Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland – preparing the teachers Una O’Connor & Alison Montgomery UNESCO Centre, School of Education University of Ulster

Overview Background Educational Context The projects Findings Discussion

NI Education Context Society: political violence, segregation Education segregated by: Denomination (controlled, maintained, integrated); Gender (boys, girls, co-educational); Achievement (grammar, secondary) Curricular and other initiatives

Citizenship – England & Ireland Statutory since September 2002 Social and moral responsibility Community involvement Political literacy Non-prescriptive delivery At least 5% teaching time Flexible teaching approach Citizenship Education became a statutory subject at key stages 3 and 4 in September 2002. The definition of ‘effective education for citizenship’ was centred on three separate but interrelated strands: social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy. The Citizenship Order sets out the anticipated learning outcomes in relation to knowledge, understanding and skills of enquiry and participation. However, methods of delivery are not prescribed, and although schools are intended to devote five per cent of teaching time to citizenship, they may choose how to achieve this goal. For example, some may decide to timetable a citizenship lesson, some may incorporate it as a module within PSHE and others may teach it across a range of subjects. At Key Stage 3, there is a requirement for an end of key stage assessment in Citizenship. Schemes of Work are provided for schools that include examples of activities to promote active, participatory assessment. Assessment in Citizenship should enable pupils to: Review the progress they have made during the key stage in each strand of the Citizenship programme of study; Reflect on their experiences across the curriculum and in broader community activities, and Demonstrate some of the skills, knowledge and understanding they have acquired.

Citizenship – England & Ireland Republic of Ireland Civic, Social and Political Education statutory since 1997 4 units of study 7 core concepts Timetabled class Action project Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) has been a part of the compulsory core curriculum in the ROI since 1997. CSPE has four units of study: The Individual and Citizenship; The Community; The State-Ireland; and Ireland and the World. Through the units of study students should come to understand how the seven core concepts- Human Dignity, Rights & Responsibilities, Democracy, Development, Law, Interdependence & Stewardship – clarify and inform the concept of citizenship. It is taught to pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 in all post-primary schools as a timetabled class period. A key element is the action project. The importance of the active participation is reflected in the assessment procedures, where 60% of the final grade is allocated to this area.

Citizenship in NI Statutory from 2007 Part of primary and post-primary curriculum Inquiry based Underpinned by Human Rights values Experiential learning – action projects Examples from local and global contexts

Citizenship – NI Curriculum Local and Global Citizenship Diversity & inclusion Human rights & social responsibility Equality and social justice Democracy and active participation Preparation of teachers Initial Teacher Education In-service Provision

Preparation of student and beginning teachers Paper draws on findings from two projects: Evaluation of local and global citizenship (NICCEA) A values-based approach to teacher education (ESRC-TLRP)

Perceptions and understanding of citizenship Definitions Professional Motivations Value-associated links Conceptions of citizenship in practice

Initial experiences of citizenship education Innovative Learning Approaches Alternative teaching strategies and methodologies Extenuating factors influencing classroom experience

Early Teaching Experiences Different teaching styles Classroom Management Assessment Limitations/Constraints in teaching citizenship

Issues for consideration Role of personal biography Motivation of citizenship teachers Challenging nature of citizenship education Skills development Different educational contexts