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Responsibility is the
ability to consider the consequences of actions and to be able to accept
such consequences following actions taken. It is the need to know why; to
seek the meaning in what is being learned. Pupils need to be encouraged to
adopt a mature attitude to roles and responsibilities they will encounter
outwith school. This area is a major focus in the National Priority
relating to Citizenship.
Points Arising from
Research
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Pupils should become
socially and morally responsible towards those in authority and each other,
actively involved in the concerns of the community and aware of how to make
themselves effective in public life through appropriate knowledge, skills and
values. (Potter 2002) |
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Dangers of
authoritarian schools are that pupils’ views are ignored and there
is poor communication, over-strict rules and lack of pupil choice.
(Osler and Starkey 1996) |
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Pupils are
expected to have knowledge of their own rights, how to exercise them
and an awareness of the diverse social background in which they
live. |
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Education for
Citizenship is a key part of the responsibility of every teacher and
early education practitioner. It is part and parcel of every area of
study and of all teaching and learning. (Education for
Citizenship in Scotland:LTS 2002) |
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School should
model the kind of society in which active citizenship is encouraged.
(LTS 2002) |
Key Elements of Roles
and Responsibilities
Citizenship
Citizenship is part
of the school curriculum preparing pupils for the roles and responsibilities
of adulthood. This can include:
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understanding
the rights they have both as children and adults,
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the part that
they can play in their communities |
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the
responsibilities they will have as adults. |
Citizenship education
involves;
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equipping young
people with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes they need to
play a full part in the fast changing world in which they live
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understanding
about how the world works – from the local to the global –
politically, economically and socially |
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thinking
critically and creatively about what they see happening – including
rights and responsibilities sustainable development, conflict
resolution and interdependence. |
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being able to
empathise with others |
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having a sense
of fair play, a respect for diversity and concern for the future.
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giving pupils
opportunities for participation, as when young people see that they
can help to bring about change they feel included in processes
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Schools may do this
through:
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the content of
their teaching, and most significantly, the way in which it is
taught |
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the connections
they are able to make between apparently disparate areas of study
and young people's social and community experience
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their
relationships with young people and readiness to listen to and take
account of young people's views. |
School Councils
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A School Council
is an ideal opportunity for pupils to get more involved in the way a
school is run. |
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It is made up in
a number of different ways but usually has representatives from each
class or year, who have to be voted in by other pupils. |
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It is the
responsibility of all councillors to ensure that they express both
their own views and the views of all the other pupils they
represent. |
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Providing
opportunities for pupils to communicate their feelings to teachers
and staff will benefit the whole school, pupils and teachers. |
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Pupils also have
the opportunity to influence decisions that are made, and to develop
skills such as confidence, communication and negotiation. |
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In particular,
pupils can be encouraged to comment on Learning and Teaching issues
through their councils |
Teacher values
As teachers accept
responsibility for the education of children, so they need to accept
responsibility for making sincere, transparent, systematic and convincing
efforts to try to live their values out as fully as possible in their
teaching.
For example teachers may
dominate the classroom discourse by talking too much, despite saying they
value facilitating pupil discussion. They may say they want to give all
pupils an equal amount of time and then find themselves concentrating on
those who demand most of the attention.
Reflection and Discussion
Are pupils in your
school encouraged to take an active part in the running of the school?
How should we deal with
pupil advice/requests which are deemed inappropriate?
How can we make clear to
pupils that their wishes/ideas are being acted on?
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Some Activities Relating To
the Issue of Roles and Responsibilities |
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Key element |
Objective |
Action |
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Some examples and
suggestions |
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Citizenship |
Understand the rights they
have both as children and adults, the part that they can play in their
communities and the responsibilities they will have as adults |
In S1, for instance, a
personal and Social Education insert on social inclusion could encompass
consideration of children's rights, and learning about the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and children's rights
under Scots law. |
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Citizenship |
Understand the part that they
can play in their communities |
Examine the opportunities for
your school to be involved in their local community through voluntary
work |
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Schools Councils |
Provide opportunities for
pupils to communicate their feelings to teachers and staff which will
benefit whole school, pupils and teachers. |
Two pupil representatives are
elected for a one-year term of office in each Primary 3-7 class. Each
week all classes hold their own class council attended by all class
members, whilst the pupil representatives meet with the head teacher
three or four times a term. Class representatives conduct class council
meetings, with support from their class teacher. At the
representatives' meeting with the head teacher, which is chaired by a
pupil council member, items are discussed and decisions made. |
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Teacher values |
Teachers need to accept
responsibility for making sincere, transparent, systematic and
convincing efforts to try to live their values out as fully as possible
in their teaching |
Conduct a survey of
pupil opinion on teachers’ attitudes. Do they think it is a case of “Do
as I say - not as I do”? If this is their perception, how can we adapt
to take account of this? Should we? |
Selected References
Further Reading
Carter, C. (2002)
Schools Ethos and the Construction of Masculine Identity: Do Schools Create,
Condone and Sustain Aggression? Educational Review, Vol.54, No. 1,
pp 27-36.
Deuchar, R. (2003)
Preparing Tomorrow’s People – The New Challenges Of Citizenship Education
For Involving Scottish Pupils And Teachers In Participative Decision-Making
Processes. Scottish Educational review, Vol.35 No. 1
Gearon, L. (2000)
Learning to Teach Citizenship in the Secondary School Routledge
Learning and Teaching
Scotland (2002) Education for Citizenship in Scotland - A Paper for
Discussion and Development. Dundee: LT Scotland
Osler, A. & Starkey,
H. (1996) Teacher Education and Human Rights. London: David Fulton
Potter, J. (2002)
Active Citizenship in Schools. London: Kogan Page
Websites
Learning and Teaching
Scotland have a website to support education professionals and others
implementing the LTScotland paper ‘Education for Citizenship in Scotland’
www.ltscotland.org.uk/citizenship
- many
relevant resources and links for teachers in Scotland.
www.antiracisttoolkit.org.uk
A CD-ROM
and web resource on race equality and anti-racism within the curriculum and
wider life of schools. (Scottish Executive, LT Scotland, CERES, City of
Edinburgh Council, 2003)
http://www.globaldimension.highlandschools.org.uk/
Highland One World Group. This site is intended for teachers,
headteachers and others with a responsibility for planning the curriculum in
Highland primary and secondary schools.
www.ncb.org.uk
(National Children’s Bureau) Promotes the interests and
well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their
lives. This site includes relevant research and resources
www.oxfam.org.uk (Oxfam) Lots of
detailed resources and information on global citizenship. Also can provide a
speaker
www.salvationarmy.org.uk /schools (Salvation
Army) Provides speakers on the life and times of William Booth (founder)
and homelessness
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/31_61.htm
(Save the
Children Fund) Working to create a better future for children. This site
includes information on children whose education has been disrupted by
conflict. Also contains details of free speakers who come into schools.
www.unicef.org (Unicef)
Information on child health, nutrition and labour including resources and
statistics |
