Whole-school approaches in education for citizenship
_tcm4-365110.jpg "Primary assembly")
The ability to integrate thoughts, ideas and experiences is at the heart of effective and purposeful citizenship. In order to achieve this it is essential that schools and centres offer a lead that helps young people make connections between formal areas of study, and formal learning and events in the wider world.
Creative headteachers and other school leaders have developed successful approaches, and some good examples can be found on this website. Other activities that offer opportunities to schools for whole school development are:
Developing a culture of values
A number of schools in Scotland have been developing whole-school approaches to developing a culture of shared values. In some cases this includes approaches to ethical decision making.
LT Scotland’s Ethical Decision Making Network, organised in association with the Institute for Global Ethics UK Trust, disseminates these approaches.
A whole-school lead on critical thinking and thinking skills
Active approaches to learning and teaching are most effectively introduced when supported at whole-school level. For more information, see:
co-operative learning
philosophy in schools, and
Critical Skills Programme.
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Global citizenship
Whole-school approaches to global citizenship are particularly successful in introducing young people to issues of diversity, fair trade and human rights. There are several organisations supporting such approaches.
SCIAF has supported some successful whole-school projects, for example the Kamwokya Partnership Project, a development education project run by Our Lady's High School in Motherwell.
Young Cooperatives support several projects in Scotland, including a participation project started by one RME class in Stonelaw High School which resulted in a successful cooperative fair trade business run by pupils.
These and many other organisations offering support to schools in the area of global citizenship are featured on our global citizenship theme page.
Assemblies
School assemblies provide good opportunities for whole-school affirmation of citizenship values and for thought-provoking activities. For more information and ideas, see our Assemblies page.