The characteristics of teachers likely to be successful in mediating a citizenship curriculum include those who have:
- Basic training in rights and responsibilities
- An interdisciplinary awareness of social, cultural, civic, political, legal, economic, environmental, historical and contemporary affairs
- Dispositions to inter-disciplinary learning
- Commitment to inquiry -based learning
- Skill in facilitating experiential learning
- Ability to draw on multiple resources
- Confidence in addressing controversial issues
- Sensitivity to emotional dimensions of learning
- Ability to assess student learning outcomes
Alan Smith (2003) p,12.
DEFINING CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
those problems and disputes that divide society and for which significant groups within society offer conflicting explanations and solutions based on alternative values
(Stradling et al. 1984, p.2 cited by Mc Cully, forthcoming)
If Stradling’s definition lacks one dimension it is that it fails to embrace that strong emotional element that often accompanies controversial issues in societies characterised by religious, cultural or ethnic conflict. Facilitating such emotions is a critical factor in determining whether or not a practitioner in an educational setting can engage participants in effective learning. The term ‘controversial’ refers to this ‘sensitive’ dimension; thus distinguishing the issues under scrutiny from those ‘controversial public issues’ such as nuclear disarmament, juvenile crime or state-assisted suicide which generate strong views but do not normally go to the heart of students’ sense of ethnic or cultural identity (Hess 2002 cited by A. Mc Cully forthcoming ).
USEFUL BACKGROUND READING
| Document | Author and Details | Type |
| A Pedagogy for Citizenship | University of Ulster, School of Education |  |
| Action Learning for Citizenship Education | Jones, P (2000) Pastoral Care. NAPCE |  |
| Fair and Balanced to Death: Confronting the Cult of Neutrality In the Teacher Education Classroom | Faith Agostinone-Wilson JCEPS:Vol. 3 No. 1 (March 2005) |
|
| Practitioner perceptions of their role in facilitating the handling of controversial issues in contested societies: a Northern Irish experience | Alan McCully, University of Ulster, School of Education | |
| ACTIVE LEARNING METHODOLOGY | Author and Details | Type |
| A Moving Debate | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Active Learning | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Brainstorming | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Exploring Identity | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Four Corners Debate | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Setting ground rules | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Trust building | Developed by the Project Team | |
| The Case for Posters | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Using photographs | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Using Visual Images | Developed by the Project Team | |
| Using Newspapers | Developed by the Project Team | |
| INTERNET LINKS | Type |
| Chalkface Project – lesson plans with worksheets free samples to download available in electronic and paper formats | |
| Cool Planet for Teachers | |
| Citizen-E | |
| Council of Europe Education Bookshop | |
| CRENI.org | |
| Developing Good Relations in the School Community | |
| Educating for Citizenship (CD-ROM) – A CD-ROM to help teachers develop their approach to promoting the ideals of citizenship in the classroom | |
| European Year of Citizenship through Education | |
| National Youth Development Education Programme | |
| One Stop Education | |
| Promoting Citizenship in the classroom – A selection of on-line resources and key UNESCO documents related to citizenship education | |
| The Association of CSPE Teachers (ACT) | |
| The Citizenship Foundation | |
| The Professional Subject Association for Citizenship | |
| The Standards Site (England) | |
| Transform Conflict.org | |
| Trocaire | |
| UNESCO | |
| UN Site – Conventions on the Rights of the Child | |
| LESSONS ON SPECIFIC TOPICS | Author and Details | Type |
| Primary School lessons | Insert example teaching plans
|
|
| Exploring Identity | Exploring Identity | |
| Human Rights | 2 lessons on Human Rights kindly provided by George Hull (PGCE student 2004/05), School of Education, University of Ulster | 1.
2. |
| Title: Local and Global Citizenship: Teachers NotesAuthor: CCEA/Education and Library Boards ISBN: 1 85885 754 3 Publisher: CCEA Cost: £ Copies will be in all post primary schools by 2005/2006”“First published in summer 2003, with subsequent inserts. This folder covers the main themes of Local and Global Citizenship at Key Stage 3, ie Diversity and Inclusion, Equality and Social Justice and Democracy and Active Participation. These themes are underpinned by basic Human Rights education. As such, the materials cover a wide range of issues which relate to the Northern Irish situation as well as global concerns. In the local context, diversity, sectarianism and dealing with conflict are addressed in meaningful experiential learning activities to be used in the class room and indeed potentially when working with groups from two or more schools.( ref: Creni.org) |
|
|
| Lesson Plan on Children’s Rights | |
|
| Template for Children’s Rights Lesson |  |
RESOURCES FOR SPECIFIC TOPICS
Resources related to the specific teaching of an entire course on citizenship education
| RESOURCES FOR SPECIFIC TOPICS | Author and Details | Type |
| Diversity/ Interdependence | Resource Directory: Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland. Edited by Lorraine Heffernan | |
| Human Rights | Resource Directory: Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland. Edited by Lorraine Heffernan | |
| Democracy & Active Participation | Resource Directory: Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland. Edited by Lorraine Heffernan | |
| Equality, Justice & Sustainable Development | Resource Directory: Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland. Edited by Lorraine Heffernan | |
| PSHE & citizenship | Resource Directory: Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland. Edited by Lorraine Heffernan | |