1. and the Victorian Curriculum 2017
CIVIC PARTICIPATION
and the Victorian Curriculum
2017
Share your thoughts in the chat box!
Exploring the notion of civic participation:
What does it currently look like in our schools and
What could it look like under the Victorian Curriculum?
1 – WELCOME (FROM GERRY)
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Purpose of Today (LOU)
The following webinar is one where YOUR input is not only welcome but invited. THIS PPT will be sent out to you after today’s session so please add your thoughts, opinions, queries, experiences, etc where asked.
Many schools assume they already cover civic participation in their curriculum via initiatives such as kitchen garden projects, SRC, guest speakers, and, in a secondary set up, shopping trips with the elderly citizens or local council visits.
However, Civic participation in our curriculum is much more than merely being involved. It is actively understanding what is needed to make a difference to local or global communities and addressing issues and taking action accordingly. Civic participation activities often address other curriculum areas such as English -Speaking and Listening and Literacy - Interacting with Others, and especially the new capabilities: Ethical, Critical and Creative Thinking, Cultural and even Personal and Social.
So what I’d like to encourage you to do during this presentation, is to reflect on how your school currently implements civic participation and consider alternative ways to do this whilst also addressing the civics and citizenship curriculum.

2. What does this tell us about Civic Participation
What does this tell us about Civic Participation? Has this changed today?
Ancient Greeks (C5th BC) – An idiot in Ancient Greek democracy was someone who was characterized by self-centeredness and concerned almost exclusively with private—as opposed to public—affairs. Idiocy was the natural state of ignorance into which all persons were born and its opposite, citizenship, was effected through formalized education.
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John Dewey (1916) –
“Education is not preparation for life. It should be life itself.”

3. Learning in Civics and Citizenship
Through Civics and Citizenship, students explore and develop their understanding and viewpoints about: their sense of school, community and civic engagement and participation.

4. Victorian Curriculum
Laws and Citizens
Citizenship, Diversity and Identity
Government and Democracy
Civic Participation falls under Humanities; Civics and Citizenship.
Elements common to all strands:
Contemporary events and issues
Democratic principles and values
Inquiry skills
How citizens participate

5. Why important for young people?
A meta-analysis (Celio et al., 2011)of 62 studies involving 11,837 students on community engagement in education showed significant, positive gains in:
attitudes toward self
attitudes toward school and learning
interest in civic involvement
social skills (compassion, empathy, teamwork)
academic performance
POLL TIME!

6. Why important for educators?
Community Engagement/Civic Participation:
enables students to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness to their community which in turn addresses their wellbeing
enables students to develop their own sense of identity as a citizen and
an awareness of what it means to be an active citizen
enables students to understand the ways that decisions are made in communities
empowers students to be able to participate in their community and society

7. What is civic participation?
Civic participation involves the active engagement of students with communities. It allows students to:
practise citizenship
build skills and capabilities including planning, collaboration, communication and problem solving
connect to their communities
engage with real world issues
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8. What does this look like at my school?
OVER TO YOU…
What does this look like at my school?
What opportunities does your school provide for civic participation? .
Which students/ year levels are involved? .
Which activities are:
*classroom based
*whole school based?
Share your thoughts to the chat box!

9. What could active civic participation look like?
OVER TO YOU…
What could active civic participation look like?
What other possibilities do you see for YOUR school at these levels?
School
Community
National
Global

10. So what do we need to do? teach the language of democracy
provide opportunities for students to make decisions
enable students to negotiate .
create opportunities for responsibility
provide learning contexts which emphasise collaboration
provide links to the student’s world and the world outside of school
encourage students to develop informed points of view
provide students with opportunities to explore perspectives

11. What might this look like as curriculum?
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12. What might this look like as curriculum?

16. What might this look like as curriculum?

21. Hart’s Ladder of Participation
Rung 8: Students initiate and share decision making
Rung 7: Students initiate and direct
Rung 6: Teacher initiated, decision-making shared Rung 5: Consulted and informed
Rung 4: Assigned but informed
Rung 3: Tokenism
Rung 2: Decoration
Rung 1: Manipulation
POLL TIME!
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22. Student Voice
Taking Action is a Passport to Democracy video clip that depicts students’ views on community participation activities.

23. REFLECTING
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24. RESOURCES Civics and Citizenship Education
civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce
Parliamentary Education Office
peo.gov.au
Active citizenship stories sev.asn.au/model-citizen/ active-citizen-stories.html

25. RESOURCES Passport to democracy:
passport.vec.vic.gov.au
Dept of Immigration and Border Protection: border.gov.au/Trav/Citi/Curr/Even/Australian-citizenship-day/Schools
Australian Electoral Commission education.aec.gov.au

26. Questions?
Ask away!
Contacts
Gerry Martin Curriculum Manager (History and Civics) Telephone:
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