Democracy and citizenship education: clarifying commonly used terms

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Democracy and citizenship education clarifying
commonly used terms

• Ian Davies
• University of York, UK.

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How can we make sense of citizenship education?

• Articulation are the ideas clearly and
  coherently expressed?
• Legitimation is citizenship education supported
  by significant individuals and groups?
• Implementation what is being done?

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2 traditions

• Civic republican public contexts
  responsibilities
• Liberal private contexts rights.

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Styles of citizenship education

• Pre 1960s civics for low status students
  academic courses about the British Constitution
  for high status students
• 1970s political literacy skills, procedural
  values, issues, proclivity to action.
• 1980s - new educations peace, gender,
  anti-racist etc (political, affective,
  holistic)
• Early 1990s citizenship education as voluntary
  social service
• Late 1990s citizenship education.

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Why was citizenship education introduced in the
late 1990s?

• Labour won the 1997 general election and the new
  government was determined to develop a strong
  communitarian approach to social policy. The
  third way seemed to provide the key to the
  renewal of social democracy, involving forms of
  education that would encourage purposeful
  engagement with the goal of strengthening ties
  between individuals and groups.

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What is citizenship? (Crick)

• Social and moral responsibilityPupils learning
  - from the very beginning - self-confidence and
  socially and morally responsible behaviour both
  in and beyond the classroom, towards those in
  authority and towards each other.

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What is citizenship? (Crick)

• Community involvementPupils learning about
  becoming helpfully involved in the life and
  concerns of their neighbourhood and communities,
  including learning through community involvement
  and service to the community.

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What is citizenship? (Crick)

• Political literacyPupils learning about the
  institutions, problems and practices of our
  democracy and how to make themselves effective in
  the life of the nation, locally, regionally and
  nationally through skills and values as well as
  knowledge - a concept wider than political
  knowledge alone.

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Knowledge and understanding about becoming
informed citizens.

• legal and human rights underpinning society,
  basic aspects of the criminal justice system and
  how both relate to young people the diversity of
  national, religious, regional and ethnic
  identities in the United Kingdom and the need for
  mutual respect and understanding central and
  local government, the public services they offer
  and how they are financed and the opportunities
  to contribute the key characteristics of
  parliamentary and other forms of government the
  world as a global community, and the political,
  economic, environmental and social implications
  of this and the role of the European Union, the
  Commonwealth and the United Nations.

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Developing the skills of enquiry and communication

• Pupils should be taught to
• think about topical political, spiritual, moral,
  social and cultural issues, problems and events
  by analysing information and its sources,
  including ICT based sources
• justify orally and in writing a personal opinion
  about such issues, problems or events
• contribute to group and to exploratory class
  discussions, and take part in debates

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Developing skills of participation and
responsible action

• Pupils should be taught to
• use their imagination to consider other people's
  experiences and be able to think about, express
  and explain views that are not their own
• negotiate, decide and take part responsibly in
  both school and community based activities
• reflect on the process of participating.

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How are schools described?

• In relation to their efforts to implement
  citizenship education schools are said to fall
  into one of the following categories
• Focussing
• Developing
• Established
• Advanced

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A legal and political status

• Being a member of a particular political
  community or state.
• Citizenship in this sense brings with it certain
  rights and responsibilities that are defined in
  law, such as the right to vote, the
  responsibility to pay tax etc. It is sometimes
  referred to as nationality and is what is meant
  when someone talks about applying for,
  getting or being refused citizenship.

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Involvement in public life and affairs

• Active citizenship. Citizenship in this sense is
  applied to a wide range of activities - from
  voting in elections and standing for political
  office to simply taking an interest in current
  affairs and public policy issues. It refers not
  only to rights and responsibilities laid down in
  law but to general forms of behaviour social
  and moral which societies expect of their
  citizens. These rights, responsibilities and
  behaviours are matters of ongoing debate.

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An educational activity

• The process of helping people become active,
  informed and responsible citizens. It encompasses
  all forms of education from informal education in
  the home, youth work to more formal types of
  education provided in schools, colleges,
  universities etc.

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An approach is needed that is

• Pervasive not limited to schools but an integral
  part of all education for young people
• Inclusive an entitlement for all young people
  regardless if their ability or background
• Lifelong continuing throughout life

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The most effective form of learning in
citizenship education is

• Active emphasises learning by doing
• Interactive uses discussion and debate
• Relevant focuses on real life issues
• Critical encourages young people to think for
  themselves
• Collaborative employs group work and
  co-operative learning
• Participative gives young people a say in their
  own learning

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Where does citizenship education take place?

• Taught curriculum discrete subject and/or as an
  element in other subjects
• Ethos and culture having a say in their
  learning (e.g. initiating projects) playing a
  part in decision making (e.g. student forums)
  taking on posts of responsibility (e.g. peer
  mediation).
• Wider community school exchanges peer
  education campaigns.

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Civil renewal

• Active citizenship people who take
  responsibility for tackling the problems they can
  see in their own communities
• Strengthened communities communities that can
  form and sustain their own organisations,
  bringing people together to deal with their
  common concerns
• Partnership in meeting public needs public
  bodies who involve local people in improving the
  planning and delivery of public services

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Active citizenship

• Citizenship education
• Volunteering
• Civic participation
• Confidence building

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Strengthened communities

• Community capacity
• Community development
• Community cohesion

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Partnership in meeting public needs (ladder of
participation)

• Feedback making it easier for citizens to hold
  state bodies to account
• Consultation seeking citizens views prior to
  taking action
• Shared governance sharing power with
  citizens/groups
• Devolved decision making handing powers to
  citizens

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Friendly arguments (Crick and beyond)

• World citizenship comes first
• Anti racism should lead
• A school subject
• Assessment
• Imposition and strong bare bones
• Linking schools and communities
• Teacher education