Contribution
research question -'Preparing to teach citizenship - the experiences of beginning teachers' Alison Montgomery & Una O'Connor University of Ulster, Northern Ireland Over the last decade, as an increasing number of formal democracies have come into existence, citizenship education has attracted greater attention across a range of national and international contexts. In this climate, educators are grappling with the aims and objectives of citizenship education and the challenges of preparing young people to become reflective participants, empowered to engage with a wide range of issues concerning diversity, democracy and social justice. Addressing citizenship education in a British context for example, Crick proposes that 'people should think of themselves as active citizens, wiling, able and equipped to have an influence on public life' (Crick Report 1998). In Northern Ireland, despite ongoing uncertainty in the political process, there is evidence of a genuine will to create a more equal and democratic society. This is demonstrated through the recent inclusion of citizenship education in the Northern Ireland Curriculum for schools. Local and Global Citizenship (as it is termed), is due to become a statutory requirement and central component of the revised curriculum from September 2007. It addresses four key concepts: diversity and inclusion, human rights and social responsibility, equality and social justice and democracy and active participation. While perceived as an exciting opportunity for teachers and pupils, it has been acknowledged that it also presents specific challenges for teachers in relation to their personal and professional development. Such challenges are manifest through the acquisition of relevant and effective knowledge and skills and the development of teaching and learning resources. Engaging in citizenship education has also required educators to consider their personal values and attitudes in relation to many citizenship-related issues. This paper is concerned with student and beginning teachers in Northern Ireland, and the nature of their early engagement with citizenship education. It references findings from two different research projects, one of which considers the introduction of citizenship education within a revised curriculum and another which investigates the values dimension of the various phases of teacher education in Northern Ireland. The paper explores student teachers' conceptualisations of citizenship education at various stages during their initial professional development, examines the preparation they receive to teach citizenship and reports on their initial experiences of mediating citizenship in the classroom. Reflecting on each of these issues, the paper then highlights a number of factors that appear to impact on the effectiveness of beginning teachers' engagement with citizenship, including their personal biographies, the nature of their skills development, the challenging nature of citizenship issues and the influence of different educational contexts. To conclude, it outlines a series of proposals intended to promote and support teachers' engagement with citizenship education in schools. Interviews, focus groups and questionnaires Drawing on the experiences of student and beginning teachers the paper highlights key educational, contextual and attitudinal factors which appear to influence the success of their mediation of citizenship education in the classroom O'Connor, U & Niens, U (2006) Local and Global Citizenship at Key Stage 3: Preliminary Evaluation. Findings March 2006. Smith, A. Citizenship Education in Northern Ireland : beyond national identity? Cambridge Journal of Education , (2003), 33, 1, 15-31.Smith, A., Kerr, D. and McCartney, S. (2002) Citizenship Education in Britain and Ireland , European Journal of Education , (2002), 79-192.
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