|
Citizenship
Introduction
Schools and other educational
establishments have a central part to play in educating young people for life as
active and responsible members of their communities. They share this role with
families and others, and must work in partnership with them to provide young
people with learning opportunities that contribute to their development as
citizens.
The advent of the Scottish
Parliament has encouraged a fresh focus on the importance of people living in
Scotland being able to understand and participate in democratic processes. If
greater national autonomy is to be matched by an enhanced sense of social and
political responsibility in the population, young people need opportunities to
develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will allow them to take that
responsibility. This is recognised in the
national priorities for education whose status is established in the
Standards in Scotland's Schools, etc. Act 2000. Schools are encouraged to 'work with parents to teach pupils respect for self
and one another and their interdependence with other members of their
neighbourhood and society and to teach them the duties and responsibilities of
citizenship in a democratic society'. In this sense education for citizenship
should empower young people to participate thoughtfully and responsibly in
community and civic life, and to influence our political, legal and economic
institutions. At the same time, participate effectively in their communities and
recognise their roles and responsibilities as global citizens.
The opportunities for learning
that are provided in schools and early education settings make important
contributions to the process of educating for active and responsible
citizenship. At the same time, the contributions of formal education need to be
seen alongside, and in interaction with, other influences. These include the
influence of parents, carers and the media and opportunities for community-based
learning. Also, school and early education establishments need to take account
of the diversity of the local communities in which young people live.
Staff development
Involvement in
education for citizenship has implications both for the professional
knowledge of teachers and early years practitioners and for their teaching
skills. Even though it is not envisaged that approaches to education for
citizenship should be strongly focused on areas of knowledge, teachers are
likely to feel more confident with a basic knowledge and understanding of
such areas as rights and responsibilities, decision-making processes, the
role of the media in contemporary society, environmental issues and
financial education. Furthermore, opportunities for initial and in-service
education are likely to be of value, for example, on matters such as:
 |
How to
involve young people in decision making
|
|
|
Supporting
young people undertaking community placements
|
|
|
Developing
international links |
|
|
Dealing with
controversial issues in the classroom
|
Perhaps most
important of all, if interdisciplinary work across school and community
sectors is to become meaningful, then teachers, early years practitioners
and other professionals need to be able to participate in joint staff
development in order to understand better the complementarities of each
other's professional skills
Developments such as
Personal Learning Plans and
The
Progress File could be adapted to include recognition of aspects of
education for citizenship or to highlight a citizenship
LT
Scotland "Education for Citizenship in Scotland" Advisory Council of
Learning and Teaching Scotland :2000
Areas for Development
Education for
citizenship is a national priority, many features of which are underpinned
by legislation such as the
Human Rights Act 1998 and the
Standards in Scotland's Schools, etc. Act, 2000. The Advisory Council
expects that this will be reflected in local authorities' improvement plans
and in school development plans.
Specifically, it is
recommended that the following areas for development be given priority.
Development should focus on:
Schools and early
education centres
|
|
Reviewing
existing provision and practice in terms of the framework developed in
this paper, including provision of opportunities for young people to:
-
Participate
in decision making
-
Participate
actively in relevant learning experiences across the curriculum
-
Learn to
make connections between different areas of study through
cross-curricular experiences relevant to education for citizenship
-
Understand
and participate in the life of the communities to which they belong.
|
|
|
Promoting
education for citizenship within the development planning process.
|
|
|
Ensuring
opportunities for meaningful and responsible involvement in
decision-making by young people and adults associated with the
establishment. |
|
|
Designating a
member of staff to co-ordinate provision for development of capability
for citizenship. |
Opportunities for
CPD
Citizenship must be
included in initial teacher training programmes. As part of their continuing
CPD all teachers must have the opportunity to participate in training and
development in education for citizenship.
Ian Murray |
