Journal of Social Science Education (JSSE - Universität Bielefeld)
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Performing Citizenship Down Under: Educating the Active Citizen
Get PDFIn democracies such as Australia and New Zealand, education policy increasingly seeks to foster active citizens who are committed to social justice and change. Whilst many aspects of these initiatives are to be applauded for their commitment to empowering young people, in this paper we describe some of the ambiguities that attend young people’s experiences of civic engagement and active citizenship. In doing so, we draw on Isin’s (2008) reconceptualization of citizenship as something that is, above all, performed or enacted. Isin’s focus is upon ‘acts of citizenship’ which he argues are best understood by examining their grounds, effects and consequences. Drawing on illustrations of young people’s global and local citizenship actions in schools in Australia and New Zealand, we examine some of the contradictions and tensions that lie within the enactment of such ‘performed’ curricula. We conclude by reflecting on the opportunities that exist within school and community spaces for the active citizen to perform acts of citizenship
Discovering Argument: Linking Literacy, Citizenship Education, and Persuasive Advocacy
Get PDFThis paper explores persuasive writing and what more might be done to help equip young people with the written literacy tools to be effective participants in civic activism. Firstly, we argue from an Australian (and Tasmanian) context that there may be merit in teachers and students re-visiting some of the advice from classical rhetoric around the discovery of arguments. Secondly, we analyse challenges that 14 year old students face in responding to Australia’s national literacy tests which include a persuasive writing task – and exemplify this section with evidence drawn from a data source of outstanding student responses. We conclude by critically reviewing and augmenting the literacy strategies suggested in a representative citizenship education teaching text, and suggest a tentative stepped model for supporting high quality persuasive writing in the context of active citizenship and democratic engagement
When Parents United: A Historical Case Study Examining the Changing Civic Landscape of American Urban Education Reform
Get PDFIn this article we explore recent history to uncover the role that public engagement has played in the effort to reform America\u27s urban schools. In the place of narratives that focus on elite actors (foundations, unions, corporations, etc.), we focus on the role of local stakeholders. Specifically, we look to how the changing political context (policy agendas and governance structures) of urban school systems has shifted possibilities for communities to participate in determining the direction of reform efforts in urban school systems. Through interviews and archival research, we examine the case of a single parent-led advocacy organization, Parents United for the D.C. Public Schools. Established in 1980 and remaining active until the late 1990s, Parents United developed a broad-based vision of educational equity and had a significant impact on the local public school system during that time. We show that in the current political and social context of education reform, communities may derive important lessons from Parents United while also devising new strategies for public engagement
Preparing for Citizenship: Second Order Thinking Concepts in Social Science Education
No full textSocial Science as a school subject aims at making students knowledgeable in societal issues as well as preparing them for citizenship. Despite the strong position of Social Science in the Swedish school curricula little research has been done in the field. Previous research has mainly concentrated on factual knowledge and conceptual learning, or the role of deliberation in class activities. Less research has focused on the role of disciplinary thinking and how that might promote learning how to think like a social scientist and at the same time prepare students for citizenship. By using a conceptual framework from history didactics Social Science education is explored in search of second-order concepts. Also, the relationship between these concepts and democratic socialisation is investigated. By focusing on one substantial case, globalisation, this study tries to reach beyond the various topics commonly covered in Social Science education. This was done by observations of teaching in Social Science and interviews with six experienced teachers. Manifested in the teachers’ voices were ideas on how to organise, analyse, interpret and critically review discourses in society. The proposed second order concepts of Social Science found in the teachers’ voices were: social science perspectives, social science causality, social science evidence and inference, social science abstraction, social science comparison and contrast, and the evaluative dimension of social science. In order to reach their goals in Social Science the teachers underlined the importance of using these concepts. When pupils work scientifically they develop a way of thinking about society and they challenge their set opinions about different topics. Therefore, second order concepts are important for learning Social Science and at the same time preparing students for a life as citizens
Review of the Book: Hedtke, Reinhold; Zimenkova, Tatjana. 2013 (eds.). Education for Civic and Political Participation. A Critical Approach
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Project Report ECLIPSE: European Citizenship Learning Program for Secondary Education
Get PDFThis paper reports on a European project, the Comenius ECLIPSE project (European Citizenship Learning in a Programme for Secondary Education) developed by six European partners coordinated by the University of Trento in the years 2011-2014. ECLIPSE (co-financed by the EACEA - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) aims at developing, testing, and implementing a Programme of European Citizenship, in order to improve citizenship competence and responsibility and to strengthen the sense of belonging and European identity of 8th grade pupils. These goals are reachable thanks to a number of measures in formal, non-formal and informal fields. The project partners created teaching and monitoring tools for pupils: seven ECMs (European Citizenship Modules), knowledge tests, pupils’ portfolio, and suggestions for teachers, especially a portfolio for ECLIPSE educators. The ECLIPSE teaching/ testing materials were implemented in several schools of the partner’s countries in order to make sure that it is useful for European pupils of different school systems. It can be used in a flexible way keeping in mind different learning needs in each school system, with a view to improving transversal competencies like learning to learn, as well as initiative and active involvement in improving the chances for young people in citizenship and work worlds.Dieses Papier beschreibt ein europäisches Projekt: das Comenius Projekt ECLIPSE (European Citizenship Learning in einem Programm für Secondary Education), das von sechs europäischen Partnern entwickelt und von der Universität Trient in den Jahren 2011-2014 koordiniert wurde. ECLIPSE wurde von der EACEA (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency) kofinanziert; es zielt auf die Entwicklung, Überprüfung und Implementierung eines Programms zur Entwicklung eines europäischen Bürgersinns, um Kompetenzen als Staatsbürger und zugleich einer europäischen Identität und Verantwortung bei Schülerinnen und Schülern der 8. Klasse. Diese Ziele werden durch eine Reihe von Maßnahmen im formalen, nicht formalen und informellen Bereich angestrebt. Die Projektpartner entwickelten Lehr-und Monitoring Materialien für SchülerInnen, sieben ECM (European Citizenship Modules), Wissenstests, Portfolio für Schüler und Hinweise für Lehrer und speziell ein Portfolio für den Lehrkörper. Die ECLIPSE Lehr / Testmaterialien wurden in mehreren Schulen und Schultypen der Partnerländer getestet. Es kann in flexibler Weise verwendet werden unter Berücksichtigung unterschiedlicher Lernbedürfnisse in jedem Schulsystem, um auch Querschnittskompetenzen wie Lernkompetenz und Eigeninitiative und aktive Mitarbeit zu fördern um die Chancen junger Menschen auf politische Partizipation und auf dem Arbeitsmarkt zu verbessern
