Welcome!

citizens now Terry Ashton Adviser (Guidance & Careers) Aberdeen City: Learning & Leisure

who wants to be a good citizen? 1 What is the colour of the cross on the Scottish flag? A. red B. white C. blue D. black

who wants to be a good citizen? 2 When is St Andrews Day? A. 1 March B. 20 March C. 23 April D. 30 November

who wants to be a good citizen? 3 Who is the deputy First Minister of Scotland? A. Malcolm Chisholm B. Cathy Jamieson C. Nicol Stephen D. Jim Wallace

who wants to be a good citizen? 4 How many MSPs are there in the Scottish Parliament? A. 95 B. 129 C. 164 D. 195

who wants to be a good citizen? 5 What is the written, almost verbatim, report of proceedings of the Scottish Parliament called? A. Hansard B. The Official Report C. The Daily Proceedings D. The Daily Record

who wants to be a good citizen? 6 How many local authorities are there in Scotland? A. 9 B. 17 C. 32 D. 41

who wants to be a good citizen? 7 Who is the Minister for Health and Community Care? A. Malcolm Chisholm B. Cathy Jamieson C. Nicol Stephen D. Iain Gray

becoming a citizen? On May 14th I finally had my citizenship interview. It was extremely easy as to the five questions I was asked by the Immigration Officer:

becoming a citizen? 1. What is the supreme law of the United States? 2. Who was President of the United States during the Civil War? 3. Who will be President if both the President and Vice President are incapacitated? 4. When is Independence Day? 5. What was the year of Independence from Great Britain?

becoming a citizen? The entire interview lasted about 10 minutes.

what makes a good citizen? Decide on 3 or 4 things that would describe a good citizen.

some issues should a citizen always be involved actively? what does actively mean anyway? how old do you have to be to be a citizen? what has being a good citizen got to do with politics (if anything)? UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

what being a citizen means having rights exercising responsibilities defending other peoples rights having your rights upheld and defended belonging to various communities

what being a citizen means participating in activities that affect the welfare of communities opportunity to exercise personal choice making informed choices and decisions taking action based on your decisions political participation

Citizenship is about being a member of a community and making a positive contribution to that community.

Education for Citizenship So what can a school do to help young people develop as citizens?

What does a citizen need? knowledge skills attitudes values

possible ways of educating for citizenship put some topics in the curriculum like politics, parliament, the economy, local government, European Union etc… do an audit of the whole curriculum have lots of visitors in to talk to the students Visit parliament, local council etc…

BUT…

students are citizens

Young people learn most about citizenship by being active citizens

some questions to ask Does school model a society in which active citizenship is encouraged?

some questions to ask Does it give all students real opportunities for responsibility and choice? What about staff?

some questions to ask Has it an open, participatory ethos and style of management?

some questions to ask Does it motivate young people to be active and responsible?

some questions to ask Does it try to break down barriers between school and community?

some questions to ask Are relationships within school and with the community based on mutual respect and care?

some questions to ask Are aspects of decision-making and significant responsibilities shared with young people?

some questions to ask Is there a positive and challenging climate for learning that reflects and encourages high expectations?

some questions to ask Are debate and disagreement encouraged and the expression of minority views welcomed?

some questions to ask What changes have been made in the school during the last three years that originated with pupils?

some questions to ask What changes originate with staff but are clearly supported by pupils after consultation?

some questions to ask How are students involved in evaluating approaches to teaching and learning?

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