Citizenship Education
The aim of CE:
"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 and with the critical capacities to weigh evidence before speaking and acting."
The Crick Report
Ambitious, important, statutory, and not easy! The citizenship training on offer can be custom built to suit your needs. For example, schools might want:
- Whole staff training to introduce CE or boost enthusiasm
- General training for a particular team of teachers
- Preparation for an Ofsted inspection
- Focus sessions on CE assessment, management, implementation methods, the 3 Strands (political literacy, community involvement, social & moral responsibility), "skills of enquiry & communication" or "participation and responsible action", active Citizenship, or any other aspect of the Programmes of Study
- Quality resources and practical ideas that are manageable and effective.
Contact Will to find out how he can help you develop practical and exciting ways of improving CE in your context.
Why not combine cross-curricular Thinking Skills and Citizenship training at the same time?
By using the Philosophy for Children approach to learning, teachers can develop thinking skills and CE across the curriculum simultaneously. P4C focuses on improving pupils’ abilities to think well, learn as a community, and communicate effectively. These skills can be applied to Citizenship topics in every subject. For example, pupils might explore the issues surrounding global warming in science lessons, learning how to be critical, collaborative and creative in their thinking & dialogue at the same time.
The P4C approach to teaching and learning complements Citizenship skills and issues perfectly, and can empower pupils to take responsibility for their own ideas and learning. Bernard Crick, creator of CE, makes note of the importance of these skills in the quote below:
"Children learn responsibility best and gain a sense of moral values by discussing with good guidance from the earliest age real and controversial issues and by having opportunities to participate and take responsibility. Talk, discussion, debate and participation are the bases of social responsibility and intercourse and the grounding and practice of active citizenship."
Sir Bernard Crick
If the 'P4C & CE approach' appeals, contact Will to set up training that will suit your context.
