National Strategy (PNS) DfES (2003) ix x xi as advocated by Shirley Clarke in Enriching Feedback in the Primary Classroom.(2003) Hodder & Stoughton xiii xii Ajegbo, Sir K. Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review (2007) The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 7 closely the Authors Marguerite Heath is an experienced Primary Headteacher who now directs the Go-Givers programme at the Citizenship Foundation. Go-Givers is a major new resource for teaching and learning about Citizenship in primary schools which is to be launched in June 2007.Don Rowe is Director, Curriculum Resources at the Citizenship Foundation and a co-founder of the Foundation. He has published and sensible widely on Citizenship Education in Primary and Secondary schools. Tony Breslin is Chief Executive at the Citizen ship Foundation and has published and advised widely on Citizenship Education and in a range of related educational fields. Ted Huddleston is a Project autobus at the Citizenship Foundation, and currently leads on the Citizenship Manifesto programme.He has published and advised widely on Citizenship Education. Elizabeth Griffiths is an experienced primary practitioner working on the development of Go-Givers at the Citizenship Foundation. Contact Marguerite Heath The Citizenship Foundation, 63 chiliad Street, London EC1V 3RS Tel 020 7566 4148 Email marguerite. heathcitizenshipfoundation. org. uk The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 8 The Primary Review submission from the Citizenship Foundation Citizenship Foundation, March 2007 9.