Citizenship

Citizenship Bulletin - December 2008

Welcome to our restructured citizenship bulletin, now including International Education, Sustainable Development Education and Confucius Classrooms. Follow the links below for news and updates on:

Citizenship

Kicking bad behaviour out of football

The Scottish Government has announced that its new partnership with Scottish football will promote positive citizenship.

The new group 'Promoting Citizenship through Football - A Government and Football Partnership' will be chaired by Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith and will promote positive citizenship by tackling issues such as:

  • alcohol and drugs misuse
  • anti-social behaviour
  • violence
  • domestic abuse
  • sectarianism and other bigoted behaviour.

Scottish Government news release: Kicking bad behaviour out of football 

 

FREE global citizenship posters - Gaelic and English

This set of posters, produced by SCIAF, will help raise the profile of global citizenship in your school and can be used as a great starting point for lessons and assemblies. Posters are available in English or Gaelic. Download the accompanying images from the SCIAF Youth Photo Gallery to use freely in PowerPoints and classroom materials. 

Posters can be ordered from SCIAF by calling 0141 354 5555 or emailing youth@sciaf.org.uk

 

DR Congo resource for modern languages

'Citoyens Du Monde: La Vie en RDC' is an innovative global citizenship resource specially designed for Curriculum for Excellence. The resource, aimed at S2-S6 level, has been built around fascinating video interviews. It is aimed at teachers of French but can be readily used in other subject areas.

Aims of this resource:

  • to help modern language teachers embed global citizenship themes into the classroom
  • to help young people understand the importance of language and communication in our globalised world and to encourage them to learn French
  • to raise awareness about life in the DRC and help pupils understand the reasons for the arrival to the UK of Congolese refugees and asylum families
  • to support the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence guidelines for modern languages in Scotland.

'Citoyens Du Monde' is ideal for those schools wishing to develop interdisciplinary tasks or promote cross-curricular collaboration since there are many links to subjects including modern studies, maths, geography, religious education and English. ICT has also been integrated into the resource through the DVD-ROM, online video wall and interactive blog. 

The resource is available from the SCIAF website, or by calling 0141 354 5555 or emailing youth@sciaf.org.uk. You can also view the resource online on the SCIAF Youth website Citoyens Du Monde page.

 

Ninth Annual Five Nations Citizenship Education Conference

On 20-21 November 2008, Glasgow played host for the first time to the Institute for Global Ethics / Gordon Cook Foundation annual conference on citizenship education. Representatives from England, Ireland, Northen Ireland, Scotland and Wales engaged in debate about the future of citizenship education, and how to maintain its profile. A full report from the conference will be available soon.

Back to Top

Confucius Classrooms

Launched in October 2007, Confucius Classrooms is a project intended to stimulate and support innovative teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture across Scotland by setting up learning hubs in schools around the country. Confucius Classrooms will:

  • act as local hubs for pupils, teachers, community members, other schools and local authorities to stimulate learning and teaching Chinese language and culture
  • act as hubs for teachers, schools and local authorities to see examples of practice and enable them to participate in specific professional development activities
  • provide and develop resources for the teaching of Chinese language and culture.

Confucius Classrooms aim to organise activities to stimulate the teaching of Chinese language; facilitate the teaching of Chinese language and culture in primary and secondary schools; organise CPD related to the teaching of Chinese language and culture for teachers and the local community; host Chinese cultural activities and competitions; develop and provide resources to support teaching and learning in Chinese; and participate in a learning community with other Confucius Classrooms in Scotland, China and other countries in the world.

To date, two Confucius Classroom hubs have been launched:

  • St George’s and Edinburgh City, at S George’s School for Girls, was launched on 9 May 2008
  • Perth and Kinross, at Perth High School, was launched on 3 November 2008.

Six more launches are planned before March 2009: 

  • East, North and South Ayrshire, at Grange Academy, proposed launch date 12 January 2009
  • West Lothian, at Bathgate Academy, proposed launch date 30 January 2009
  • East Dunbartonshire, at St Ninian’s High School, proposed launch date 13 February 2009
  • City of Glasgow, at Hillhead High School, proposed launch date 27 February 2009
  • Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray and Angus, at Hazlehead Academy, proposed launch date 5 March 2009
  • North Lanarkshire, at Our Lady’s High School, proposed launch date March 2009.

For more information, visit the Confucius Classrooms website or watch a video introducing the project.

Back to Top

Scottish Continuing International Professional Development

 

International study visits

Recent study visits have taken place to Ontario (Leadership), Santa Cruz (Mentoring) and Amsterdam (Holocaust Education). 

Future opportunities

Open now for application are the following group study visits for 2009:

  • Israel - Feuerstein Instrumental Enrichment - February 2009
  • Malawi - Global Teacher Study Visit - July 2009

More details on these and other SCIPD opportunities are available at the Study Visits - Destinations page.

Back to Top

International Education

 

Masterclass

The third cohort of the International Education Masterclass network had their initial event in Stirling Management Centre on 10-12 November 2008. The scheme is a partnership between Learning and Teaching Scotland and the Scottish Government and is designed to provide participants with an opportunity to widen their knowledge of international education in Scotland’s schools; to build capacity of expertise across all 32 Scottish local authorities; and to celebrate and share the good practice in Scottish schools in the field of international education.

For more information, visit the International Education Masterclass page.

 

International Education Networks

A series of regional meetings for those involved in international education is planned for February and March 2009. The aim of this programme of events is to unite all those involved in schemes such as Masterclass, Global Teacher, Comenius etc to come together and share ideas, practice and support. More information will be given in future bulletins and on the International Education website.

 

Global Teachers

Learning and Teaching Scotland and Link Community Development are working in partnership to provide a unique International CPD opportunity for Scotland’s teachers. The Global Teacher network provides support for spending a two-week study visit in Malawi, and then using this experience to develop work in schools across Scotland. 

Applications are now being accepted for 2009. For more information visit the International Education Study Visits section.

Back to Top

 

Sustainable Development Education

 

Sustainable Development Seminar

On 15 December 2008, a seminar on Sustainable Development Education took place in Dunblane Hydro. The focus for this seminar was using sustainable development as a context for the delivery of Curriculum for Excellence.

 

Primary climate change resource

A resource targeted at primary age pupils addressing issues of climate change is currently in development by LTS in partnership with an advisory panel of non-governmental organisations.

Back to Top