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ACT : Association of Citizenship Teaching
Supporting Practioners and Facilitating Citizenship in Schools
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ACT is the professional subject association for those involved in citizenship education. This website offers resources and information to help you deliver excellent citizenship education
Teaching Citizenship issue 26 out now!
It should have arrived with ACT members on or around 22nd February
Including...
The Revised Primary Curriculum ACT explains the new Primary Curriculum coming to schools in 2011.
Citizenship and Assessment This is the easiest yet to use full colour guide to the eight-level scale of assessment in Citizenship.
Trafficking in the Classroom An excellent year 9 project looking at issues of Human Rights, trafficking and modern slavery.
Who Do We Think We Are? Two case studies from the 2009 "Who Do We Think We Are?" project. An inspiration for participating in June 2010. Start planning now!
Citizenship Established? ACT's brief response to Ofsted's report on Citizenship education published last month.
ACT members can read all articles online
Citizenship Established?
Ofsted's report on Citizenship education
Last month Ofsted published their latest report on Citizenship education: Citizenship Established? Ofsted’s previous report ‘Towards Consensus?’ (2006) painted a picture of a subject at the ‘developing’ stage, only grade three on the four point scale of the ‘Citizenship self evaluation tool’*. ‘Citizenship Established?’ (Ofsted, 2010) leaves the reader with a question mark- but if the answer is yes, then citizenship is moving into grade 2 territory.
All the latest citizenship news & info
Spring Day for Europe
08 March 2010
The aim of Spring Day for Europe 2010 is to “organise activities that help students think about Europe and express their views. The Spring Day web portal provides teachers with a rich package of supporting material that can easily be adapted to lessons. Schools can organise one or more Spring Day events and share their experiences through the portal.
Citizenship curriculum programmes on BBC
04 March 2010
Democracy in Action is a series of programmes made for BBC Learning, which aims to bring politics to life for younger audiences and explain complex issues in an engaging way. The programmes use teenage contributors wherever possible and much of the content has been filmed in the style of a "fly on the wall" documentary.
Launching CPD modules for Local Authorities
26 February 2010
The Association for Citizenship Teaching with DCSF have developed 30 free downloadable CPD modules. There are designed to be used by Local Authorities to support their teachers. The modules cover a range of topics highlighted by local authorities as areas where teachers need further CPD. They have been authored by experts in the field of citizenship and have also been evaluated by local authorities and regional subject advisors.
These will be launched online in May and we are having two launch events to correspond with this -
24th May at the British Library, London
26th May at New Century House, Manchester
The launch events will feature workshops on key areas within citizenship right now including Community Cohesion (including PVE), assessment, the new Primary Curriculum and Post-16 citizenship. The events will run from 9.30am (registration) to 4pm at each venue.
If you think you would like to attend one of these events please email Will Ross and he can send you further details.
> read through MORE NEWS ITEMS
Forthcoming Conferences & Events
11 Mar 10
New Secondary Curriculum Regional Cross Curricular Conferences
Wooton House, Dorking
13 Mar 10
Big Saturday for South/South East and North East Region
various-see Regional pages
16 Mar 10
2. Time for Change
Station Hotel, Newcastle
17 Mar 10
New Secondary Curriculum Regional Cross Curricular Conference, London
London, Marriott Maida Vale
20 Mar 10
Big Saturdays for London, Yorkshire/Humberside and North West/Manchester Hubs
See Regional Hub pages
Ask the Experts - Your Questions Answered
Featured Question :-
How do I organise meaningful active Citizenship projects that involve a whole year of students?
It can be daunting organising active Citizenship projects with a whole year group but it can also be incredibly satisfying. The key to making this an entitlement for all students in a year group is to build these opportunities for action into schemes of work – if they are only run as after-school clubs you’ll never be able to involve everyone. Active citizenship should not be an add-on to Citizenship; it is the very essence of Citizenship!
There are lots of manageable actions students can do, here are some ideas:
Inviting decision makers from the local community into school to watch presentations by students
Making presentations to Senior Leaders or the School Council
Running campaigns in school (you can use a prominent notice board to publicise them)
Organising a Citizenship assembly (with relevant visitors) where all students are given the opportunity to give their opinion (make sure they are prepared)
Writing a letter/email to a local MP, company or organisation
Ideally, the schemes of work should have three components; students voice, students action and student reflection. The most compelling learning experiences in Citizenship:
- Give students a voice or choice in the learning process and/or content (but I wouldn’t recommend you leave it completely up to them!). For example, you might offer students three local issues to investigate, of which they must choose one.
- Give students the opportunity to DO something that aims to have an impact outside the classroom. Sticking up posters on the classroom wall will not help children feel politically powerful. You will only feel politically powerful by having a powerful experience of acting politically. That’s why the examples above are so important.
- this action builds the students’ sense of agency
- Give students the opportunity to reflect on how effective their action has been and why.
As with many things you’ve got 2 options; start with something that you are comfortable with, or jump in at the deep end and learn from your mistakes! Don’t forget that you can model your own learning to the students.
One project that I have found works well is ‘Your streets, Your say’ where students reflect on and find examples (taking photos) of things they like and don’t like about where they live. You could set this as homework over a holiday and get them to carry out a survey of family and friends who live in their area. If the students put this into a powerpoint presentation you could then either invite a local councillor in to watch the presentations or email/send their findings.
Give it a go and if you have any good ideas for manageable and meaningful active Citizenship projects don’t forget to post them on the ACT website.
Alice Carlisle, East Midlands RSA
