In recent years, knowledge has emerged as a contentious issue for curriculum designers and teachers, in England and elsewhere. In this series of blogs from 2018, Lee Jerome, an ACT Council member and Associate Professor of Education at Middlesex University, has sketched out some ideas about how citizenship educators might think about knowledge - from what kinds of knowledge citizens need; how such knowledge relates to citizenship participation; and how teachers might plan for progression in knowledge and understanding.
In this article Lee Jerome, Associate professor of Education, reports on an interview with Liz Moorse, Chief Executive of Act, about the activities of Democratic Life, which has played an instrumental role in bringing about this change in fortune.
Do the growing number of opportunities for young people to civically engage online have an impact on their engagement beyond the web? Shakuntala Banaji outlines the findings of a cross-European research project and highlights some of the implications for Citizenship teachers.
Joel Busher, a research fellow in the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social relations in Coventry University, presents an article about why the far right has gained so much support in recent times and key events which are closely linked to this.
This article from the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law considers some of the international issues related to the Rule of Law in KS4. In doing so, it highlights how important it is to approach the teaching of this value from the perspective of knowledge (what do we need to know and understand to use the concept of the Rule of Law?) and critical thinking skills (how do we use the concept to think about the nature of justice?)
This article is the third in a series from the English-Speaking Union, supporting teachers to develop the use of speech and debate in the Citizenship classroom.
Jennifer Brouhard, a fifth grade teacher, revisits the relationship between history and citizenship education and presents a scheme of work highlighting some of the fruitful questions that can be considered when combining these two subjects.
Robert Jackson, visiting Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Education at Stockholm University, explores the inter-relationship between religion and belief, human rights and citizenship education.
Aliya Azam MBE, Interfaith Coordinator at the Al Khoei Foundation and Deborah Weston OBE, Director of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development at Mulberry School for Girls, describe their work bringing together Muslim students from different backgrounds in shared learning experiences. This is helpful when teaching about Faith, Identity and Diversity.
Xiao Hui Eng, Research Fellow at the Bingham Centre, for the Rule of Law, introduces ‘the rule of law’ and outlines its relevance for Citizenship teaching. It is followed by a sample classroom activity from a resource pack.
