A journal of citizED www.citized.info In collaboration with CiCea
Citizenship Teaching and Learning
Editor - Dr. Ian Davies, Department of Educational Studies, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK. E-mail: id5@york.ac.uk
Book Reviews Editor Professor Mark Evans, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada
Chief Regional Editors: Africa - Professor Penny Enslin (University of Glasgow) Asia - Professor Kerry Kennedy and Professor Wing On Lee (Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong) Australia - Professor Murray Print (University of Sydney) Canada - Professor Alan Sears (University of New Brunswick) Europe - Mitja Sardoc (Educational Research Institute, Slovenia) South America - Rosario Jaramillo Franco (Ministry of Education of Colombia) USA - Professor Judith Torney Purta (University of Maryland)
Editorial Committee: Professor Bernadette Dean, Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Professor Kerry Kennedy, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong Professor Wing On Lee, University of Sydney, Australia Professor Norio Ikeno, Hiroshima University, Japan. Professor Mitsuhara Mizuyama, Kyoto University, Japan Professor Murray Print, University of Sydney, Australia Professor Alan Reid, University of South Australia, Australia Professor Mark Evans, OISE, University of Toronto, Canada Professor Yvonne Hbert, University of Calgary, Canada Professor Will Kymlicka, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada Professor Graham Pike, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada Professor Carole Hahn, Emory University, USA Professor Walter Parker, University of Washington, USA Professor Judith Torney-Purta, University of Maryland, USA Professor John Annette, Birbeck College, University of London, UK Professor James Arthur, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK Dr. Ruth Deakin Crick, University of Bristol, UK Professor Jon Davison, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK Dr. Elizabeth Frazer, University of Oxford, UK Professor Mrta Flp, Institute for Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary Professor Cathie Holden, University of Exeter, UK Professor David Kerr, National Foundation for Educational Research, UK/Birkbeck College, University of London, UK Professor Concepcion Naval, University of Navarra, Spain Professor Alistair Ross, London Metropolitan University, UK Don Rowe, Citizenship Foundation, UK
About citizED
citizED is funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) in the UK. citizED is a collaboration within higher education organised principally around citizenship education in primary, secondary, cross curricular, post 16 and community involvement contexts. It is working in partnership with a wide variety of individuals and organisations including the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT).
citizEDs Director is Professor James Arthur of Canterbury Christ Church University. (Tel +44 (0)1227 782277, email: james.arthur@canterbury.ac.uk). The Deputy Directors are Dr Ian Davies of the University of York (Tel +44 (0)1904 433460, email id5@york.ac.uk) and Professor Jon Davison of Canterbury Christ Church University, email jon.davison@canterbury.ac.uk). The project administrator is Roma Woodward at Canterbury Christ Church University. (Tel +44 (0)1227 782993, email: roma.woodward@canterbury.ac.uk).
citizEDs website may be found at http://www.citized.info
About Citizenship Teaching and Learning
Formerly published as The International Journal of Citizenship and Teacher Education, the Journal is now renamed Citizenship Teaching and Learning reflecting our interest in citizenship teaching and learning in all contexts, for all ages within and beyond schools; international, global and cosmopolitan with a commitment to academic excellence within diverse democracies.
Citizenship and civics education are diverse and contested fields encompassing, amongst other matters, social and moral considerations, community involvement and political literacy. The Journal appeals to those large academic and professional populations within the field of social studies education. The Journal exists as an international forum in which researchers, policy makers, administrators and practising professionals in a range of local, national and global contexts and age-related phases within and beyond formal educational institutions report and discuss their on-going or completed work.
Previous issues can be downloaded for free from http://www.citized.info/e-journal.
Linked to the Journal is an international conference on citizenship education an annual conference that takes place at venues across the world drawing together experts on citizenship education from across the globe.
Citizenship Teaching and Learning
Volume 4 Number 1 July 2008
Contents
Editorial Ian Davies (Editor) page 1
Articles
RUTH LISTER: Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty: some Implications for education for citizenship page 3
DAVID MCCULLOUGH: Moral and social education in Japanese Schools: Conflicting conceptions of citizenship page 21
KURT W. CLAUSEN, TODD A. HORTON, & LYNN SPEER LEMISKO: Democracy and Diersity: A content analysis o selected contemporary Canadian Social studies curricula page 35
LORNA R. MCLEAN, SHARON A. COOK, TRACY CROWE: Imagining Global Citizens: Teaching Peace and Global Education in a Teacher-Education Programme page 50
BERNADETTE L. DEAN: Preparing Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools page 65
GARY CLEMITSHAW: A response to Ralph Leightons article - Revisiting Postman and Weingartners New Education is teaching Citizenship a Subversive Activity? page 82
Book Reviews page 96
Education for Intercultural Citizenship: Concepts and Comparisons ( 2006 ). Reviewer: Peter Cunningham Citizenship, Enterprise and Learning: Harmonising Competing Educational Agendas (2007. Reviewer: Emery J. Hyslop-Margison Citizenship and Moral Education: Values in Action (2006). Reviewer: Charlene Tan Diversity and Citizenship in the Curriculum: Research Review (2007). Reviewer: Terezia Zoric
Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol4, No. 1, July 2008
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Editorial This edition of Citizenship Teaching and Learning (CTL) is published to coincide with the 2008 citizED conference held at the University of Cambridge, UK. This conference brings together the leading figures in citizenship education from around the world and provides an opportunity for collegial discussion and debate. The articles presented in this edition of the Journal will contribute to the development of our understandings about citizenship education in different parts of the world.
There are 6 articles presented here. Ruth Lister discusses inclusive citizenship with a particular focus on gender and poverty as she argues for a form of citizenship education that is pluralist, reflexive and participatory. David McCullogh writes about moral and social education in Japanese schools. He sketches the history of moral and social education, explaining that citizenship education is emerging in a context where internationalisation is influencing debates between traditionalists and reformers. The outcomes of those debates are not clear at the moment. There are two articles that emerge from work taking place in Canada. Kurt Clausen, Todd Horton and Lynn Speer Lemisko explore democracy and diversity through a content analysis of some contemporary Canadian social studies curricula. They suggest that despite the good intentions of curriculum developers to include multiple voices, the values and perspectives of the dominant culture pervade discussions of democratic notions in these documents. Our second article from a Canadian perspective is written by Lorna McClean, Sharon Cook and Tracy Crowe. That piece discusses peace and global education in a teacher education programme. Whilst the authors recognise the distinctions between peace and global education and suggest that there are significant challenges in implementing such work, they argue that success can be achieved by considering gender, disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical skill. Bernadette Dean also deals with questions of implementing citizenship education and focuses on Pakistani schools. She discusses an action research project that shows the constraints of school processes and structures that are felt by teachers. The final piece that is included here is in the form of a reply to an article written by Ralph Leighton in a previous issue of CTL. When Ralphs piece appeared I wrote in an editorial that it had been included as a discussion piece and I hoped that it would lead to a response. I am delighted that there has been a positive response to this call. Garys article presents, very constructively, a different view of the meaning and implications of the work of some of the radical educators of the past for contemporary citizenship education. I hope the debate continues.
The above articles are a clear indication of the vibrancy of the work of individual academics and broader citizenship education communities around the world. There are, of course, no straightforward answers to the issues that we face. But perhaps we are getting closer to a clearer identification of the challenges. Some of the important themes that many of the authors have included in this edition focus on the need to recognise and celebrate diversity and inclusion; the importance of broader social and 2 http://www.citized.info 2006 citizED political factors in the development and implementation of educational policy; and the significance of teachers knowledge and pedagogical skill. The global dialogue that is facilitated by CTL provides an opportunity to create new knowledge and new spaces for teachers and learners. The editorial committee, authors and readers of CTL are playing a part in helping to shape the global community in which these key issues can be addressed.
Correspondence: IAN DAVIES, Department of Educational Studies, University of York, YO10 5DD, UK Articles to be submitted electronically to: Roma Woodward: roma.woodward@canterbury.ac.uk or Elizabeth Melville: elizabeth.melville@canterbury.ac.uk
Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol. 4, No. 1, July 2008
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Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty: some implications for education for citizenship RUTH LISTER, Loughborough University ABSTRACT This article is divided into two parts. The first discusses citizenship with reference to the ideal of inclusive citizenship and to the position of two overlapping groups whose struggle for inclusive citizenship is not yet fully won: women and people experiencing poverty. The second part draws out some implications for education for citizenship. It does so from the perspective both of strengthening the citizenship of marginalized groups and of educating others to adopt an inclusive and respectful stance towards them. It addresses the intimate/domestic sphere on the one hand and the global on the other. It concludes by arguing for a form of education for citizenship which can contribute to the development of an inclusive citizenship, which is also pluralist, reflexive and participatory. Introduction
Underpinning the idea of education for citizenship is typically an implicit or explicit ideal of citizenship as a force for inclusion. The first part of this article therefore discusses the ideal of inclusive citizenship both in general terms and with reference to two groups whose struggle for inclusive citizenship is not yet fully won: women and people experiencing poverty. They are, of course, overlapping groups, given womens greater risk of poverty world-wide and their role as the managers and shock-absorbers of poverty (Womens Budget Group, 2005). However, for ease of analysis their relationship to citizenship will be explored separately. The second part draws out some implications for education for citizenship from the perspective both of strengthening the citizenship of marginalized groups and of educating others to adopt an inclusive and respectful stance towards them in both a national and global context. The article uses the term education for citizenship rather than citizenship education to denote a focus that is broader than formal citizenship education programmes, which are part of the schools curriculum. It is written from a UK perspective but draws on a wider literature, including from the global South. Inclusive citizenship One reason why citizenship is a contested concept is that it operates simultaneously as a force for both inclusion and exclusion. Traditional citizenship theory tended to highlight the inclusionary side and largely to ignore the 4 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED exclusionary. Feminist and other critical citizenship theorists/activists have in contrast taken citizenships exclusionary dynamic as the starting point for their analysis but have explicitly or implicitly used the principle of inclusiveness to challenge that dynamic. In my own work I have interpreted that principle as a means of strengthening the inclusive side of citizenships membership coin while explicitly acknowledging, and as far as is possible challenging, its exclusionary side both within and at the borders of nation states (Lister, 2003). This approach to citizenship is framed by a multi-tiered conceptualization: not bound by the boundaries of nation-states but locating citizenship within spaces and places stretching from the intimate/domestic through to the global, and embracing ecological responsibilities and rights (J ones and Gaventa, 2002: 19; Lister, 2007a). One way of thinking about inclusive citizenship, within the boundaries of a nation state, is to take the main components of citizenship membership and belonging; the rights and obligations that flow from that membership; and equality of status and argue that they should apply to all citizens equally. Much critical analysis of citizenship has exposed the myriad ways in which marginalized groups have been excluded from full enjoyment of these different elements of citizenship to the detriment of their citizenship as both a status and a practice. Values Another way to ask what we mean by inclusive citizenship is in terms of the values that might underpin it. This more normative stance is consistent with T. H. Marshalls notion of an image of an ideal citizenship against which achievements can be measured and towards which aspirations can be directed (1950: 29). It is the approach taken by an edited collection, Inclusive Citizenship: Meanings and Expressions, which draws mainly on accounts of citizenship struggles in the Global South, particularly those of people suffering poverty and social exclusion, so as to examine the meanings of citizenship from below (Gaventa, 2005: xiii). To quote the editor, Naila Kabeer: Their contributions thus touch on the different mechanics of exclusion which consign certain groups within a society to the status of lesser citizens or of non-citizens, and on the struggles by such groups to redefine, extend and transform given ideas about rights, duties and citizenship. They therefore help to shed light on what inclusive citizenship might mean when it is viewed from the standpoint of the excluded (2005: 1). Despite the very different contexts within which their understandings of citizenship are forged and within which their struggles for full citizenship are waged, Kabeer argues that their testimonies and actions suggest there are certain values that people associate with citizenship which cut across the various boundaries that divide them. These values may not be universal but they are widespread enough to suggest that they constitute a significant aspect of the organization of collective life and of the way in which people connect with each other. And because they are being expressed by groups who have experienced exclusion in some form or Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 5 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED other, these values also articulate their vision of what a more inclusive society might imply (2005: 3). The four values of inclusive citizenship, which emerged from these accounts from below, are justice, recognition, self-determination and solidarity. J ustice was articulated in terms of when it is fair for people to be treated the same and when it is fair that they should be treated differently (Kabeer, 2005: 3). Demands for recognition were framed in terms of the intrinsic worth of all human beings, but also recognition of and respect for their differences (Kabeer, 2005: 4). The value of self-determination described peoples ability to exercise some degree of control over their lives (Kabeer, 2005: 5). Elsewhere, this value also emerges particularly strongly in disability theorists accounts of citizenship, which detail the very specific barriers to self-determination and also participation faced by disabled people (see, for instance, Morris, 2005). Finally, the notion of solidarity vocalized a belief in the capacity to identify with others and to act in unity with them in their claims for justice and recognition (Kabeer, 2005: 7). This last value reflects a horizontal view of citizenship, which accords as much significance to the relations between citizens as to the vertical relationship between the state and the individual. In the global North, a horizontal view of this kind is more prevalent in the Nordic countries than in Anglo-American societies. The values resonate with the principle of participatory parity expounded by Nancy Fraser: the ability of all (adult) members of society to interact with one another as peers (2003: 36, emphasis added). Fraser maintains that this requires a distribution of material resources such as to ensureindependence and voice and institutionalized patterns of cultural value [which] express equal respect for all participants and ensure equal opportunity for achieving social esteem (2003: 36). These values provide a helpful starting point for thinking about the values that might underpin life-long education for citizenship. However, they are not necessarily exhaustive (for instance some might want to include the value of an ethic of care to balance that of justice - see, for instance, Sevenhuijsen 1998; Williams, 2004) and there may be others that emerge from the viewpoints of particular excluded or marginalized groups. Women Citizenship has been identified as an important tool of political mobilization for women in both the global North and South, providing women with a valuable weapon in the fight for human, democratic, civil and social rights (Werbner and Yuval-Davis, 1999: 28). In a development context, BRIDGE (a gender and development project within the Institute of Development Studies), explains that womens rights activists, feminist academics and womens social movements have drawn on ideas of citizenship in order to achieve greater gender equality. The interaction between development workers, activists and civil society in promoting the rights of citizens can be a powerful force (Meer with Shever, 2004: 6). Feminist scholarship has, over the past two decades, helped to pioneer a more inclusive theory and practice of citizenship (Lister, 2007c). Its starting point was to illuminate how, in both theory and practice, despite its claims to universalism, citizenship had been drawn according to a quintessentially male template and had 6 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED upheld a false universalism. Womens exclusion (and the chequered nature of their inclusion) operated at two levels. At the surface level, in the classical civic republican tradition, the active participation of male citizens was predicated on the exclusion of women who sustained male participation by their labour in the private sphere. [1] Today, to varying degrees in different societies, the gendered division of labour means that many women still enter the public sphere of politics and the economy with one hand tied behind their back. In the liberal tradition, married womens legal subordination helped define their husbands status as citizen heads of households. At a deeper level, the exclusion reflected an essentialist categorization of men and womens qualities and capacities, rooted in the public-private dichotomy. The wider feminist challenge to that dichotomy and to narrow definitions of the political has been central to feminist critiques of mainstream citizenship theory. In most cases, it has not been a question of arguing for the complete dissolution of the categories public and private but for the re-articulation of the relationship between the two within a broad conception of the political. Such a conception is not confined to any particular sphere of action and it embraces informal forms of politics in which women are more likely to be active in a wide range of societies.
Key to the gendered re-articulation of the public-private divide has been the status accorded to unpaid care work in relation to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and related to that the gendered division of labour and time. Care is theorized both as an expression of citizenship and as a barrier to citizenship a tension, which a number of feminist analysts have tried to address by emphasizing the importance of mens involvement in domestic care work and of policies that promote this. It is a position which attempts to give due value to care for the responsibilities attached to both women and mens citizenship while not losing sight of the importance of womens access to paid work and politics informal and formal. Paul Kershaw makes the case for treating the domestic sphere as a critical socio-political domain for the purposes of promoting social inclusion and for seeing time for care in ones domestic spaces as an essential element of social belonging (2005: 105). From this perspective, which neatly turns conventional thinking on its head, obstacles to caring are just as much impediments to the practices of full social membership as are barriers to inclusion in the labour market (Kershaw, 2005: 105). Thus for men with caring responsibilities, involvement in caring itself becomes a condition of inclusive citizenship. However, it is important to acknowledge that in the context of adult care, disabled feminists have challenged the very language of care as exclusionary. J enny Morris, for instance, in a paper on citizenship and disabled people, argues that the common assumption that disabled people are in need of careundermines other peoples ability to see us as autonomous people (2005: 25). This in turn, she maintains, represents one of the attitudinal barriers to citizenship participation (Morris, 2005: 26). Morris criticism serves as a reminder that inclusive citizenship can have different meanings for particular groups of women, since womens and mens relationship to citizenship is mediated not just by gender but by other social divisions of class, race/ethnicity, sexuality, (dis)ability and also by age. Thus, a gender-inclusive model of citizenship has to be inclusive of women in their diversity (Lister, 2003). Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 7 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Many theorists have grappled with the tension created between attention to diversity and particularity on the one hand and citizenships universalist promise on the other. My own attempt at reconciliation, if not resolution, has been through the concept of a differentiated universalism in which the achievement of the universal is contingent upon attention to difference (Lister, 2003). Helpful too (and chiming with the values listed earlier) is J odie Deans notion of reflective solidarity, which projects a universalist ideal urging the inclusion of our concrete differences in order to break through the opposition between difference and universality (Dean, 1996: 142, 10). People experiencing poverty Citizenships universalist ideal is of particular importance to people experiencing poverty, for the last thing they want is to be seen and treated as different. Traditionally, poverty citizenship politics has been framed as a politics of redistribution, aimed at raising the incomes and living standards of people living in poverty. However, contemporary poverty citizenship politics can also be interpreted as a politics of recognition or a politics of recognition & respect (Lister, 2004: 186-9) to reflect the language used by poverty activists. Here it is not a politics of recognition of difference, as conventionally understood, but recognition of common humanity and citizenship (Fraser, 2003). Such an interpretation is rooted in a conceptualization of poverty as a relational/symbolic as well as a material phenomenon (Lister, 2004). Poverty represents not just a disadvantaged and insecure economic condition but also a shameful and corrosive social relation (J ones and Novak, 1999). Participatory research and action, particularly in the Global South, illuminate how poverty is experienced as: lack of voice; disrespect, humiliation and an assault on dignity and self-esteem; shame and stigma; powerlessness; denial of human rights and diminished citizenship (Narayan et al., 2000). Dominant discourses of poverty represent a process of Othering a dualistic process of differentiation and demarcation by which a line is drawn between us and them and through which social distance is established and maintained (Lister, 2004). Othering can be understood as a discursive practice, which is reinforced by media representations. It shapes how the non-poor think and talk about and act towards the poor at both an inter-personal and an institutional level. The othering of the poor means that they are typically targets of, at best, the non-poors pity or indifference and, at worst, their fear, contempt or hostility, to be helped or punished, ignored or studied but rarely treated as equal fellow citizens with rights (Katz, 1989: 236). As a consequence, people in poverty can feel stigmatized, shamed and humiliated and such feelings can be injurious to identity, self-respect and self-esteem. In response, participatory research and action against poverty is increasingly informed by a rejection of such discourses and an alternative discourse, which demands dignifying treatment and respect as human beings and citizens. Key terms in the alternative poverty discourses of resistance, which are emerging among poverty activists in both North and South, are human rights, citizenship, voice and power. The UN has been in the forefront of promoting a human rights poverty discourse. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a human rights conceptualization of poverty: 8 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED leads to more adequate responses to the many facets of povertyIt gives due attention to the critical vulnerability and subjective daily assaults on human dignity that accompany poverty. Importantly, it looks not just at resources but also at the capabilities, choices, security and power needed for enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other fundamental, civil, cultural, political and social rights (www.unhchr.ch/development/pov-02.html) . Two key principles inform this statement. First is respect for the dignity of all human beings. It can be the everyday indignities that make poverty so difficult to bear. Uma Narayan has put forward as a citizenship ideal a society that is responsive to the social dignity and worth of all who are members (1997: 54). Her appeal to dignity chimes with a study of citizenship in deprived communities in Rio de J aneiro. Participants made it clear that meaningful citizenship cannot exist without dignity. One woman summed it up: Dignity is everything for a citizen and we have no dignity. We are treated like cattle in the clinics, on the buses and in the shops. Only in rich neighbourhoods are people treated with dignity (Wheeler, 2004: 41). Second, is the notion of the indivisibility or interdependence of human rights including social and cultural as well as civil and political rights. For example, it is difficult to exercise political and civil rights to the full, if hungry or homeless. Both poverty and social exclusion have been conceptualized in terms of the denial of the enjoyment of the full triad of political, civil and social citizenship rights (and also cultural rights). Dignified and respectful treatment of welfare state users has been identified as a procedural citizenship right, which regulates process rather than outcome (Coote, 1992). Procedural rights also embrace the accessibility of services and the availability of information and advice, which can be crucial in bridging the gap between formal rights on paper and their enjoyment in practice, particularly for marginalized groups. Education for citizenship clearly also has an important role to play here (see below). From the perspective of citizenship as membership and participation, at the first European Meeting of Citizens Living in Poverty, the European Anti-Poverty Network reports that participants stressed that they were first and foremost citizens before being people experiencing poverty. Citizenship is something to which we all stake a claim and means being part of the mainstream of society (EAPN, 2003: 4, emphasis in original). Being part of the mainstream of society involves participation in the social, economic, political, civic and cultural spheres. A key element from a citizenship perspective is political participation. A number of political theorists have posited the idea of a basic right of participation in decision- making in social, economic, cultural and political life (Gould, 1988: 212, J anoski, 1998). Draft UN guidelines declare that a human rights approach to poverty reductionrequires active and informed participation by the poor in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of poverty reduction strategies (OHCHR, 2002: 2). This goes to the heart of the voicelessness and powerlessness frequently identified as critical to their situation by people in poverty in the global North and South. Calls for the voices of the marginalized to be heard in policy-making and campaigning are becoming more vocal (CoPPP, 2000; Cochrane, 2006; EAPN, 2007). In addition to citizenship and human rights arguments, the case is made with reference to principles of social inclusion and democracy. It represents a demand Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 9 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED for recognition of and respect for the expertize borne of experience alongside those forms of knowledge and expertise that have traditionally been privileged. Education for citizenship The first part of this article has argued that the ideal of inclusive citizenship offers a touchstone for the struggles of marginalized groups such as women and people experiencing poverty. Implicit has been an understanding of citizenship as an identity and a practice as well as a set of rights and obligations. In an essay on psychology and citizenship, J ohn Shotter argues that to be a citizen is not a simple matter of first as a child growing up to be a socially competent adult, and then simply walking out into the everyday world to take up ones rights and duties as a citizenIt is a status which one must struggle to attain in the face of competing versions of what is proper to struggle for (1993: 115-6). We are not talking here about the formal legal status of citizen but about how people are able to fulfil the potential of that status. Education for citizenship has a crucial role to play in equipping both children and adults to be citizens in the full sense of the word. How well it equips them for inclusive citizenship depends on the extent to which it challenges citizenships exclusionary elements and encourages a critical relationship to citizenship. As Madeleine Arnot warns, if governments are not alert, citizenship education can become the political device with which to mask the social stratification and dividing practices in society in their attempt to promote social cohesion (2004: 6). The second part of the article therefore begins by describing a template for education for citizenship, which avoids this pitfall and which offers the kind of critical approach, advocated here. Using this as a loose framework, the article then draws on various examples to suggest ways in which education for citizenship, in the context of both schools and adult learning, can strengthen citizenship as a force for inclusion and as an emancipatory practice. Education for inclusive, pluralist, reflexive and active (participatory) citizenship The template for an inclusive and critical approach to education for citizenship is articulated in a collection published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), in the context of adult learning (Coare and J ohnston, 2003a). The editors use the concept of inclusive citizenship as part of the books basic framework but rather more narrowly than in this article because they augment it with the inter-connected notions of pluralistic, reflexive and active citizenship as the basis for different models of adult learning. These models together clearly embody three of the values of inclusive citizenship outlined earlier: recognition, self- determination and solidarity and are consistent with an over-arching principle of social justice.
In their schema, adult learning for inclusive citizenship engages with the policy goal of social inclusion but in a critical manner so as to raise questions about the nature of social inclusion such as on whose terms and in whose interests? (J ohnston, 2003: 55). One of the editors, Rennie J ohnston, argues that 10 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED a focus on adult learning for inclusive citizenship has the potential to open the way to a different and positive learning identity for some disadvantaged groups of learners as well as leading to the development of social learning, social capital and greater participation in civil society (2003: 57).
Learning for pluralistic citizenship, he contends, needs to build on but extend beyond inclusive citizenship to take account of growing social diversity and pluralism (J ohnston, 2003: 57). It moves between the local and the global and works with the tension between diversity and commonality as expressed in the notion of a differentiated universalism. It also provides an opportunity to enable marginalized groups to develop a voice. Learning for reflexive citizenship is reflective, self-critical and dynamic (J ohnston, 2003: 59). It works with a broad understanding of citizenship involving identity and participation as well as the more traditional rights and responsibilities. A similar conceptualization is offered by an International Review Panel, which produced a report on the principles and concepts that should inform education for citizenship in a global age: An important goal of citizenship education in a democratic multicultural society is to help students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to make reflective decisions and to take action in order to make their nation-state more democratic and just. Because becoming a knowledgeable and engaged citizen is a process, education should facilitate the development of students civic consciousness and agency (Banks et al., 2006: 8, emphasis in original). Key in Johnstons formulation is the problematization of the relationship between learning and knowledge, with regard to which he suggests that perhaps both political and practical lessons can be learned from the South (J ohnston, 2003: 60). He refers to IDSs development of the notion of knowledge rights: the right for different forms of knowledge to co-exist and to carry weight in the decisions that affect peoples lives (Leach and Scoones,2003: 17). This links back to the earlier discussion about the importance of the expertise borne of experience for the participatory citizenship of people with experience of poverty. J ohnston cites the deployment by the Barcelona Centre for Research into the Education of Adults of a pedagogy of the maximum which draws on the capacities and skills of individuals and not their deficits, a pedagogy that fosters peoples self- esteem (J ohnston, 2003: 61). This is of particular importance for members of marginalized groups for whom self-esteem can be difficult to maintain in the face of disrespectful treatment. From a feminist perspective, Susan J ames has underlined the importance of self-esteem and in particular a confidence that one is worthy to participate in political life to enabling people to speak out as citizens (1992: 60). The development of a conscious sense of agency, at both the personal and political level, is critical to a persons sense of herself as a full and active citizen on her own or together with others. Indeed, citizenship as a political practice requires that sense of agency, which in turn is strengthened when acting with others.
The final model identified is that of active citizenship. However, given some of the connotations associated with the term in the UK, participatory citizenship Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 11 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED arguably better conveys its spirit.[2] It focuses on the crucial link between learning and action and involves learning by doing across a wide spectrum of civil society and as such can incorporate the other three models (J ohnston, 2003: 62). He concludes that there is clear scope for adult educator involvement in promoting and supporting an inclusive yet pluralistic, a reflexive but also active citizenship (J ohnston, 2003: 64). However, he also warns that in order to avoid any dangers of either colonisation or tokenistic engagement, any learning initiative should try to be, as much as possible, on the terms and on the territory of individuals, social groups or movements and outside the immediate imperialist gaze of educational institutions (Johnston, 2003: 64). Inclusive and emancipatory approaches Osler and Starkey argue that citizenship education must ultimately be judged by the society it produces. On the one hand the society needs to be inclusive of all its citizens, and on the other the citizens need to equip themselves with the competencies to participate in a democracy (1999: 201). This suggests two ways of thinking about education for citizenship in this context, which will be explored in turn. First is the education of citizens to be inclusive of others from the domestic through to the global spheres of citizenship. Second is education for citizenship as a tool for developing not just competencies to participate but more fundamentally the self-confidence and sense of agency necessary for reflexive and participatory citizenship. Here education for citizenship might represent an emancipatory practice for excluded and marginalized groups. In practice the two will overlap not least because any one individual may stand in a number of different positions on the various axes of inclusion and exclusion. Inclusive of others In a report on citizenship education and human rights education, the British Council discusses an inclusive model of education for citizenship, based on a schema developed by Osler and Starkey (1996). In the context of an emphasis on critical thinking and critical action, inclusion, it argues, would not just be introduced in terms of learning about a divided society, but in terms of ones responsibility to analyse ones own preconceptions, to identify the good society that one wants, and actively work towards that (Davies, 2000: 9). Elements of pluralistic, reflexive and participatory citizenship can also be discerned in the model. Social divisions and the implications of diversity are addressed by the British Council and are a common theme in writings on education for citizenship. For example, the first principle enunciated in the International Review Panels report is: Students should learn about the complex relationships between unity and diversity in their local communities, the nation and the world (Banks et al, 2006: 11). However, a curriculum review carried out for the UK government concluded that issues of identity and diversity are more often than not neglected in Citizenship education. When these issues are referred to, coverage is often unsatisfactory and lacks contextual depthIf children and young people are to develop a notion of citizenship as inclusive, it is crucial 12 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED that issues of identity and diversity are addressed explicitly (Ajegbo, 2007a: 7, 8). Reflecting the multi-tiered conceptualization put forward earlier, the British Council explains that a dimension which cuts across the modelis that of personal-local-national-international (Davies, 2000: 9). The more personal dimension is particularly important from the perspective of gendered citizenship. Arnot argues that citizens should be taught through their educational experiences to explore their own subjective responses, to empathise with others, to develop their social commitments, values and communication skills in the private and intimate spheres not just in public spheres (Arnot, 2004: 7). She makes the case for the integration of sexuality education into citizenship programmes, the recognition of community and family as citizenship spheres to recognise the contribution of women educators in the development of citizenship identities as mothers, teachers and teacher educators. [And for] rethinking the education of boys and developing a critical engagement with concepts of masculinity in the classroom. The data from empirical research indicate the conditions for womens inclusion into public life cannot be separated from the development of male civic roles/virtues in private and domestic life (Arnot, 2004: 19). In similar vein, but without Arnots gendered perspective, Andrew Lockyer maintains that citizenship education also comes to represent a means of influencing the private sphere through the public, since the tenets of public reasonableness absorbed at school may come to animate discourse in the domestic arena (2008: 29). The British Council report observes how, drawing on feminist insights, education for citizenship will tackle not just gender inequality and the rights of women, but some of the fundamental ideas in a society over who is a citizen, and what the rights of those citizens are (Davies, 2000: 17). It gives as examples of issues that are typically excluded from the terrain of citizenship domestic violence and the gendered division of labour. Even citizenship education materials addressing the family do not necessarily take on board a gendered citizenship perspective. For example a unit on Family and Home Life produced by the Citizenship Foundation (2006) in the UK talks about parents and carers in a completely ungendered way and it only obliquely might encourage students to think about parenting as a gendered activity with implications for citizenship. In contrast a Fawcett Society leaflet on citizenship education refers to issues such as caring, work-rest-of-life balance and gender stereotyping. [3] Although these materials are for use in the UK, the issues raised are as, if not more, pertinent in a development context. Drawing on analysis of key international policy documents by Elaine Unterhalter, Dillabough and Arnot observe that she demonstrates the essentialism and passivity ascribed to womens citizenship in the developing world and how any investment in female Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 13 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED education is often constrained by particularly limited notions of stake- holding, gender and citizenship (2004: 173). Diversity is often discussed purely in terms of social and cultural divisions such as race and religion (as well as, less frequently, gender). However, this is to ignore socio-economic divisions, which emanate from class and socio-economic inequality. Yet, as Osler observes, poverty also has a huge impact [on]educational initiatives on community cohesion (2007: 13). Education for citizenship, for both children and adults, has a potentially important role to play in educating about poverty and in developing institutions more inclusive of people living in poverty, particularly if framed within the kind of human rights conceptualization of poverty outlined earlier. The case for this has been made in a British study of childrens perceptions of socio-economic difference in which researchers talked to children from deprived and affluent backgrounds. They found that the childrens perceptions of socio-economic difference were often antagonistic in tone: other children, from different socio- economic backgrounds, were discussed most commonly in critical or disparaging terms (Sutton et al. 2007: vii). One of the policy recommendations the researchers make is that the treatment of diversity on the citizenship education curriculum should be broadened out to include socio-economic diversity. While acknowledging the sensitivities involved in discussing poverty in the classroom, they argue that the research highlights a real need for non-poor children to be better informed about poverty so as to counteract the kind of judgemental and hostile attitudes they uncovered.
Moving to the other end of the British Councils personal-local-national- international dimension, information and understanding about poverty in the global South is a key element in education for an inclusive, pluralist and reflexive understanding of citizenship in a global context. As J ack Demaine writes, global citizenship education will expose inequalities between citizens rights and resources both within and between nation states (2004: 211). A human rights framework for such education will help to guard against the dangers of Othering the poor in the global South as passive victims, dependent on the charity of the North (Ajegbo, 2007b; Lepkowska, 2007). Arnot suggests that a gender-sensitive, global citizenship education has the potential to help women actively contribute to cross-national global thinking, it provides a space for addressing gender-related issues and it embraces a pedagogical philosophy that empowers students by encouraging them to engage critically with contemporary concerns (2004: 20). Contributors to an Oxfam collection on gender, development and citizenship argue that education for global citizenship deserves a strong endorsement if it is understood as being about exposing people to world issues, and views of the world, which promotes justice and equity (Inbaraj et al., 2004: 84). Oxfams own guide to Education for Global Citizenship places considerable emphasis on the kind of values of inclusive citizenship discussed earlier, as well as the knowledge, understanding and skills required for effective global citizenship, and it explores how they might be translated into the curriculum (Oxfam GB, 2006). 14 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED One small study, carried out for the British Department for International Development, suggested that primary and secondary school children themselves would welcome such an approach. It found that they: were keenly interested in the wider world, wanting to know about substantive issues such as differences in wealth and povertyThey had concerns about human rights and justice, and wanted more political education. There was a criticism that the National Curriculum was insufficiently international in outlook (Davies et al., 2004: 2). Such concerns about human rights and justice in a global context were reflected in an initiative reported in The Independent (29 January, 2008). A group of sixth- formers mobilized to try to prevent the deportation of an asylum-seeking family one of whose members, who suffers from sickle cell anaemia, attended their school. According to The Independent, they mobilised thousands of people across the world, using the social networking site Facebook, and persuaded church ministers, community leaders, neighbours and fellow volunteers to rally round the family, demanding a change of heart from the Home Office. The young people were quoted as planning to carry on helping asylum-seekers more generally. An emancipatory practice The young peoples action can be interpreted as global citizenship as a participatory practice. In this case, the practice was inclusive of marginalized others. However education for citizenship can also provide the tools for citizenship as an emancipatory practice for those who are themselves marginalized. The British National Council for Voluntary Organisations describes education for citizenship and lifelong learning as building capacity through formal and informal education to develop the confidence, the skills and the knowledge needed to engage (J ochum et al., 2005: 16). While this is important for young people in general, it is of particular significance for those who are marginalized not just by youth and for marginalized groups of adults. A study of young peoples transitions to citizenship in Leicester, in the UK, found that the marginalized young people were particularly likely to say that school had failed to prepare them for adult life (Lister et al., 2001: 54). This led to the conclusion that citizenship education: must provide for the needs and priorities of young people whose life experiences of poverty and deprivation outside school, combined with their negative experiences within school, have left them with a jaundiced view of the education they received and of formal preparation for adult citizenship. Social exclusion and disadvantage must be recognised as real obstacles to real citizenship. An inclusionary approach to citizenship educationshould help young people to negotiate or even challenge these obstacles, to feel empowered and valued as citizens, and to feel confident and competent in participating in the public life of their communities (Lister et al., 2001: 58).
A recent report from the Scarman Trust in Britain offers just such an approach, albeit outside the schools context. It makes the case for a strategy for learning, Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 15 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED which helps to develop skills for social inclusion, particularly among the poorest (Alexander, 2008: 1). These include the political skills necessary to take part in politics through advocacy and campaigning as well as elections (Alexander, 2008: 2). As a democratic principle, the report argues, every citizen should be entitled to learn political literacy to take part in politics, just as they are entitled to become literate and numerate (Alexander, 2008: 3). To this end, the report recommends practical political education or learning how to take part in politics to achieve specific objectives (Alexander, 2008: 27). One of the principles for such education is that it should be pro-poor In similar vein, in the final chapter of the NIACE collection cited earlier, Coare and J ohnston argue for a: liberating educational approach which first acknowledges the structural inequalities that impact on peoples lives, then use these as critical starting points from which to help learner/citizens explore and develop any subsequent learning, agency or active citizenship (2003b: 206; see also Arnot, 2004). They make clear that such learning can be encouraged not just by those classified formally as educators and that it can take place in a wide range of formal and informal contexts. One of the fundamental points emerging from the voices in their book, they claim, is the importance of social learning where citizen/learners work together in making sense of the world, in developing and sharing knowledge and skills and in exploring and developing their own individual and collective citizenship (Coare and J ohnston, 2003b: 208). A very good example of this is provided by an ATD Fourth World project.[4] Although it was not formally about education for citizenship, it provided just the kind of social learning Coare and J ohnston talk about, as well as exemplifying J ohnstons notion of reflexive citizenship. Over two years, academics, people with direct experience of poverty and ATD workers came together to explore the themes of history, knowledge and learning, work and daily activity, family and citizenship. It was described as an extraordinarily difficult process of partnership and learning in which different kinds of knowledge gained through experience, action and the academy were respected and shared in an attempt to produce a new kind of knowledge (ATD Fourth World, 1999a: 1). People with experience of poverty were not considered simply as recipients of instruction, but also as a source of knowledge (ATD Fourth World, 1999a: 3). One of the conclusions reached as a result of the project was the need to include the most excluded in order to strengthen citizenship overall. According to the evaluation of the project by its participants, the experience of the process of collaborative reflection involved personal transformations. Particularly, the evaluations show a certain shift of perspective in each participant...A transformation of entire ways of thinking and frames of referencecan be seen (ATD Fourth World, 1999a: 26). One of the academic participants is quoted as saying that it forced us to question ourselves, as a professor, as a human being, as a citizen, as a person. I think it brings more than simply a knowledge of poverty, it teaches us another way of working as an academic (ATD Fourth World, 1999b: 19). Participants with experience of poverty said the project had given them the power to assert themselves, a greater self- confidence, whereas at the outset they had felt anxiety and powerlessness (ATD Fourth World, 1999a: 28-9). 16 Lister, R http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED ATD has subsequently drawn up guidelines for what they call the Crossroads of Knowledge and Practices and their application to people living in poverty and social exclusion. This can be understood as a form of lifelong learning and education for citizenship in which, they emphasize, each and every participant must feel that they are a co-researcher, co-trainer and co-actor with a role in identifying and formulating the questions, coming to common understandings and working out solutions together (2006: 3). The aim is to share and build knowledge: The process allows each and every participant, from whichever milieu they come, to get a better understanding of themselves, of the world around them and their place in it. Sharing, in this sense, means exposing oneself to the knowledge and experience of others to build knowledge that is more complete and greater than the sum of its parts (ATD Fourth World, 2006: 5). A cross-European adult education project involving low income women, although very different, similarly emphasized the priority given to encouraging learners to shape the teaching/learning processes themselves, as an important pedagogic feature of learning for active citizenship. The project reflected a feminist citizenship perspective in that it focused on learning to link together problems and solutions across different life spheres i.e. across public, domestic and personal domains of experience. And the idea was to link learning with empowerment, so that women gained both skills and confidence to participate in the social worlds beyond their households (European Commission, 1998: 32).
From a development perspective, Naila Kabeer (2002: 32) has observed the importance of informal forms of education as a means by which definitions of self and others are challenged and transformed. The various ways in which people acquire knowledge and information about their status and rights, the capacity to reflect on their situation, to question it and to act on it are all, she suggests, ways of learning citizenship. She cites the work of a Bangladeshi organization that has adapted Freirian approaches to conscientisation to its work with landless women and men She points out that the consequent changes in self-definitions have been particularly significant for women: These relate to everyday interactions with their husbands, their ability to speak up for themselves, to protest if they were treated unfairly. They also relate to their relationships in the wider community, their feelings of solidarity with other women in the same position as themselves and their willingness to speak out at political meetings (Kabeer, 2002: 32). As BRIDGE observes, the first step in challenging gender-based exclusion is for women to become aware that their exclusion is an injustice and that things can change (Meer with Sever, 2004: 29). Conclusion Bridges statement provides an appropriate note on which to conclude, for a key step in achieving genuinely inclusive citizenship is for those who are excluded to realise that things can change. Thus a key goal of education for citizenship for both Inclusive Citizenship, gender and poverty 17 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED children and adults should be to provide that knowledge and the capacity then to achieve change. To this end, this article has sketched out some ideas for an approach to education for citizenship, which promotes the values of inclusive citizenship with which the article began. Framed by principles of social justice, such an approach aims to help children, young people and adults to exercise self-determination and to encourage the development of solidarity and recognition. In turn, this should strengthen the horizontal ties of citizenship, from the domestic through to the global level. In this way education for citizenship can contribute to the development of an inclusive citizenship, which is also pluralist, reflexive and participatory.
[1] This is not to discount the contribution of feminism to civic republican thinking both historically and today (Voet, 1998). [2] During the years of the New Right Thatcher Government, the notion of active citizenship was used to encourage top-down charitable action to smooth the harsh edges of the market. [3] The Fawcett Society is a leading British organization campaigning for womens equality. [4] ATD Fourth World is an international voluntary organization working alongside people living in long-term poverty.
REFERENCES
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Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 2008
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Moral and social education in Japanese schools: Conflicting conceptions of citizenship DAVID MCCULLOUGH, Kobe College,Japan ABSTRACT Modern Japan, shaped by the successive upheavals of Meiji period modernisation, defeat in World War II and post-war economic recovery, is a country with a deeply ambivalent attitude to the outside world. Moral education for children and young adults has always been important in Japanese society but was usurped by extreme nationalists in the pre-war period and was subsequently treated with suspicion by educational reformers. The needs of modern Japan for "internationalisation" and for attracting workers from overseas to alleviate the consequences of a shrinking population have led to a revival of interest in moral and social education for young people. This revival, however, has been led by a variety of interest groups including nationalists who hope to strengthen traditional attitudes and liberals who wish to promote inclusion and an acceptance of diversity. The role of direct moral education and of experience based education in the classroom is a source of contention between these competing political philosophies. This paper outlines the history of moral and social education in Japan and traces the current debate over how this type of education should develop. The elements of Japanese education that have emerged to comprise a form of citizenship education are explained.
Introduction Japan, like many other developed countries, is currently undergoing an intense national debate over the meaning of citizenship. Views on the role of a citizen, and of the function education performs in shaping citizens, are sharply divided between multiculturalist and traditionalist notions of what a citizen should be. At this time, citizenship education, if regarded as the preparation of young people for their roles and responsibilities as citizens (Kerr, 1999), does not exist as a clearly defined area of the school curriculum in Japan and has not (Willis, 2002) become a focus of attention for Japanese educational reformers. Japanese educationalists do, however, view the shaping of productive and responsible citizens as a key goal of their work. As a result, a number of activities and programmes have evolved within the structure of Japanese education which have many similarities, and also significant differences, 22 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED with citizenship education in other developed countries. These programmes and activities are now being shaped by the ongoing process of internationalization in Japanese society which has deeply affected educational reform and has important consequences for the type of education that will be offered in the 21 st century. This paper will examine the historical background to modern Japanese moral education, will describe how it is offered in Japanese schools today and will outline the consequences of the national response to internationalization for the future development of citizenship education in Japan.
Historical background Confucianism and Japanese Notions of Citizenship
The very notion of citizenship has distinct historical and philosophical roots in each society which may lead to differing interpretations of the rights and obligations of the individual citizen. Kerr (1999) suggests that there are clear differences between the understanding of citizenship in the context of the Confucian traditions of Eastern Asia and that which exists in the context of the social democratic and liberal traditions of Britain and its former colonies. A strong definition of Japan as a society based on Confucian values may be over-simplistic but it is clear that aspects of Confucianism, such as ranking social harmony above the freedom of the individual and giving great weight to age, rank and family, are important distinguishing features of the Japanese sense of social role. Confucianism, according to Chen & Chung (1993) is based on four central ideas: hierarchical relationships, the importance of the family system, concern for the less well off, and a strong emphasis on the importance of education. These ideas can be seen to have a strong influence on Japanese education today and on the national approach to citizenship education.
Citizenship Education in the Edo Period (1603 - 1867)
During the lengthy Edo period, when Japan became isolated from Western societies and developed a sophisticated feudal culture, the warrior, or samurai, class, was instituted as the leading class in society. The moral code of this class, known as Bushido, was based on Confucian and Buddhist ideas and emphasized loyalty, purity, self-sacrifice and honour. In many ways the moral codes of Bushido resemble those of European chivalry in the middle ages but, as the Shogun rulers of the Edo period moved Japanese society away from the constant warfare that had characterized pre-Edo Japan, Bushido came to have a particular emphasis on self- control and inner development. The ideas of Bushido were propagated to the entire population through a series of temple schools (terakoya) that, in the strongly centralized political system of the time in Japan, passed down the ideas of bushido and of fixed roles and responsibilities in life. Around 40 percent of ordinary Japanese are estimated to have attended these schools (Ishikawa, 1995: 195).
Citizenship Education in the Period of Nationalism (1868 - 1945)
After the transition from the Shogunate to control of Japan by the Emperor and his supporters during the Meiji Restoration, compulsory Moral and social education in Japan 23 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED education for all children was introduced. The moral education of this period was called Shushin, which literally means "self-discipline," and this was one of the eight subjects taught to all children at elementary level. Shushin was, in fact, regarded as the pre-eminent subject in education at the time (Ikemoto, 1996).
The most important document in Japanese education prior to the war was Kyoiku-chokugo, the Imperial Rescript on Education. The Rescript was prominently displayed in every school and recited by students before studies. It reflected the desire of Japans leaders at that time to preserve the moral character of bushido period Japan while also preparing students for their role in promoting Japan as an Imperial power: Ye, Our subjects, be filial to your parents, affectionate to your brothers and sisters; as husbands and wives be harmonious, as friends true; bear yourselves in modesty and modernization; extend your benevolence to all, pursue learning and cultivating arts, and thereby develop intellectual faculties and perfect moral powers; furthermore advance public good and promote common interest; always respect the Constitution and observe the laws; should emergency arise, arise courageously to the States; and thus guard and maintain the prosperity of our Imperial Throne coeval with heavens and earth. (Passin, 1965: 151). Underlying the notions of citizenship in the Imperial Rescript, and particularly emphasized in the years prior to World War II, was the concept of unswerving loyalty to the Emperor and the state. Shushin, the moral education of the time, became the means by which the militarists imposed a strongly nationalistic form of education in Japanese schools. Citizenship Education in the Period of Democracy (1945 - present) Post-war citizenship education in Japan can be divided into three periods, suggests Ikeno (2005). A distinct feature of educational reform throughout the past 60 years has been a strongly centralized educational system which was initially imposed by the American occupying forces in order to eradicate the doctrinal nature of pre-war education. After the war, as Japan struggled to rebuild under the American occupation, Shushin was outlawed. Proposals for a new type of moral education were initially presented by the First United States Education Mission, a panel of prominent American educators who visited Japan for a month and recommended education which promoted equality and the free give-and-take of ideas that support a democratic society:
Manners that encourage equality, the give-and-take of democratic government, the ideal of good workmanship in daily life - all these are morals in the wider sense. They should be developed and practiced in the varied programs and activities of the democratic school (The United States Education Mission to Japan, 1946: 58). 24 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
These ideas were supported by Japanese liberals who had been suppressed during the war. The new Fundamental Law of Education, established in March 1947, reflected the widespread desire for a shift towards the promotion of individualism: Education shall aim at the full development of personality, striving for the rearing of the people, sound in mind and body, who shall love truth and justice, esteem individual values, respect labour and have a deep sense of responsibility, and be imbued with the independent spirit, as builders of the peaceful state and society (Passin, 1965: 302). The first period of post-war citizenship education was, therefore, influenced by the democratizing elements within society. Based on experiential learning philosophies introduced by American reformers, post-war education often involved children in non-directed experiencing, and consideration of, social activities. The aim, according to the Ministry of Education was to enable children to learn about their own society and to develop the attitude and skills to participate positively in their society in order to build a democratic society (1948, p.13). This type of education, where children were expected to draw their own conclusions from experience, was often criticized as lacking any form of systemization.
The revival of more conservative forces within Japanese society in the 1950s steered education away from liberal experiments and towards the attainment of standardized knowledge systems. In 1958 major reforms were instituted in the Japanese education system, prioritizing the acquisition of knowledge necessary for economic development and expansion. The prioritization of national aims in education during the period of rapid economic growth is revealed in a quote from a Ministry of Education document on elementary education in 1978 which defines the aim of elementary education as being: to guide the children to deepen their basic grasp of social life, to nurture understanding of and affection for our land and history, and to cultivate the foundation of citizenship necessary as members of a democratic and peaceful nation and society (Ministry of Education, 1978:31). In 1958 moral education was reintroduced to the school curriculum as an independent subject: Dotoku (literally "the path of virtue") was to be taught for one hour per week to all students in compulsory education. The central aim was described as being one of ensuring that the "spirit of human respect" should be supported (Takahashi, 1988). Moral education was separated from social studies which shifted away from experiential investigations toward academic explanations of Japanese society and culture
In the 1980s a search began for a type of education that would enable Japanese students to cope with the more sophisticated global economy and the demands of globalization. There was a perception that both experiential and academic learning needed to be transcended so that students could actively participate in society. According to the Ministry of Education in 1998, new approaches to education were required that would enable a student: Moral and social education in Japan 25 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED to find a problem by oneself, to learn about it by oneself, to think about it by oneself, to judge it independently, to acquire methods of learning and thinking, to tackle problem-solving and inquiry activities independently and creatively, and to deepen ones understanding of ones own way of life (Ministry of Education, 1998:2-3). Contemporary educational reform and citizenship education Japanese society and Japanese politicians have responded to the challenges of organising a wealthy, aging, internationalising society in several ways. A major focus has been on education, with a national consensus emerging in the boom period of the 1980s that Japanese students need to be prepared for the challenges of internationalisation and the ensuing competition. However, the direction and nuance of these changes has been, from the inception, a source of controversy.
In the period between the end of the war and the early 1980s Japan progressed from being an impoverished country, devastated by war, to becoming the worlds second largest economy. During this period the phrase Amerika ni oitsuke, oikos (Catch up with America, pass America) reflected the determination of Japanese leaders to emerge as an important world power. This determination led to the third great educational reform in Japan of the twentieth century. The reform process began with the Rinji Kyoiku Shingikai (Adhoc Council on Education) established by Prime Minister Nakasone in 1982. Prime Minister Nakasone declared his intent to transform Japan into an international state (kokusai kokka), and the term kokusaika (internationalization) became popular among all sectors of society. Three important pressure groups were involved in the push for reform. The first group consisted of educational progressives whose ideas about education had been influenced by John Dewey and other Western progressive educators (White, 1987). This group argued that the centralized, information-heavy style of education stifled the creative instincts of Japanese children. In addition, the Japanese business community was strongly in favour of reforming education to reflect the rapidly expanding economic ties between Japan and the outside world. Finally, the traditionalists saw in internationalisation an opportunity to restore patriotism and traditional values which had been greatly weakened in the post-war period. This tension between progressives, traditionalists and pragmatists has become an ongoing struggle which continues to shape the kind of citizenship education delivered in Japan today. While the politicians called for the promotion of Education for International Understanding, Ishii (2003: 4) suggests that, for many, their: primary interest lies in the revival of traditional Japanese values and the development of pride in Japanese culture through moral education rather than education for better understanding of other countries.
The Council on Educations first report, released in June, 1985, recommended eight principles for educational reform: 1. Putting emphasis on individuality; 2. Putting emphasis on fundamentals; 3. Cultivating creativity, thinking abilities, and the power of expression; 4. Expanding opportunities for choices; 26 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED 5. Humanizing the educational environment; 6. Providing a lifelong learning system; 7. Preparing students for internationalization; and 8. Preparing students for the information age (Ishizaka, 1992: 4-5).
This report, and those that followed, were compromises between reformists hoping that Japanese children could rediscover the joy of education and who were suspicious of moral education, with its links to pre-war militarism, and the traditionalists who wanted a return to direct instruction in 'moral education' (traditional values and ethics) and whose views were clearly expressed by Prime Minister Nakasone: educational reform should aim to preserve and further develop the traditional Japanese culture which we have inherited and to cultivate in children lofty ideals, sound physical strength, well-balanced personalities and creative power, as well as such moral and behavioral standards as are universally accepted in human society, so that these future Japanese citizens may be able to contribute to the international community with a Japanese consciousness... (cited in Leestrna, August, George, & Peak, 1987: 64). More recently an official awareness of the need to study and value other cultures has come to the surface. The 1996 report of the Central Committee on Education emphasizes the importance of understanding and co-existing with diverse values, without discrimination. To some extent, consideration of international problems and international values have been given space with the introduction of the Sogoteki na Gakushu no Jikan (Period of Integrated Study) to the elementary school curriculum in 2002. This was a response to the perceived need for children to have an integrated understanding of modern issues. In some ways, the Period of Integrated Study marks a return to the experiential learning of the post-war period with an emphasis on life experiences, field studies and cross-curricular study. It also provides space for the development of international understanding through language learning and the study of foreign cultures (Ishii, 2003).
Moral and social education in the current curriculum in Japan The elements that comprise a form of citizenship education in Japanese schools come from three areas moral education, social studies and special education. While these elements are not officially integrated in schools, it is clear that the development of active citizens is an important part of the official view of what education is for in Japan. A report from the National Curriculum Standards Reform Council (MEXT, 1998b), for example, states that one purpose of elementary education is to enable children to, have a healthy social life as an individual as well as a member of the society or nation. Moral Education as an Official Subject Perhaps the closest equivalent to a direct programme of Citizenship Education for Japanese children is the moral education programme in schools. Moral education in modern Japanese schools is described as having six fundamental objectives: Moral and social education in Japan 27 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
(1) to foster a spirit of respect for human dignity and awe of life, (2) to nurture those who endeavour to inherit and develop traditional culture, and create a culture that is rich in individuality, (3) to nurture those who endeavour to form and develop a democratic society and state, (4) to nurture those who can contribute to realizing a peaceful international society, (5) to nurture those who can make independent decision, (6) to foster a sense of morality (MEXT, 1989a: 105).
Japanese students up to the age of 16 receive one school hour (45 minutes in elementary, 50 minutes in junior high schools) of moral education per week. Teachers can draw on a series of recommended texts and instruction books and integrate these with practical stories and examples from the students own lives. Particularly at the elementary school stage, the emphasis is on encouraging students to think about how they would respond to real-life moral decisions (Naito, 1990).
Moral education in Japanese schools is divided into four major areas of study. These are self-awareness, relations with other people, relations with groups and with society and finally, relations with nature and the universe.
Area of Moral Awareness Key Concept Key Concept Self Awareness Moderation Diligence Courage Sincerity Freedom & Order Self-Improvement Love for Truth
Relation to Others Courtesy Friendship Thanks & Respect Modesty
Relation to Group/Society Public Duty Justice Group Participation Responsibility Industry Respect for Family Respect for Teachers Contribution to Society Respect for Tradition Love of Nation Respect for Other Cultures
Relation to Nature and the Universe Respect for Nature Respect for Life Aesthetic Sensitivity Nobility Table1: Areas of Moral Education in Japanese Elementary Schools MEXT (1989b) Social Studies Social Studies was introduced to Japanese schools as a formal part of the curriculum following the war and initially followed an experiential, problem-solving approach to introducing children to social issues. At the end of the 1950s the 28 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED curriculum shifted firmly towards a more academic style of learning. At present Japanese high school students receive education in Geography, History and Civics as elements of the subject known as Social Studies (shakai). These elements are compulsory in junior high school and electives in senior high school. The Civics (komin) element of the curriculum includes study of modern society (gendaishakai), politics and economics (seijikeizai) and ethics (rinri). The breadth of the Civics curriculum has been criticized by Japanese educators. According to Kimura (2005), many schools are not large enough to employ specialists in each area and, as a consequence, ethics is being disregarded as teachers struggle to cover the other elements of the curriculum. These problems have led to falling student participation in Civics classes.
In elementary schools the social studies programme is more experientially based with visits to off-school sites and invited speakers forming an important part of the programme. Social studies classes begin for third year elementary students with an introduction to the concept of community, fourth year students study community organisation and Japanese life styles. In the fifth year industrial and environmental issues are studied and, finally, sixth year students are introduced to Japanese history and the Japanese political system and also spend some time studying the role played by Japan in world society. The key aims of the programme are to develop students understanding of society so they can judge correctly how they should behave in their particular society (Fukuoka University of Education, 2006).
The tensions in Japanese education are fully reflected in the debate over Social Studies education. At the elementary school level, the limited number of hours available for social studies means that time for site visits and problem-solving exercises is insufficient for those educators who want to train children to think actively about society. For other educators, the problem-solving approach to learning prevents children from absorbing important factual information. At the high school level some attempts have been made to rein the Social Studies curriculum back from the strongly academic approach that was adopted in the late 1950s but this shift is unpopular with many teachers who see the acquisition of a solid knowledge base as the fundamental purpose of education (Fukuoka University of Education, 2006). Social Education through Special Activities In Japanese education there is a strong emphasis on achieving moral and social education through everyday, practical activities. The Japanese Ministry of Education described the importance of activities in this way: Through desirable group activities, to promote harmonious development of mind and body and develop the individuality, to foster an independent and practical attitude in order to build a better life as a member of a group, to deepen the self-awareness regarding life as a human being, and to nurture the ability to fulfil oneself (MEXT, 1983: 121). Japanese children are expected to play active roles in various special activities that occur throughout the school year. These include sports festivals, entrance and graduation ceremonies, school open days, field trips and activities in the local Moral and social education in Japan 29 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED community. All of these special occasions involve weeks or even months of intense preparations with students becoming actively involved in the planning, organization and implementation of activities. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork, communication of ideas, maintenance of school traditions and the handing-on of experience from older to younger students. Social Education through Daily Activities Beyond these special activities, Japanese students are also closely involved in everyday activities which train them in socially constructive behaviour. Every day Japanese students are expected to collectively clean their classrooms and also the communal areas of their schools, including the toilets, washrooms and gymnasiums.
A second example of daily activities, particularly notable in elementary schools, is training in caring for living things. Every school will have several places where small animals and fish live, sometimes in the classroom. Students take turns to feed and water the animals and will visit school during vacations to carry out these tasks.
A third notable feature of everyday life in Japanese schools is the role of clubs. Almost all students will join a sporting, musical, cultural or academic club and these clubs are primarily organized and run by the students with the advice of assigned teachers. Senior students are expected to train, discipline and support younger students who are expected to give their loyalty to the club. Clubs often meet daily, sometimes twice daily, and are key venues in developing cooperation, courtesy, responsibility, diligence, self-improvement and friendship. Through a continuing emphasis on the importance of everyday activities Japanese schools can be seen, therefore, to have the overriding goal of the development of their students characters. This provides practical experience in dealing with the moral issues discussed more formally in Moral Education classes. Process and Outcomes of Moral and Social Education in Japan Moral education can be seen to be transmitted in Japanese schools through various methods which introduce children to appropriate codes of behaviour and teach them how Japanese culture operates. There is no religious underpinning to this type of teaching but rather an attempt to help students consider how their actions affect others and the world around them. There is rarely a discussion of relative value systems or a use of Kohlbergian moral dilemmas (Thomas, 1985). Instead, teachers present a clear set of virtues, which are contrasted sharply with non- virtuous behaviour (Ikemoto, 1996).
This type of education can be seen to have three chief goals (Ikemoto, 1996).The first of these goals is to develop a sense of respect for life. Historically, a feeling of respect for the natural world was reflected in Japanese culture through the Shinto religion and the association of deities with mountains, rivers and other places of natural beauty. Japanese schools place great stress on introducing young children to the concept of caring for living things and to experiencing nature through frequent field trips. As children develop, these experiences are extended to include consideration of the personal duty of care for other human beings.
The second key aim of moral and social education in Japanese schools is to teach the importance of the connection between the individual and the group. Some 30 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Japanese scholars have related the stress on group membership to the cooperative effort needed for rice cultivation (Ikemoto, 1996) and to the strong clan loyalties developed among the warrior class in feudal times (Nippon Steel, 1993). Whatever the origins, there is no doubt that Japanese education places great weight on group cooperation and that this training is primarily practical, occurring through group work in class, involvement in school cleaning and serving school lunches, being involved in club activities and in organizing special school events. As they take part in these activities Japanese students are expected to guide those less experienced than themselves, thereby developing a sense of social responsibility.
Finally, Japanese moral and social education is said to transmit a sense of social order and hierarchy, stemming from Confucian values of respect for elders and for those in positions of authority. From the youngest age, schoolchildren are expected to look up to those with slightly more experience and to follow their instructions. Conversely, they are expected to take responsibility for the training of welfare of those younger than themselves. This sempai-kohai (senior-junior) system is particularly important in school clubs and permeates Japanese society, being an important feature of business life. The pressures of internationalisation The debate over citizenship education in Japan takes place within the context of a rapidly changing social environment which means that the young Japanese students of today will graduate from their schooling years into a dramatically different society from that known by their parents and grandparents. The drive to develop the economy since the war has left Japan as a relatively wealthy society but a society that seems unsure of the direction it wishes to follow for the future.
The explosive economic growth between 1945 and 1989 changed the nations self-image forever. During the Edo Period, also known as the sakoku, or closed country, period, Japan closed its doors to trade with other countries and to external cultural influences. The Meiji revival and, to a large extent, the involvement in World War II, were attempts to shake off isolation by competing on equal terms with the established Imperial powers. After the war, as the Japanese economy grew by leaps and bounds, Japanese companies became deeply involved in international relationships. At first these took the form of exports of manufactured products but, as Japan emerged as an economic superpower, economic antagonism from other developed countries forced Japan to develop a strategy of investing in overseas economies. Tens of thousands of Japanese salary men found themselves living overseas for extended periods, working hard to integrate Japanese business practices with those of the local cultures. Japan also, at this time, attempted to become a force in the arena of international relations, creating the worlds largest Overseas Development Assistance budget. At the beginning of the 21 st Century, with the rise of China as an economic giant in its own right, and with the search for cheaper sources of labour, Japanese business increasingly looked towards Asia as a source of investment and markets.
Parallel to this economic development was the beginning of social changes that had previously been associated with Western countries. Later marriage, higher divorce rates and the changing role of women in society have caused the birth rate to plummet. Japan now has one of the lowest birth rates in the world at 1.28 and in Moral and social education in Japan 31 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED 2006, for the first time since the war, the population actually declined. From a peak of 127 million now the population is expected to fall below 100 million by 2050 and to much lower levels in the 22 nd century. According to Clark (2004), in the year 2000 there were seven people between the ages of 20 and 64 for every two people 65 and over. By 2050 the ratio will be 3 to 2. More than 30 percent of the population will be over the age of 60.
The consequences of a rapidly aging population, with a shrinking number of productive workers, are several. A national debate is now taking place in Japan over the question of admitting several million immigrants to staff the factories and run the hospitals of Japan.
At present, Japan has a foreign population of just over two million foreign residents, comprising 1.6% of the total population (Immigration Bureau, 2007). By the standards of other industrialized nations this is a relatively small group. In the UK, for example, 8.3% of the population in 2001 had been foreign born (National Statistics Online) and in the United States the figure was 12.1% in 2005 (Center for Immigration Studies). Of the immigrant population in Japan, around half a million, classified as special permanent residents are former colonial conscripts and their descendants, mainly of Korean origin. Of the remainder, the great majority of immigrants are economic immigrants from Asia, with China being the source of the largest group. A further large group in composed of the South American descendants of Japanese emigrants to Brazil and other Latin American countries in the early 20th century. The present rate of immigration to Japan, will however, be unable to replace the decline in the workforce caused by the aging of society. Willis (2002) reports that in 1999 the Japanese government predicted that there would be a shortfall of 600,000 workers per year from the early stages of the 21st century. A UN report (2001) states that, in order to maintain the present working population, 33.5 million immigrants would have to be admitted to Japan by 2050. The scale of this crisis has been recognized in the business community in Japan and several significant voices, such as the chairmen of large Japanese corporations, have called for immigration to be massively expanded and for several million immigrants to be admitted to Japan over the forthcoming years. However, there does not as yet seem to be a national consensus that this will be an acceptable change for what is one of the worlds most monocultural societies. Internationalization and citizenship education The debate within Japan over the process of internationalization has had several consequences for the development of citizenship education. While, on the one hand, progressive reformers have called for education to reflect the development of a multicultural society, conservatives have used the uncertainty surrounding internationalization to demand a strengthening of traditional values.
Educational reformers seeking an outward-looking, progressive citizenship education have been successful, over the past ten years in creating programmes such as Education for International Understanding (Kokusai Rikai Kiyoiku), Ethnic Education (Minzoku Kiyoiku), Education for Newcomers (Newcaama no Kiyoiku), and Global Education (Gurobaru Kiyoiku). In addition, programmes with a lengthy history in Japanese schools such as Civics (Komin, or public personhood,), Moral Education (Dotoku Kiyoiku), Human Rights Education (Jinken Kiyoiku, and 32 McCullough,D http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Returnees Education (Kikokushijo Kiyoiku) have been adapted by some schools and many individual teachers to offer training appropriate to life in a multicultural society (Willis, 2002). The implementation of the Period of Integrated Study in the school curriculum has enabled teachers to experiment with these programmes and to create a type of citizenship education responsive to the increasingly multicultural society that their students live in. These experiments have not, however, been adopted on a national level as state policy.
There is a strong emphasis in almost all Japanese schools in encouraging children to care for each other and to work cooperatively, to create what Murphy-Shigematsu (2002) calls an empathetic community. However, the traditional model of community is one that places severe limits on freedom to behave individually and on expression of diversity. The stress on homogeneity is also an obstacle to the acceptance of children from other countries and diverse cultural backgrounds. It is the progressives in Japanese education who are attempting to develop a citizenship education that can aid the development of a multicultural society by focusing on the differences within the Japanese group and the similarities with other groups (Murphy-Shigematsu, 2002).
These moves are counterbalanced by conservative educationalists who wish to use citizenship education to promote traditional values. An example of these moves has been the passing of a controversial Act by the Japanese government in 1999 requiring all schools to display the national flag, the Hinomaru, and to organize singing of the national anthem, the Kimigayo, at school graduation ceremonies. As both the flag and the national anthem are regarded by many Japanese as symbols of wartime excesses, their use in schools is opposed by many teachers. However, the past few years have seen teachers punished, demoted and even sacked for their refusal to accept these changes. The previous Japanese cabinet, under Prime Minister Abe, placed a central emphasis on moving Japanese education sharply toward the ideals of conservative reformers. A high powered Education Rebuilding Council was established to promote the educational views of these conservatives, including the reintroduction of corporal punishment, and a strong emphasis on patriotism in the classroom (Nakamura, 2007). The work of this Council bore fruit at the end of 2007 when the Fundamental Law of Education was amended for the first time since its creation in 1947. The new law stipulates that children be taught respect for their national traditions and culture (Motohiro, 2007). The subsequent change of government has been seen as a defeat for the conservatives in the ruling party but the important position now held by in this party by Ibuki, who as education minister was the loudest promoter of patriotic education, ensures that the debate over education and citizenship will continue. Conclusion Moral and social education has had a history in Japan that differs in many ways from the Western experience. It has emerged, nonetheless, as an important factor in the educational curriculum. Japanese citizenship education succeeds best in involving students in practical activities which lead them to internalize the importance of being responsible, caring members of society. It is relatively weak in training students to vigorously assert their own opinions and argue their own sense of what is right. The process of internationalization has the potential to move Japanese citizenship education in a positive direction, widening the definition of citizenship to include all Moral and social education in Japan 33 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED those who live in a community. The fears awakened by internationalization have created opportunities for conservatives to shape citizenship as a fixed, historically- bound concept. It remains to be seen in which direction citizenship education will evolve in Japan. What is certain is that moral and social education, together with Japanese society, is bound for a process of tumultuous change in the 21st century.
Correspondence: DAVID MCCULLOUGH, Kobe College, Japan
NOTES
[1]*The Japanese Ministry of Education has been reorganized several times since the war and has issued publications under a variety of official names. The Ministry is referred to throughout this paper as MEXT which is the commonly used acronym at present. The official English title of the Ministry is the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology.
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Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 2008
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Democracy and Diversity: A content analysis of selected contemporary Canadian social studies curricula KURT W. CLAUSEN, TODD A. HORTON, LYNNE SPEER LEMISKO, Nipissing University and University of Saskatchewan ABSTRACT For more than two decades, Canada has officially embraced a form of liberal democracy that shows respect for the plurality of voices and values of citizens within the state. However, Canadian educators still struggle daily with teaching, learning, and assessment challenges that arise as the state increasingly acknowledges the diversity of the populace within its borders. As a source, teachers refer to government-created curricula for guidance in this matter. This study examines how social diversities (such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class and ableness) and dissent are represented in conceptions of democracy in the social studies and history curricula. Using a content analysis approach to examine examples from two provinces, it was discovered that despite the good intentions of curriculum developers to include multiple voices, the values and perspectives of the dominant culture pervade discussions of democratic notions in these documents.
Introduction
Showing his support for the American melting pot concept of democracy, the reformer Horace Bushnell bemoaned the ingratitude of immigrants given all the privileges of a free society, who are not content, but are just now returning our generosity by insisting that we must excuse them and their children from being wholly and proper American (Ravitch, 1974, p. 37). To him, the common will of a country was paramount, and as such should surpass any alternative demands made by religious or cultural considerations. Until fairly recently, this traditional popular sovereignty concept of democracy dominated the mindset of many curriculum documents in Canada as well as the United States, with one unified vision of social progress, democracy and citizenship being transmitted to the students. This image demanded complete acceptance: if one embraced the freedoms offered by a democracy, one must also be ready to adhere to the decisions and tastes of its majority. Since the Second World War, however, many political philosophers have recognized the dark side that can lurk behind the common will premise, resulting, for example, in Nazi anti-Semitism, or in the tyranny fifty-one percent of a country can exert over the remaining forty-nine. John Rawls (1993) argued that in this form 36 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED of brute consensus, common values held by the majority of a particular society at a particular time may be enforced through socialization and political manipulation. In attempting to justify the imposition of their values (which may be racist, gender- biased, or support other abuses), the majority tends to ignore reasonable resistance and dominates others using the majority rules notion. As an alternative to this, Rawls argues for refined consensus and, by extension, a modern political liberalism that unlike its predecessor will respect the plurality of values in citizens and affirm their aspiration to perpetuate those values across generations (1993: 49). Officially, Canada has embraced this refined consensus notion for more than two decades. However, this has not been without great exertion and adaptation. As is the case in many countries around the world, Canadian educators still struggle daily with teaching, learning, and assessment challenges that arise as the state increasingly acknowledges the diversity of the populace within its borders. At the legislative level, Canadian educators have been encouraged to recognize the multicultural realities of Canadian society. The Federal government, for example, has formalized this position by passing such legislation as the 1988 Canadian Multiculturalism Act. It could be suggested that such official endorsement of the multi-identitied citizen might work toward the creation of an atmosphere of equity necessary to support and strengthen participatory democracy in our nation. However, in a state as ethnically, linguistically, geographically, and historically diverse as Canada, and where education is under provincial jurisdiction, it may well be asked how social diversities and dissent are represented in conceptions of democracy in social studies and history curricula across the country. Using a content analysis method, our study addresses this question as it looks at the ways in which two provinces represent the concepts that encircle the term democracy in their courses of study. Perspectives Our study is informed by the rich dialogue about citizenship education that has been taking place in Canada for many years. Playing out the dichotomy outlined by Rawls (1993), this conversation has explored the implications of educating for uniform, in common, or assimilational citizenship as compared to educating for pluralistic citizenship (Bickmore, 2006; Young, 1989) in the Canadian setting. The argument in favour of uniform or common citizenship is that all citizens could develop a sense of belonging through having and enjoying the same rights (Marshall, 1950). However, modern scholarship critiques this notion due to its base assumptions that are deeply connected to the brute consensus notion of democracy. In Canada, notions of in common citizen identity were first coloured by the views of the Anglo-Canadian elite who were anxious to create a sense of national unity while preserving their cultural heritage in the context of a society that was composed of First Nations peoples and an immigrant population from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Intellectual historian, A. Brian McKillop (1979, 1987) argued that this led to the creation and imposition of a nationalist myth based on the criterion of homogeneity of race, language and religion. Anglo-Canadian educators took up the challenge to propagate this myth and designed curricula that aimed to inculcate a sense of belonging among citizens through an assimilationist approach to citizenship education. Some of the challenges to this notion arise out of the fact that rights and responsibilities are not applied or enjoyed evenly or equitably among different groups within a political community. In their lived experiences, members of these Democracy and Diversity 37 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED groups become deeply aware that they do not benefit equally from legislated individual rights. Young (1989) argues, therefore, that an emphasis on common citizenship rights without regard to group differences is actually detrimental to promoting a sense of belonging among members of these groups. She and others (Banks, 2004; Kymlicka, 2003; Kymlicka & Opalski 2001; Portelli & Solomon, 2001) support the refined consensus notion of democracy, when arguing in favour of educating for pluralistic citizenship. In Canada, the assimilation model of citizenship education receded as the diversity that always existed in Canadian society was increasing acknowledged. Joshee (2004) and others (for example, Bruno-Jofr & Aponiuk 2001; Hbert 2002; Sears et al 1999) have documented the shift in educational policy and practice over the years, from an emphasis on assimilation, to more contemporary efforts to promote understanding of, and respect for, diversity. In the latter half of the twentieth century, much of the focus of these conversations is on issues of identity, social justice, and more recently, social cohesion. To any contemporary scholars, citizenship is regarded as fluid, open and negotiated, and the formation of national identity should not be separated from formation of individual identity (see Aronowitz & Giroux, 1991, 1993; Giddens, 1990; Kingwell, 2000; Kymlicka, 2001; Richardson, 2002). Ideas about how social cohesion should be fostered through schooling have emerged both as a further challenge to the uniform citizen model of citizenship education and as a call for increased focus upon educating for active and critical participation. Bickmore (2006), for example, argues that democratic social cohesion implies encouragement of both significant diversity of identities and viewpoints, and significant citizen agency (p. 361). She suggests that while social conflict is inevitable in pluralistic societies, non-violent conflict resolution mechanisms are the democratic means by which disagreements should be handled. But, this involves embracing and handling conflict, rather than erasing differences (p. 360) and recognizing that students cannot be taught that equity and social justice have already been achieved. Inevitably, this suppresses the voices of those whose lived experiences tell them a different story. Bickmore (2006) posits that acknowledging dissent as fundamental to democracy is a vital component of citizenship education if students are to become active agents with skills and understandings necessary for critical democratic engagement. Recent scholarship (Sears, 1999, Shields and Ramsay, 2004; Clark, 2006) asserts that newly revised citizenship education curricula in Canada embody an increasingly activist stance as compared to those developed in previous decades. As we join into the ongoing conversation about citizenship education in Canada, we wonder about the degree to which this has occurred.
Methodology Data Source Because officially-mandated provincial curricular documents are the starting point for Canadian teachers in the development of their particular classroom programs, and because assessment/accountability approaches are also based on these documents, we chose these as our sole object of study. We recognize that the content and ideals represented in these curricula may be enacted in different ways as their messages are filtered through textbooks, school boards and individual teachers. 38 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED However, for this study, we decided to begin with the most basic of building blocks to each young Canadian citizens education. Contrasting provinces were selected as the focus for examination to provide good initial insight into the range of ideas about democracy that are being taught in social studies in Canada. One selection, Ontario, is Canadas most populated and industrialized province (almost 12 million people, or one-third of Canadas population reside in this province). The other selection, Saskatchewan, continues to rely heavily on an agricultural and resource-based economy, and has a population of approximately one million people. The governments of the two provinces also provide an interesting contrast. While Ontario is currently governed by the Liberal party, the curriculum under analysis represents a revision of documents first developed under a Progressive Conservative administration. The socialist-leaning New Democratic Party has been in power in Saskatchewan for over 40 of the last 60 years and is responsible for creating the curriculum documents selected for this study. To narrow the scope of our study even further, we chose to examine social studies-related curricula of these two provinces. Because students in Ontario are not required to take study social studies beyond grade ten, and because we wanted to ensure a consistent comparison, we decided to limit our study to the examination of the grade one to ten curricula (See Appendix A for the list of particular documents under analysis).
Conceptions of Democracy Our study examines the selected curriculum documents using a typology based on the work of Sears and Hughes (1996, pp. 127-128). In trying to understand the meaning of the term citizenship as defined in Canadian educational policy in the mid-1990s, they pointed out that researchers should be less concerned with the narrow legal definition of citizenship as with some normative sense of good citizenship (p. 125). In this way, they maintained that one may discover a more robust sense of a particular documents philosophical underpinnings, as well as observing the broad range of roles and utilities seen for the term. While the classification system developed by Sears and Hughes described the characteristics of four conceptions of citizenship, we have adapted their scheme to classify and describe three types of democracy, which embrace varying degrees of diversity:
Elitist Democracy - Those holding this conception argue that, because ordinary citizens do not have the intellectual capacity to fully or appropriately judge the workings of a country or province, it is best that experts be chosen to govern. Rather, citizens have a relatively simple set of duties: they should be loyal and patriotic; possess a common body of knowledge about the history and political structures of the country; and become informed about the positions of the various political parties. They should participate by voting and obeying the law and see themselves as part of a common national culture with a uniform set of traditions. There appears to be little to no room for the recognition of diversity among citizens in this conception of democracy. This would correlate to Rawls (1993) notion of brute consensus.
Liberal Democracy - This conception is based on the notion that while sovereignty inherently rests with the people, representatives elected from and by the people are the most responsible agents for governing. Citizens are expected to be committed to the public good, to use rational processes to become informed Democracy and Diversity 39 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED about public issues and to actively participate in local, regional and national affairs in order to work toward resolving such issues. In addition, all citizens should be committed to and knowledgeable about liberal principles, such as individual rights and responsibilities. Finally, there is some recognition of diversity among the citizens of a nation, but it encompasses the belief that social justice can be assured through protective legislation of individual rights. Accompanying this is the belief that individuals may have multiple identities in the private sphere, with an expectation that there will be a relatively uniform face of citizenship exhibited in the public sphere. Rawls (1993) refined consensus would most closely relate to this conception.
Global/Social Justice Democracy - This conception is based on the idea that sovereignty rests with the peoples of the earth and that citizens should exercise decision-making power in more direct ways than occasional voting. Citizens are committed to participating in free and equal discourse about issues related both to the public sphere of politics, and in the private sphere of community, home, and family. As such, conflict is not seen as a negative aspect to democracy. Indeed, here there is a need to acknowledge dissent, and to develop critical thinking and conflict resolution skills. Diversity is built into this notion of democracy: people within a country can see themselves as citizens of an individual nation, but they are also open to multiple understandings of national citizenship (e.g., it is possible to consider oneself a citizen of a First Nation and a Canadian citizen, at the same time). Accompanying this is a sense of commitment and loyalty to the global community that transcends national self-interest, going beyond Rawls (1993) two notions.
Keyword Analysis Using the above typology as a theoretical framework from which to begin, we employed an analytical methodology based on a text analysis approach devised by philosopher and historian, R.G. Collingwood (1994, 1940, 1939), and adapted by Lemisko (1998). This involves regarding the written document as testimony rather than as authority. In order to uncover the meaning of a document, the analyst treats it as evidence, cross-examining the explicit statements using a series of pre-formulated, probing questions designed to address the overall objectives of the study. Further questions are then framed by the researcher as themes, ideas, and underlying suppositions emerge. To deal with the analysis of multiple documents and the comparative nature of our study, we also borrowed an approach from Clausen (2001). Based on Raymond Williams (1976) technique of keyword analysis, we selected several terms (and their derivations) connected to the various conceptions of democracy. After determining the location of each keyword, we investigated the surrounding written text to identify the context within which the term was embedded. To ensure that the analysis and comparison of the documents did not become too unwieldy, we selected a limited number of terms for the keyword search. First, we searched for instances of the use of the root term democra- (to locate democracy, democratic, etc). We then looked for terms that referred to the structures, components, and procedures of democracy: government, vote, parliament, power, responsibilities, rules, laws, rights, and citizen. Finally, we searched for terms that referred to citizen participation: decision, patriot, nationalism, dispute, debate, disagree, protest, dissent and resist. We selected these keywords due to their connection to the three types of democracy described above, and thought that the 40 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED places where these terms were situated within the curricula may be prime locations for revealing underpinning beliefs about the key concepts.
Findings Based on an analysis of the selected curriculum documents there appears to be a great deal of consistency between Ontario and Saskatchewan in the topics they cover relative to democracy. Both provinces make extensive efforts to ensure students have a thorough understanding of the concept, how the democratic process works in Canada, and the rights and responsibilities of its citizens. However, within that consistency, there seems to be some nuanced differences between the two provinces. To explore the findings more fully, the analysis is divided into three themes that emerged during our analysis: 1) definitions of democracy; 2) rights and responsibilities in a democracy; and 3) the active role for citizens and students.
1. Definitions of Democracy The most explicit definitions of democracy can be found in the glossary sections of the curriculum documents. In the Ontario documents we read: Democracy - A form of government in which laws are made by a direct vote of the citizens (direct democracy) or by representatives on their behalf (indirect democracy). Indirect democracy involves elections with candidates often coming from competing political parties (Ont. 9- 10, p. 70) Citizenship - the condition of being vested with the rights, duties, and responsibilities of a member of a state or nation (Ont. 9-10, p. 70. See also Ont. 1-8, p. 78). The Saskatchewan documents read in similar fashion: Democracy - A system of government in which the citizens have power through their elected representatives (Sask. SS7, p. 151. See also Sask. SS8, p. 75). Citizenship - The exercising of rights, privileges and responsibilities as a member of a particular society (Sask. SS8, p. 75). All of these definitions fall within the Liberal type of democracy as the focus is on the duties of citizenship as legal contract, with the accent on membership, rights and responsibilities (albeit Ontario sees citizenship as a condition, whereas Saskatchewan sees it more as an activity). However, do these conceptualizations remain stable throughout the body of the curriculum documents? In the Ontario documents, there is little use of the word democracy (outside of Grade 10 Civics, it is used only 4 times in the introduction, 5 times in Grade 5, and once in the glossary), and its definition seems to be by association rather than by Democracy and Diversity 41 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED explicit reference. The introduction states, for example, that students are to learn about how citizens function in a democratic society (p. 2) which is linked to Canada, a culturally diverse and interdependent world, and characterized by rapid technological, economic, political, and social change. (p. 17). However, overt connections are not drawn. In the Fundamental Concepts section (p. 4), Democracy is seen as a concept related to power and governance, but, again, the association remains elusive. Broad hints are made in the introductory passages of the documents of what type of citizen the Ministry desires: an informed citizen (p. 2); a global citizen (p. 3); one who has a willingness to show respect, tolerance, and understanding towards individuals, groups, and cultures in the global community and respect and responsibility towards the environment (p. 17). In some sections, therefore the document leans heavily on the Liberal conception of democracy where in others it clearly gives credence to the Global/Social Justice notion. Working in a combination of expanding horizons and chronological approaches, the body of the Ontario curriculum doesnt directly focus on democracy and citizenship until students reach the grade 5 level, where a specific strand is dedicated to Aspects of Citizenship and Government in Canada. The bulk of expectations are devoted to teaching students the major tenets of citizenship. The examples given fall quite in line with the initial definitions given in the glossary, and then deals with the more structural procedures of a democratic state: the electoral process (p. 44); the steps to becoming a citizen (p. 44-5); civic ceremonies (p. 45); how to become a member of parliament (p. 45); and law making (p. 45). These concepts are then not explicitly mentioned again until late in the Grade 9-10 curriculum document. Of course, certain areas are included in the Social Studies/History documents for each year between 6 and 9 that may allow the teacher to speak towards democracy and its struggles (i.e., the Rebellions of 1837 or Confederation). However, the explicit link is not made due to the absence of the word democracy and the minimal use of citizenship. While teachers could deal with democracy in intermediate History (i.e., in the Citizenship and Heritage strand), it is made quite clear that one course has been specifically earmarked to answer any unresolved questions about the terms: The Grade 10 civics course rounds out students understanding of their role in society by teaching them the fundamental principles of democracy and of active, responsible citizenship (Ont. 9-10, p. 4). Here, the terms are considerably broadened from the more traditional, limited definitions and hints found in the earlier document. While in earlier pages it appears to be a specimen to be studied with seeming detachment, there is now a genuine bias towards democracy and diversity. Upon completion of this half-year course, students are expected to become informed citizens, able to: demonstrate an understanding of the need for democratic decision making; explain what it means to be a global citizen and why it is important to be one [overall expectations]; explain why it is essential in a democracy for governments to be open and accountable to their citizens, while protecting the personal information citizens are required to provide to governments [specific expectation] (Ont. 9-10, p. 65). Further, students explore the notion of Purposeful Citizenship, in which there is an examination of contrasting values, multiple perspectives, and the co-existence of differing purposes within a democracy. This is especially acknowledged in the 42 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED overall expectations and in the section Diversity of beliefs and values. As well, the term democratic citizenship is finally explicitly linked to a series of beliefs, namely: the rule of law, human dignity, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, work for the common good, respect for the rights of others, and a sense of responsibility for others. Lastly, the notion of Active Citizenship requires that students be able to apply appropriate inquiry skills to the research of questions and issues of civic importance; [and] demonstrate an understanding of the various ways in which decisions are made and conflicts resolved in matters of civic importance, and the various ways in which individual citizens participate in these processes (p. 69). It seems, therefore, that this course was created in an effort to bring the student from a passive knowledge of democracy to a more dynamic role in its processes, signalling a strong blend of liberal and global/social justice conceptions. Like the Ontario plan, the Saskatchewan curriculum follows an expanding horizon method in the first years, gradually extending the students perspective from family life (Grade 1) to country-wide (Grade 5). However, it also takes a more spiral approach to curriculum development, reiterating and building upon the terms and principles of democracy and citizen, year after year, at every grade level. Throughout the early elementary years, the use of the terms remains attached to the Liberal conception of democracy. In grade 5, for example, students are to practise democratic procedures and decision making with an emphasis on the cooperative and interdependent aspects of the process (Sask, SS1-5, p. 404). As in Ontario, Saskatchewan also expects its students at this age to engage in a fairly thorough study of the more formal operations of the federal government, which includes some exploration of creating legislation, becoming a citizen, and so on. It is after grade 5 that a real rift appears between the two provinces (perhaps due to Saskatchewans decision to continue social studies as a course rather than splitting it up into history, geography, etc). Instead of shrinking into the background, democracy seems to take a central role in the objectives (in grade 7-8 alone, the term democra- is used 88 times). During the middle and secondary years, activities and objectives set out for students are expected to further refine their understanding of democratic attributes, the democratic process in Canada, and how the Canadian process varies from other democratic systems around the world. When Grade 7 students explore the concept, power, for example, they study how Government structures such as democracy, autocracy and oligarchy obtain and use their power in different ways (Sask, SS7, p. 150). In grade 8 students explore the nature of Canadian citizenship and develop an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizens and develop an understanding of citizens in a representative democracy, and learn about the history of Canadian democracy and citizenship. This type of study continues into grade 10, when students are introduced to the basic decision making organizations of society so that they can better understand and use them as citizens of a democracy. They will also examine the concept of power and the ways it is used within the political structures of social organizations. As part of that process students will learn the concept of social contract and its role in making Democracy and Diversity 43 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED clear the rights and duties of the members of any social organization. (Sask, SS 10, p. 103) Like in the Ontario documents, the Saskatchewan curriculum seems to make a transition in the ways in which democracy is conceptualized over the grade levels. The representations in the lower grades seem to fall clearly into the liberal conception, while by Grade 10, conceptions lean more toward the global/social justice form of democracy. It should be highlighted that, when defining democracy, neither sets of provincial curricula represent the notion of multi-identied citizenship. Apart from mentioning an exploration of the nature of citizenship and the existence of multiple perspectives, both only explicitly refer to issues of diversity when stipulating that democratic principles in present-day Canada are applicable to all citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or ableness.
2. Rights & Responsibilities in the Evolution of Democracy Both provincial curricula include some exploration of the origins of democracy, and deal with the extension of rights and responsibilities as part of this evolution. However, there exist differences in the ways in which this investigation is approached by the two provinces. In the Ontario documents, the concept of democracy is generally divorced from historical context. Certain references are made incidentally to the origins of democracy (e.g., the use of democracy in early civilizations [Ont. 1-8, p. 30]; and in relation to the Magna Carta [Ont. 1-8, p. 81]) and to modern events that have shifted the paradigm somewhat (e.g., the Nuremburg Laws [Ont. 9-10, p. 68]; instances where the government chose to restrict certain rights and freedoms [Ont. 9-10, p. 60]; and the granting of voting rights to various groups such as women and First Nation peoples [Ont. 9-10, p. 44]). Of course, there are numerous areas within the curriculum where a teacher may draw lines to the evolution of democracy (especially throughout Grades 5, 8 and 10). However, the sections dealing directly with the term democracy appear to envision it as a relatively stable constant in Canada, with an expectation that students will familiarize themselves with its rules, rights and responsibilities. In studying these ideals of democracy, there seems to be a heavy accent on the responsible citizen in Ontario (e.g., Ont. 1-8, p. 21). In fact, it is rare that the term rights is found in the elementary Ontario document in a location where the term responsibilities is not somewhere nearby. This coupling of the two terms continues at the Grade 10 level. For example, of the seventeen times the word rights is used in the Grade 10 Civics course, it appears only four times at a location where the word responsibilities is absent. This is not a bad thing in itself (although some verisimilitude is lost when students are to identify rights and responsibilities in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms). However, this could promote the idea that democratic rights should be seen merely as a counterbalance to the responsibilities of citizenship, rather than something inalienable. In fact, in the glossary, the document opts for the more tempered definition of rights as entitlements recognized and protected by the law (p. 83). On a few occasions, broad hints are given concerning the make-up of these two yin-yang concepts. In Grade 5, examples are given: the right to vote / the responsibility to become informed; the right of freedom of speech / the 44 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED responsibility to respect the free speech rights of others; the right to freedom from discrimination and harassment / the responsibility to treat people with fairness and respect (p. 44). Finally, in Grade 10, the curriculum unequivocally states that the rights and responsibilities taught to students reside in three bases: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (p. 65), the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (p. 66), and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (p. 66). These are all admirable building-blocks for democracy, but what is left out are some of the more active elements that are also included among citizen rights, such as direct decision-making. In fact, the word decision is only used seven times in the expectations portion of the Civics course, and the usage is most often connected to students being able to explain or compare ways in which decisions are made, rather than requiring that students engage in decision-making processes, themselves. It would seem that when changes are made, the curriculum is more likely to defer to the legitimate channels that have been created for that purpose (e.g., parliament [p. 60], the judiciary [p. 65], and international conventions [p. 66]). With this approach to the exploration of rights and responsibilities, it appears that the Ontario curriculum represents the liberal conception of democracy, while at times even slipping into an elitist conception. Saskatchewan tends to give a fuller account of the development of democracy over time. It incorporates explorations of Aboriginal forms of governance into the story of Canadian democratic origins (Sask. SS4, p. 412; Sask. SS5, p. 225; Sask. SS9, p. 236). The reasons for this may be connected to the large per capita Aboriginal demographic in Saskatchewan, and the inclusion of Aboriginal contributions to curricula in that province. Whatever the reason, the net result is that Aboriginal people are seen to be part of the democratic tradition and clearly included in the Canadian democratic narrative in Saskatchewan. This suggests that the Saskatchewan curriculum leans more toward a global/social justice conception of democracy than does Ontario. As well, because it is dealt with year after year, a progression is seen in the story of democracy. Like Ontario, Saskatchewan also couples the terms rights and responsibilities at the elementary level. However, these two are often combined with decision-making, leaving the impression that citizens have a more active role in democratic processes. For example, Grade 2 students in Saskatchewan are to understand that groups make decisions to establish rules and may participate in decision making situations (Sask., SS 2, p. 407), while Grade 5 students are to know that Canadians have rights and responsibilities, be able to identify and apply rights and responsibilities and practice decision-making (Sask., SS 5, p. 417). There exist more instances of the uncoupling of the terms rights and responsibilities in the curriculum of the upper grade levels in Saskatchewan. For example, in Grade 7 students are expected to appreciate that the use of power must respect human dignity and the rights of individuals and societies to be treated fairly (Sask., SS 7, p. 153), while in grade 10 students are to come to: Know that power has been used in ways that abuse the rights of other people (Sask., SS 10, p.114) Know that ethnic groups often find that their best interests are not served by the state they find themselves in and to Know that these Democracy and Diversity 45 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED groups will justify their dissent with concepts such as human rights, tradition, freedom, justice, constitutionality, etc (Sask., SS 10, p. 512) With this approach to the exploration of rights and responsibilities, it appears that the Saskatchewan curriculum represents the liberal conception of democracy more at the elementary level, while leaning toward the global/social justice conception at the middle and secondary levels. In tracing the evolution of Canadian democracy, both provinces require exploration of the extension of rights to various groups (that is, beyond landed white men to the non-propertied, non-white, and women), suggesting that the curricula might represent a global/social justice conception of democracy. For example: Identify the reasons for the exclusion of certain groups from the political process (e.g., First Nation peoples, women, the Chinese and Japanese). (Ont. 1-8, p. 59); explain how different groups (e.g., special interest groups, ethnocultural groups) define their citizenship, and identify the beliefs and values reflected in these definitions (Ont. 9-10, p. 67) Understand that, over time, many women's movements have lobbied for political change that has given women and other minority groups greater access to the sources of power. (Sask., SS 10, p. 342) However, both focus on the extension of individual or citizenship rights (representing a liberal conception of democracy) and both embed an overwhelming suggestion of a progressive march forward toward inclusion and tolerance in the Canadian democratic narrative. This does not encourage understanding that members of particular social groups may receive unjust and inequitable treatment despite legislation, while suggesting to students that the evolution of Canadian democracy is complete that inequities and social justice violations no longer exist. With this in mind, it is impossible to argue that either province fully embraces the idea of a global/social justice form of democracy.
3. The Active Role for Citizens and Students Both provinces emphasize that students should learn to express their views while working within the existing structures of the democratic system, such as voting (e.g., Sask., SS8, p. 83; Ont. 1-8, p. 44), cooperating (Sask. SS5, p. 403) or learning about forms of conflict resolution (Ont. 1-8, p. 57). This emphasis seems to encourage political participation while enhancing peace and orderliness within society. The problem with such an emphasis, however, is that it undermines the capacity to critique the system, minimizing the options for those who find the system lacking in credibility and legitimacy. In fact, our search for any discussion about democratic dissent within the Canadian system proved quite barren. Keywords, such as debate, disagree, disagreement, dispute, dissent, oppose, and opposition, were rarely used. Usually, when included, the terms were employed in a benign fashion for example, in phrases like: hold a class debate; Alaska Boundary Dispute; and Her Majestys Loyal Opposition). While it may be that agreement makes life easier in the short run, a vibrant democracy depends on a 46 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED certain amount of disagreement, challenge and debate. To minimize the use of these terms is to always see them as pejorative and something to be avoided. Even at the higher grades, there is little emphasis on studying the positions of opposition parties or on exploration of the media presenting opposing views. However, the curricula do indicate that students should learn about one path that is available for expressing opinions and viewpoints that is, lobbying (used nine times in the grade 9-10 Ontario document). Outside of this, most forms of interaction between the common citizen and the government are shown in the most benign fashion. In the Ontario Civics course, if someone disagrees with the central authority, the only suggestions offered were: finding out information by communicating with the appropriate elected officials or bureaucratic departments; by writing letters or e-mails to the media; by organizing petitions; by voting (p. 69). Other forms of Citizenship Participation were all non-confrontational: participating in food and clothing drives; visiting seniors; participating in community festivals, celebrations, and events; becoming involved in human rights, antidiscrimination, or antiracism activities (p. 69). The exploration of more radical forms of opposition to the government was negligible. Extended searches for keywords like demonstration, protest, resist, resistance, rebel, rebellion, revolt, revolution and strike yielded limited results. Usually these terms were firmly situated in Canadas past (e.g., Riel Rebellion; Winnipeg General Strike) or in another country (e.g., American Revolution). However, from a diversity standpoint these were the means by which political, legal and social rights were often achieved (e.g., suffrage movement). Though these historical episodes are inspiring and students may view them as a model to follow when trying to achieve future goals, there was no evidence to suggest that Canadian citizens can/do, could/should engage in such activities today. The maintenance of order appears to have trumped most active challenges to government policies. As a result, the curricula of neither Ontario nor Saskatchewan deeply represent the global/social justice conception of democracy when dealing with this area. If one compares the two provincial curricula based upon the use of its action verbs, however, it does become clear that Saskatchewan includes higher expectations about active citizenship than does Ontario. For example, the Saskatchewan elementary social studies curriculum lists Citizen Action Objectives in each for the four units found at each grade level. According to the document, Citizen action objectives represent a culmination of all the other objectives (knowledge, skills/abilities, and attitudes/values). Through citizen action, students may apply and demonstrate their learnings (Sask. SS 1-5, p. 7). Consistent with this idea, the listing of particular citizen action objectives includes terms like: participate, select, apply, and plan. Furthermore, the Saskatchewan curriculum is permeated with the idea of decision-making, implying expectations of active citizenship. Decision Making is one of the twenty core concepts identified as being central to the Saskatchewan K-12 social studies program and, according to the document, demonstration of understanding of the concept involves applying and reflecting (Sask. SS 1-5, p. 2). In this respect, Saskatchewan leans toward a global/social justice conceptualization of democracy. By comparison, the verbs used in the listing of outcomes/expectations in Ontario curricula indicate that citizen action should involve cognitive activity rather than participation. For example, of the 600 expectations that are listed in the Social Studies (Grade 1-6), History (Grades 7, 8, 10 academic/applied), and Civics (Grade 10) courses, the top 10 words used are: Describe (98 times), Identify (82), Democracy and Diversity 47 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Explain (58), Compare (45), Analyse (44), Use resources (35), Formulate questions (25), Construct and read maps (24), Use appropriate vocabulary (22), and Communicate using appropriate media (17). These are all quite legitimate and varied verbs that reflect the levels of thinking expressed in Blooms taxonomy (Bloom, 1956; Anderson et al, 2001), but their persistent use seems to indicate a desire for an informed citizen rather than an involved or participating one. There are some instances where students may be able to break through to a different plane of understanding, action, and valuing. For instance, in Grade 5 students are asked to model activities and processes of responsible Citizenship and identify the relevance to their own lives of individual and group rights (p. 46) while in the grade 10 Civics class they are asked to articulate and clarify their personal beliefs and values concerning democratic citizenship (p. 67). However, these seem rather peripheral to the main thrust of the Ontario curriculum, which, in this case, leans more toward an elitist conception of democracy.
Conclusions What does an analysis of the selected curriculum documents tell us about the stances that these two provinces take regarding democracy? First, there appears to be some consistency between Ontario and Saskatchewan in the topics they define and the way they use the term. Within that consistency, however, the Saskatchewan curriculum generally offers a more thorough, nuanced and layered representation of democracy using a spiral curriculum method that is not as apparent in the Ontario curriculum. In Ontarios case, there appears to be huge gaps in the use of democracy. Rather than threading the term as a major concept throughout the various grade levels and strands, the bulk of the work seems to have been relegated to certain sections at two grade levels (5 and 10). Unwittingly, this may allow teachers of other grade levels to avoid this area in order to deal with more important expectations in a crowded venue. Unfortunately, it may also have negative implications for students ability to act critically regarding rights and responsibilities as they strain to recall what they learned about democracy in what should have been a formative stage of learning. It is interesting to note, as well, the differences in the conceptualization of democracy represented in these examples. In the body of the document, the Ontario curriculum clearly corresponds to a more liberal conception of the term, while Saskatchewan has more global/social justice manifestations by including a stronger emphasis on expectations of active participation in democratic processes. While there is some evidence that the curricula of both provinces encourage some study of differences within the democratic system (and Saskatchewan gives greater play to decision-making within a democracy), neither explores forms of dissent or opposition that exist outside the established system to any notable degree. The maintenance of order appears to have trumped most active challenges of government actions and policies. In painting a picture of progressive harmony and in leaving the impression that Canada has generally experienced little social or political conflict resulting from our differences and diversities, both sets of documents may encourage suppression of voices of those whose lived experiences tell them a different story. Therefore, while recent scholarship (Sears, 1999, Shields and Ramsay, 2004; Clark, 2004) is accurate on some levels in asserting that newly revised citizenship education curricula embody an increasingly activist stance, we also argue that the documents we 48 Klausen, K.,Todd, A.,Lemisko,L http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED examined in this study only support activism within particular confined parameters. As a result, both the Ontario and Saskatchewan examples act (to a greater or lesser extent) as a mixed type, showing some remnants of the elite conception, a dominant Liberal conception and only a burgeoning conception of global/social justice democracy. If the focus of the two provinces remains mainly on the extension of individual or citizenship rights, we predict that the curricula of both will continue to largely represent the liberal conception of democracy. Without a focus requiring development of deeper understanding of ways in which the protection of individual rights does not necessarily mean that members of particular groups receive just and equitable treatment, neither curriculum can represent a conception of democracy that fully embraces diversity and the idea of multi-identitied citizens.
Appendix A - Documents used for this Study Province Grades Document Acronym Ontario 1-8 1he Ontario Curriculum: Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6, listory and Geography, Grades and 8 ,2004, Reised, Ont. 1-8 9-10 1he Ontario Curriculum: Canadian and \orld Studies, Grades 9 and 10 ,2005, Reised, Ont. 9-10 Saskatchewan 1-5 Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide or the Llementary Leel ,1995, Sask., SS1-5 6 Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide or the Middle Leel - Grade 6 ,1992,99, Sask., SS6 Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide or the Middle Leel - Grade ,1992,1999, Sask., SS 8 Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide or the Middle Leel - Grade 8 ,1992,1999, Sask., SS8 9 Social Studies: A Curriculum Guide or the Middle Leel - Grade 9 ,1992,1999, Sask., SS9 10 listory 10: Curriculum Guide ,1992, Sask., l10 10 Social Studies 10: Curriculum Guide ,1992, Sask., SS10
Correspondence: Dr. KURT W. CLAUSEN, Faculty of Education, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, Ontario, Canada, P1B 8L7 Dr. TODD A. HORTON, Faculty of Education, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, Ontario, Canada, P1B 8L7 Dr. LYNN SPEER LEMISKO, University of Saskatchewan, Faculty of Education, 28 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 0X1
REFERENCES: ANDERSON, L.W., KRATHWOHL, D.R., AIRASIAN, P.W., CRUIKSHANK, K.A., MAYER, R.E., PINTRICH, P.R., RATHS, J., & WITTROCK, M.C. (eds,). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. ARONOWITZ, S. & GIROUX, H.A. (1991). Postmodern education: Politics, culture, and social criticism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Democracy and Diversity 49 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED ARONOWITZ, S. & GIROUX, H.A. (1993). Education still under siege. Westport, Conn.: Bergin & Garvey. BANKS, J.A., (ed.). Diversity and Citizenship Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. BICKMORE, K. (2006). Democratic social cohesion (assimilation?) Representations of social conflict in Canadian public school curriculum. Canadian Journal of Education. 29(2): 359-386. BLOOM, B.S. (ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Chicago: Susan Fauer Company. BRUNO-JOFR, R., & APONIUK, N. (eds.) (2001) Educating citizens for a pluralistic society. Calgary: Canadian Ethnic Studies/Etudes ethniques au Canada. CLARK, P. (2004). Social studies in English Canada: Trends and issues in historical context. In A. Sears & I. Wright (eds.), Challenges and prospects for Canadian social studies, (pp. 17-37). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press. CLAUSEN, K. (2001) The meaning and implementation of curriculum integration in the middle school years: Ministry of Education reforms and current practice in the Ontario school system Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa. COLLINGWOOD, R.G. (1994) The idea of history, revised edition with lectures 1926-1928. Oxford: Clarendon Press. COLLINGWOOD, R.G. (1940) An essay on metaphysics. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. COLLINGWOOD, R.G. (1939) An autobiography. London: Oxford University Press. GIDDENS, A. (1990) The consequences of modernity. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press HBERT, Y. (ed.). (2002). Citizenship in transformation in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. JOSHEE, R. (2004). Citizenship and multicultural education in Canada: From assimilation to social cohesion. In J.A. Banks (ed.). Diversity and citizenship education: Global perspectives, (pp. 127- 56). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004. KINGWELL, M. (2000) The world we want - virtue, vice and the good citizen. Toronto, Ontario: Penguin Books Ltd. KYMLICKA, W. (2003). New forms of citizenship. In T. J. Courchesne, D. J. Savoie, The art of the state: Governance in a world without frontiers, (pp. 265-310). Montral: Institute for Research in Public Policy. KYMLICKA, W. (2001) Politics in the vernacular - nationalism, multiculturalism, and citizenship. Oxford: Oxford University Press. KYMLICKA, W. AND OPALSKI, M. (2001). Can liberal pluralism be exported? Oxford: Oxford University Press. LEMISKO, L. (1998) Ideas and educational change: The thought and action of Alberta educational leaders, 1905 1955. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Calgary. MARSHALL, T. H. (1950). Citizenship and social class and other essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. MCKILLOP, A. B. (1987). Contours of Canadian thought. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. MCKILLOP, A. B. (1979). A disciplined intelligence. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press. PORTELLI, J.P. & SOLOMON, R.P. (2001). The erosion of democracy in education : From critique to possibilities. Calgary: Detselig. RAVITCH, D. (1974). The great school wars: New York City, 1805-1973: A history of the public schools as battlefield of social change. New York: Basic Books RAWLS, J. (1993) Political liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press. RICHARDSON, G.H. (2002). The death of the good Canadian - Teachers, national identities, and the social studies curriculum. New York: Peter Lang. SEARS, A., CLARKE, G.M., & HUGHES, A.S. (1999). Canadian citizenship education: The pluralist ideal and citizenship education for a post-modern state. In J. Torney-Purta, J. Schwille, & J. Amadeo, Civic education across countries: Twenty-four national case studies from the IEA Education Project, (pp. 111-136). Amsterdam: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. SEARS, A, & HUGHES, A.S. (1996) Citizenship education and current educational reform. Canadian Journal of Education, 21(2): 123-42. SHIELDS, P., & RAMSAY, D. (2004). Social studies across English Canada. In A. Sears & I. Wright (eds.), Challenges and Prospects for Canadian Social Studies, (pp. 38-54). Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press. WILLIAMS, R. (1976) Keywords: A vocabulary of culture and society. London: Fontana. YOUNG, I.M. (1989) Polity and group difference: A critique of the ideal of universal citizenship. Ethics, 99(2): 250-274.
Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 2008
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Imagining Global Citizens: Teaching Peace and Global Education in a Teacher-Education Programme LORNA R. MCLEAN, SHARON A. COOK, TRACY CROWE , University of Ottawa, Canada ABSTRACT This paper analyzes one teacher-education programmes attempt to structure a year-long immersion in curricula, activities, readings and discussions to promote the effective teaching of peace and global education. This multi-faceted initiative is provided for teacher candidates at all levels, from those intending to teach kindergarten to the last year of high school. Now in its fifth year of operation, Developing a Global Perspective for Educators/Dveloppement dune perspective globale pour enseignants et enseignantes has expanded the type of learning opportunities annually. The increasing success in drawing candidates from the anglophone and, to a lesser extent, francophone teacher-education sectors, graduate students and members of the teaching community to the varied presentations has led committee members to explore why students eagerly attend the functions, engage in discussions, endorse the ready-made curricula materials and, at the same time, remain reticent as to their abilities and opportunities to teach what they have learned and endorsed. Our observations of the latter phenomenon has led the authors in this study to explore the barriers that prevent peace and global education from being taught in classrooms. Based on our research, we argue that success for the pre-service candidate in teaching such topics is influenced by gender, disciplinary knowledge and pedagogical skill. The study addresses which of these barriers can be overcome through our efforts as instructors in a Faculty of Education to more effectively insert peace and global education into the mainstream curriculum, with the expectation that these themes will find their way into the school curriculum.
Teaching Peace and Global Education in a Teacher Education Programme [1] Introduction One of the many promises of teacher-education is the possibility of influencing the next generation of curriculum and classroom practice, and with that, the Imagining Global Citizens 51
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED experiences and understandings of students in the classroom. Individuals who choose to enter teaching are often idealistic and intent on changing what they sometimes see as outworn and inequitable features of education which they faced as students. With todays intensely competitive entry standards to Canadian Teacher Education programmes, particularly post-degree Bachelor of Education programmes, these prospective teachers must demonstrate their knowledge acquisition and diligence with high marks from their undergraduate years. As many entrance standards also require related experience, these candidates often arrive with a track record of community activism, organizational skills and clearly defined understandings of social justice issues. Finding ways to enhance these abilities, to develop their interests, and to add further to the knowledge base is one of the challenges confronting teacher candidates and their instructors. This article analyzes one teacher-education programmes attempt to structure a year-long immersion in curricula, activities, readings and discussions to promote the effective teaching of peace and global education. This multi-faceted programme is directed to teacher candidates at all levels, from those intending to teach kindergarten to the last year of high school. Now in its fifth year of operation, Developing a Global Perspective for Educators/Dveloppement dune perspective globale pour enseignants et enseignantes (DGPE/DPGEE) has expanded the type of learning opportunities annually. The increasing success in drawing candidates from the anglophone and, to a lesser extent, francophone teacher-education sectors, graduate students and members of the teaching community to the varied presentations has given committee members the incentive to explore why students eagerly attend the functions, engage in discussions, endorse the ready-made curricula materials and, at the same time, remain reticent as to their abilities and opportunities to teach what they have learned and endorsed. Our observation of the latter phenomenon has led the authors to question the barriers that prevent peace and global education from being taught in classrooms. Equally important, the study addresses which of these barriers can be overcome through our efforts as instructors. The paper begins by defining peace and global education and discussing the fields relevance for the curriculum. Second, the article considers why we have chosen pre-service teacher candidates as our target group. Third, it sets out the general dimensions of the DGPE/DPGEE, including the partners that make it possible. Through our systematic tracking and research of this programme, we offer evidence from our teacher candidates that raises several important questions relating to the proclivities of candidates drawn to such topics and the barriers that they encounter. Finally, we discuss what faculties of education can do to more effectively insert peace and global education into the mainstream curriculum, with the expectation that these themes will find their way into the school curriculum. Defining our Terms: Peace and Global Education In the jurisdiction where this faculty programme was initiated (Ontario, Canada), peace and global education are not designated curricular subjects. However, as in most educational systems, there are entry points at all levels of formal curricula where both could be integrated to meet official Expectations or Curriculum Objectives. Indeed, in 2001 a study on educational policy conducted across Canada by the Council of Ministers of Education, entitled Education for Peace, Human Rights, Democracy, International Understanding and Tolerance, suggests that 52 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED citizenship education concepts are fore-fronting a more multi-dimensional and global character in curriculum documents (Evans, 2003, p. 36).[2] For our purposes, global education follows closely the definition set out by Graham Pike, which identifies four threads: the interdependence of all people within a global system; the connectedness and diversity of universal human attributes, values and knowledge, curriculum subjects, aspects of schooling, humans and their environment, and the privileging of multiple perspectives before reaching a view (Pike, 2000b, p. 65). In the Ontario curriculum, as a case in point, these threads are often clustered within themes of sustainable development, peace and security, political systems, citizenship, cultural practices and environmentalism, and are found most often in the Geography, Science, History/Social Studies and Civics Curricula. Peace education is at the same time aligned with global education and a distinct area. On the one hand, peace education fits neatly into global educational prescriptions stressing equity and fairness in which individual or national desires are to be subsumed for the common good (Barber, 2000; Reardon, 1988a); both emphasize tolerance (Tucker, 1983) and the interdependence of all societies (Le Roux, 2001; Reardon, 1988b). On the other hand, peace education claims to be more than debates about human rights and social justice, as well as other competing forms of global inequity. It includes these to be sure, but more: it is concerned with structural forms of violence and deprivation in war-time and in non-conflict zones; local violence on school playgrounds and in cyberspace, and very importantly, violence arising from gendered inequities (Cook, forthcoming). In this study, we use the combined category peace and global education to include all of these issues, as they may be addressed in pre-service training and in educational curricula. Focusing on the Pre-Service Candidate Our reasons for designing and continuing to refine a programme intended to help pre-service candidates integrate peace and global education into the mainstream curriculum are many. First, the student population is varied and reasonably large: all 900 pre-service candidates in the Faculty of Education in both official languages, and at all Divisional Levels of teaching (Primary [P], Junior [J], Intermediate [I] and Senior [S]) are invited to participate in the project. All students in the pre-service programme come with at least one undergraduate degree, and the age range varies from 21 to 51, although most students are in their mid-to-late twenties. Teachers entering the I/S Division have a requirement of two teachable subjects or subject specialities; for the J/I Division, there is a requirement of one teachable; and no subject specialities are required for the P/J Division, but some candidates come with degrees in specialized areas. Most students are racialized white and able bodied, although the population of racialized visible minorities has increased over the last few years. Some candidates are well versed in global development and peace education and committed to it from previous experiences; others have little knowledge or sympathy; and many are somewhere in the middle of this continuum, knowing of and sympathizing with some components, but concluding that they have little scope to incorporate this area into their own teaching. Second, this programme has evolved over four years. During this time the information, resources and delivery models have been refined specifically for this one-year, post-degree teaching degree. Our research here, then, continues development of a programme with a clear, specific constituency that will very shortly enter active teaching in the school system. Imagining Global Citizens 53
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Third, all of the faculty members involved in the study teach directly in the pre- service programme and have done so for some years. This direct involvement as educators within the programme allows faculty members regular interaction with students and the means to alter the programme as the students needs dictate and as those needs are revealed by this research initiative. Finally, it has been our experience that teacher-education candidates are at a sensitive stage of professional development, making them receptive to information and pedagogy. At the same time, they effectively critique accepted approaches because of their heightened alertness to pedagogical knowledge and their own professional development in this formative period. They are ideal participants in this research into the programme. The Programme: Developing a Global Perspective for ducators/Dveloppement dune perspective globale pour enseignants et enseignantes Developing a Global Perspective for Educators/Dveloppement dune perspective globale pour enseignants et enseignantes (DGPE/DPGEE) is a year-long programme of some 14 stand-alone events organized for pre-service candidates. Included in the roster of activities are weekend retreats, a full conference, film festivals, resource fairs, discussion groups, Global Education and Social Justice elective courses, a variety of outreach projects in local schools and in-class workshops. The programme is made possible through a partnership across a broad spectrum of non-governmental organizations. Included are such groups as CHF, formerly known as Canadian Hunger Foundation (sustainable development and cultural practices); the United Nations Association in Canada, UNA-Canada (global citizenship, peace and security); WaterCan (environmental); CODE (literacy development); OXFAM (social justice), Engineers Without Borders (sustainable development and environmental) and many other groups, as well as the local educational community, community activists such as E4P (Education for Peace) and a core group of professors in the Faculty of Education. Within the Faculty of Education core group is a seconded professor from a local Catholic school board, a professor who teaches at the P/J Division and a third professor who teaches at the I/S Division. There are also several graduate students who support and work as research assistants on the project. The concepts underpinning the components of the DGPE/DPGEE Programme are that peace and global education promote an awareness of the responsibilities of global citizens in Canada and throughout the world, that education of this type can be introduced into any subject area and at any level of instruction, that a distinctive pedagogy which emphasizes interaction and decision-making is recommended, and that classroom-ready resources are available for teachers at all of these levels and in all subjects. As such, this year-long programme for pre-service candidates offers multiple and varied pedagogical opportunities for our research. Peace and Global Education: Why Students Are Attracted Since their inception in the 1890s, the fields of peace and global education have both acknowledged a strong moral and social-activist orientation. This inclination was also apparent in global education as it developed in the 1970s (Holden, 2000; Pike, 2000a), following a philosophy in which individual or national desires were to 54 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED be subsumed for the common good (Barber, 2000; Reardon, 1988a). As well, tolerance was emphasized (Tucker, 1983), and interdependence of all societies assumed (Le Roux, 2001; Reardon, 1988b). Pedagogically, as well, both peace and global education have developed teaching strategies which bear testimony to their social-activist and progressive roots. Global education arose in the United States at the same time as experiential learning and values clarification, open schools and child-centred education (Hendrix, 1998). Peace education too overlaps and shares theoretical and practical ground with other types of progressive educations (Toh & Floresca-Cawagas, 2000, p. 368). Part of this tradition has been the claim that content and process should be fused or at least interdependent (Le Roux, 2001, p. 71). As the fields have evolved in Canada and Britain especially, strategies have been developed to encourage activity-based learning (Selby & Pike, 2000) and especially perspectivistic analysis (Pike & Selby, 1988; Global Citizen Project, 2005), cooperative learning and role-playing (Holden, 2000), story-telling (Calder, 2000; Moore, 2003), simulations (Gautier & Rebich, 2005), student projects and community surveys (Tye & Tye, 1993), community service (Willinsky, 2005) and web-based research (Risinger, 1998). New approaches to assessment encompassing cognitive, affective and participatory domains have also been suggested (Diaz, Massialas & Xanthopoulos, 1999). At its most radical, strategies rooted in postmodernism and the democratic pedagogy of Stanley Aronowitz and Henry Giroux (1991), who stress power differentials, the disabling authority of hegemonic structures, and the possibilities of empowering discourse (Preece, 2002; Wells, 1996) have offered much-needed emancipatory approaches to give the field renewed direction and edge. Thus, there is substantial agreement, in content and process, between peace and global education, with a good deal of this falling into left- leaning education. We hypothesize that one attraction for pre-service teachers is the commitment to equity and social justice. A second reason why some pre-service teachers are drawn to peace and global education concerns their subject specialization. A study in New South Wales, Australia, which examined the relationship between pre-existing knowledge schemas of primary and secondary pre-service teachers, concluded that subject specializations (e,g., History) affect how students integrate global education into their knowledge frameworks (Horsey et al., 2005). The implications of this study suggest both an attraction and a barrier to integrating peace and global educational materials into the mainstream curriculum. Students in a discipline such as History often find the pedagogy, knowledge and values compatible with other components of this teachable subject, and yet they question the silence in the formal curriculum guidelines about questions of peace and global education. A survey of the literature of peace and global education demonstrates, therefore, a significant degree of analysis and interest in pedagogy and activism, and especially so in certain subject areas or teachables. With few exceptions, the theoretical literature is silent about the barriers or perceived obstacles for teacher-education candidates to infuse a peace and global education perspective in the classroom. [3] This study seeks to explore some of the deterrents to teaching from a peace and global studies perspective in a variety of educational expressions: in the literature which discusses the theoretical underpinnings of the field; in the content-based curricula developed to teach the principles of peace and development education; in the pedagogy suggested to transmit this content; and, specifically, in the personal qualities, experiences, education and responses of teacher candidates. Imagining Global Citizens 55
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Methodology To better understand the factors that encourage and discourage integration of this domain into the mainstream curriculum, we set out four research questions. In each instance, we follow the research question with a brief explanation as to why each is important to the study. All of the respondents were pre-service teacher candidates, both anglophone and, to a lesser extent, francophone in one of the three certification divisions offered at our institution. These candidates were surveyed through questionnaires at a variety of events and at different times of the academic year. The student populations were analyzed separately (by linguistic group) and then combined for review. To better understand the gender and discipline-based learning, the results were scrutinized accordingly.
1. What features of peace and global education attract teacher education candidates in the twenty-first century? To comprehend pre-service teachers initial perception of peace and global education we asked an open-ended question: In general, what does peace and global education mean for you?
2. What personal qualities and experiences seem to characterize candidates who are drawn to this field? First, we sought to understand the teacher candidates perceptions, experience and knowledge, and the meanings they attached to peace and global education when they entered the programme. In addition, we wanted to know what authority candidates attached to learning about peace and global education in a teacher- education programme and how gender subjectivities and teaching division influenced the identity of pre-service teachers as peace and global educators. Gender is a key component of the study because teacher-education programmes are progressively becoming more feminized. To take one teacher-education programme as a case in point, between 2000 and 2005, the percentage of female students ranged between 77% and 80.9%. Likewise, the peace and global education events and optional courses also attracted a greater percentage of women than men in the Education programme. Finally, we pursued the students subject knowledge because other studies have concluded that there is a relationship in the way subject specialists view subject knowledge issues (Horsley, Newell, and Stubbs, 2005). The data collected for this component of the study is based on initial sample questionnaires which consisted of three types of questions: a check box for profile (gender, teaching subjects); open-ended questions regarding perceptions on teaching peace and global education, integration into curriculum, and possible deterrents; and a third section listing various topics (human rights, food security, etc.) and asking the respondents to match the topics with curriculum areas or courses to identify the students understanding of the relationship between curriculum and issues associated with peace and global development.
3. What barriers prevent these candidates from acting on their knowledge and stated desire to change educational practices? Our anecdotal discussion with teacher-education candidates over the course of several academic years has made us aware that despite these novice teachers support of peace and global education concepts and pedagogy, rarely were these 56 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED topics or strategies used in their practicum classrooms. Thus, we sought to identify the barriers which limited implementation of peace and global education at all levels. To address this research question, we used data from questionnaires, a focus group, workshops and classroom discussions.
4. Which of these barriers are ones that teacher-education programmes have some authority to change? Our examination of disabling challenges faced by teacher candidates forced us to discriminate between systemic factors in the broader political or educational context, with which we could do little, and factors in our own educational setting over which we had direct control. Those factors in the latter category could be acted upon in our own classrooms, conferences, retreats and workshops. To act effectively, however, we needed to be clearer as to the dimensions of the problem as understood by teacher candidates. Data sources for this research question were drawn from the same roots as for the previous question: questionnaires, a focus group, workshops and classroom interactions. Thus, the data sources for our examination of these four questions included the literature on peace and global education, sample teaching materials developed by non-governmental organizations, questionnaires and a focus group completed by pre-service candidates, and assessments completed after instructional sessions by this same group of teacher education candidates. The process of gathering this data unfolded in several stages (see tables I and II). [4] First, sets of questionnaires were distributed during the first month of classes and after two main events, the two-day Peace and Development Education Institute in September and the two-day retreat in February. Questionnaires were also distributed after a number of film nights and workshops offered throughout the year. These research tools helped us to better understand the students attitudes and their views of the content-based curricula and their reception of particular pedagogical approaches presented at each event.
Table I. Programme Events by Gender and Division Gender D|v|s|on Lvent]Data Source 1|me of ear 1ota| # of kesponses Iema|e Ma|e ]I I]I I]S September Inst|tute] uest|onna|re SepLember 73 38 13 24 9 34 ketreat] uest|onna|re lebruary 64 39 3 33 10 1 Workshops] uest|onna|re 1hroughouL Lhe year 117 88 27 64 11 42 I||m N|ghts] uest|onna|re 1hroughouL Lhe year 99 92 7 27 72 0 Iocus Groups] D|scuss|on Aprll 22 19 3 20 2 0 Imagining Global Citizens 57
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Another component of the research involved a focus group discussion late in the academic year. The transcripts from this event provided evidence for measuring and evaluating the students learning of content and pedagogy and very importantly, their attitudinal changes (Wholey, Hatry & Newcomer, 1994). As recommended, the focus group was small and the conversation was limited to a restricted number of topics (usually 3 to 5 topics, lasting 90 minutes). Rather than seeing focus groups as representative of the larger group, their importance lies in offering a way to explore a topic in depth with a small group of participants drawn from an often narrowly defined target population (Dean, 2002, p. 340). In this sense, conversations are seen to develop naturally to provide an opportunity for new dimensions or insights to arise (Dean, 2002, p. 340; see also Wiggins, 2004).
Table II. Responses to In-Class Questionnaire Language Gender D|v|s|on Lvent]Data Source 1|me of ear 1ota| # of kesponses Irench Lng||sh Iema|e Ma|e ]I I]I I]S In-C|ass] uest|onna|re SepLember 120 68 32 83 37 47 17 36
By employing these strategies, we sought to identify students views of the types of pedagogy, knowledge and values best suited for elementary, intermediate and senior grades, and the barriers that prevented these candidates from acting on their knowledge and stated desire to change educational practice. Through this approach, we hoped to better discriminate between barriers over which we, as professors, have some influence, those which we have the potential to reduce, and those that remain beyond our prerogative as educators in a teacher-education programme. Results and Findings 1. How do teacher education candidates understand peace and global education in the twenty-first century? Students identified peace and global education in a variety of ways, but always with issues related to social justice, (in)equality, human rights and their responsibilities as global citizens. Some included peace and conflict in their description; others, mostly female students, noted gender inequalities within the definition. As well, women related peace and global education closely to certain values and attitudes: empathy, diversity, respect and tolerance. Francophone women in our sample were especially clear about the value base of this field. Secondary-level anglophone student teachers understood peace and global education to be primarily concerned with interdependence of nations. At the same time, it was striking that few teacher 58 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED candidates identified environmental issues or sustainable development as part of the definition of the field; nor was there mention of peace as a particular dimension of global education.
2. What personal qualities and experiences seem to characterize candidates who are drawn to this field? The data were explicit in identifying the type of teacher-education candidate interested in peace and global education. Put succinctly, the profile is predominantly a woman with some previous background study (or experience) in one of the subfields encompassed by peace and global education (e.g., volunteering or working in developing countries or with nongovernmental organizations, or taking undergraduate courses in international development). She likely has a background in History, Geography, Science or Literary studies. This is not to argue that no candidates who were outside this profile attended sessions or attempted to incorporate peace and global education into their curriculum; we found examples of candidates with different profiles who were devoted to the principles of peace and global education. We do claim, however, that candidates with this profile were attracted to peace and global education. By far the greatest numbers of our students involved in the DGPE/DPGEE initiative conformed to this biographical profile. Women participated in far greater numbers and proportions in all aspects of the Faculty of Education initiative. To take a case in point, the 2006 Fall Institute which was held in September for two days attracted one male student for every seven female P\J students; at the J\I division, the ratio was one male for every three females; and at the I\S division, the ratio was one male for every two females. In all instances, despite womens predominance in the teacher-education programme, womens participation rate was greater than their proportion in the programme. This gender disparity in favour of women remains true in all components of the initiative. A second characteristic of teacher-education candidates attracted to peace and global education is their background experience. For example, the data resulting from the fall Institute show that 64% of the females in P\J had experience in peace and global education; at the retreat, 69% of the women had taken advantage of previous events and were seeking to advance their knowledge and understanding of issues. Previous academic training as reflected in the subject orientation of the teacher- education candidate appears to predispose some candidates to peace and global education. Candidates in History, Literary Studies, Science and Geography were especially enthusiastic about peace and global education. In part, candidates attraction is because their curricular guidelines offer many opportunities for them to teach these materials. In part also, these candidates arrived with a higher level of knowledge, experience in the field, or personal contacts, and with the confidence and interest to pursue more education of this type.
3.What barriers prevent these candidates from acting on their knowledge and stated desire to change educational practices? An understanding of the challenges faced by student-teacher candidates, as reported by those same candidates, suggests that the major barriers to their effectively incorporating peace and global education into their classrooms are multiple and complex. Students report lack of support by teacher mentors supervising their practica, a lack of confidence in the pedagogical demands of successfully teaching issues of this type, and difficulty in inserting peace and global education into their curriculum guidelines. This is not to say that these candidates Imagining Global Citizens 59
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED did not attempt to teach topics related to peace and global issues. Evidence was given that candidates who attended our events and or who had experience with these issues integrated such materials into their curricula. Among one group of 13 respondents, 8 indicated that they had used some of the material during their practicum into Social Studies, Mathematics and Science. However, among another group of 16 candidates without previous knowledge, only 1 claimed to have integrated peace and global issues in her teaching. Candidates in practica often feel disempowered by the new structures they are struggling to understand, by their obvious early pedagogical development, and by the personalities of the mentor teachers whose task it is to supervise their professional development. Hence, when a mentor teacher expressed a lack of enthusiasm about peace and global education topics, or worse, cautioned against teaching these materials, student-teacher candidates found it difficult to advance their case. Changing this view is a lengthy process, and not one which a student teacher can hope to engage during a busy practica. A second barrier for many candidates lay in the pedagogical demands of teaching peace and global education. Student teachers expressed concern about the complication of these issues, the required level of knowledge to present them fairly and with a sense of hope. Further, they worried that their students would feel that the problems giving rise to inequity are so ingrained and so enormous that they could not find a way to take an active role as global citizens. Some candidates went further, noting that the simple statistics are sometimes frightening, both for themselves and their students. Others thought of peace and global education as an extra during a time when they were struggling to conquer questions of classroom management and basic planning, to say nothing of increasing the demands on their time with peace and global issues. They felt chronically short of time. On a pedagogical front, many students expressed surprise and distress at the sophistication required for an interactive pedagogy to be effectively taught. A third barrier for many candidates was their view of the curriculum guidelines underpinning their subject area as incompatible with peace and global education. We heard from Music and Mathematics teacher candidates, for example, that they could not easily discern how to integrate peace and global education into those subject areas. Even Geography and History students who had completed integration assignments found this process a difficult one.
4. Which of these barriers are ones that teacher-education programmes have some authority to change? Our research has led us to recognize that some of the barriers are beyond our control, while others are well within our range of capabilities. Teacher mentors resistant to global education or appearing to be resistant are not technically within our mandate. However, a new component of this programme involves outreach, where our student candidates take over local classrooms to teach peace and global issues, allowing the regular teacher to observe and discuss with the student candidates and professor. We hope that eventually this approach will offer pedagogical opportunities. Ultimately, however, we concede that our efforts must be focussed on the teacher-education programme on campus. Our data generated large numbers of recommendations from the students as to how they could be better prepared to engage these materials in the classroom. They recommended that student teacher candidates have more time to practice articulating 60 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED their social goals with pedagogical and curricular knowledge, thereby developing confidence and skills. They highlighted the need to teach critical thinking strategies about social justice, and to hear from people who have successfully implemented peace and global education programmes in their own classrooms. They requested examples of how teachers have dealt with the seeming hopelessness of todays world, how gender plays a role in inequity, abroad and at home, and how to catch the attention of students without terrifying and disabling their efforts to effect change. With regard to the relationship between traditional disciplines and peace and global education, the candidates noted that curriculum links to web-based resources would enhance their understanding of some of the complex issues, for example international trade, which they could incorporate into their subject area.
As we expected, many of the features of a progressive pedagogy which are linked to peace and global education were intimidating for our candidates. This pedagogy is one which strives to be student-centred, interactive and productive of affective as well as knowledge goals. As interactive and affective strategies of this kind are known to match young womens preferred learning styles in education (Gilligan, 1982), it became clear that more instruction in this enriched pedagogy was needed, and that if it were used effectively, the entire programme would be more gender-sensitive. However, student teachers are not alone in finding this interactive pedagogy difficult to implement. It remains questionable how prepared teachers generally are to teach peace and global education using these pedagogical strategies. Earlier studies in the United States, for example, reported that although most teachers believed that global education was important in Social Studies, only a minority considered that classroom teachers had the necessary knowledge base for the task (Tucker, 1983, p. 67; Merryfield, 1990). Moreover ideological concerns also play a role in discouraging new teachers from addressing controversial or potentially sensitive material. As Kenneth Tye argues for the United States, in the 1990s the global education movement worked hard to avoid controversial issues, largely due to attacks from the political Right that encouraged what was euphemistically labelled a balanced approach, teaching about other peoples and countries but doing so patriotically (Tye, 2003, p. 18). As well, in Britain and Australia studies have identified particular pedagogical practices and obstacles for teachers in teaching global education (Holden, 2000; Horsley et al., 2005). In Canada, although educators have identified the need to study global issues in the classroom (Burnouf, 2004), and the lack of ready-made teacher resources for use in the classroom (Schweisfurth, (2006), few studies have examined the influences of pedagogy and content-based knowledge, specifically as they pertain to pre-service teachers. A project conducted with teachers, for instance, demonstrates the lack of consensus regarding pedagogical models for teaching peace and global education. In this example, 41% of the sample teacher population favoured the infusion model, which integrated a global perspective in all areas of the curriculum, 33% wanted global education to be a separate course, and 25% argued for a combination of the two (Tucker, 1982, p. 71). Discussion 1. Gender We found that amongst the teacher-education population, regardless of the range of options for participating in events, the Institute, Retreat, film nights, a professional development workshop or focus group discussion, to which all teacher Imagining Global Citizens 61
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED candidates were invited, the majority (80-90%) were women; yet the few men attending these events enthusiastically discussed the topics and offered extensive positive feedback on their evaluations. On knowledge-based content of materials there were both similarities and differences observed by the teacher candidates with regard to gender. At the Institute, the first event of the year, the male students generally attended sessions on the War Museum, banning weapons, Mines Action Canada and Engineers Without Borders: these topics could be seen as areas where men traditionally have more interest or are seen as subject areas where men play a more active role than women. The women, in contrast, selected options traditionally seen as the domain of women: protection of children or organizations with a focus on womens issues that were presented by agencies such as Kids Who Care, UNICEF and CHF. Males and females were not limited to these themes as areas of study, however. At the second major event of the year, the Retreat, the focus was on environmental issues; here, participation in workshops was less marked by gender than at the Institute. Both women and men teacher candidates selected similar topics referencing fair trade and climate change, for example. Likewise, in discussions with pre-service teachers after their second practicum, there was general agreement that although both male and female mentor teachers were engaged with teaching about peace and global issues, a gender division around choice of topics was evident in the classrooms. Based on their experiences in the classroom, teacher candidates flagged gender differences in the choice of topics preferred by teachers. Male teachers were seen to privilege elements of study linked to politics, economy or human rights, whereas women teachers were seen to favour elements of study connected to gender issues, child protection, and peace.
2. Disciplinary Knowledge As with the Australian study (Horsley et al., 2007), we identified differences in approaches to integrating peace and global issues based on candidates subject specialties. While prior subject knowledge may be a feature in the candidates approaches, we concluded that current curriculum requirements also played a key role in determining their understanding of how to integrate peace and global education into the curriculum.
3. Pedagogical Practice The question of pedagogical practice is ambiguous, and like the anecdotal comments on classroom practice cited above, will require further study as the research component of the project continues to explore some of these observations on curriculum and pedagogy in the upcoming year. Within the range of comments around pedagogy, a number of questions have emerged. In particular, three insights gleaned from the questionnaires and focus group discussion will inform our ongoing study. First, do male and female teacher-education candidates learn about how to teach peace and global education differently? Second, why do teacher-education candidates consider gender inequality an issue that is difficult or sensitive to teach given differing global cultural norms and attitudes towards citizenship in the classroom? Finally, what current understandings of pedagogy will help us to understand these perceptions? 62 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Conclusion Clearly, equipping new teachers with the rationale for addressing questions of peace and global education, the knowledge base to effectively do so, and the pedagogical skills required to teach the issues in an engaging and critical manner is a complex process. Like all difficult change, it cannot be done by faculties of education alone. In our case, our NGO partners are essential to the process of education, and very importantly, to disseminating classroom resources. Tucker argues that [t]eacher education should be conceived as a broad and long term change process.... For example, since global education requires the development of networks in the community, teachers should acquire these skills and attitudes. (Tucker, 1982, p. 213). With our students and the communitys help, we are working toward accomplishing this task.
Correspondence: LORNA R. MCLEAN, SHARON A. COOK, TRACY CROWE Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Canada
NOTES
[1] The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Agence canadienne de dveloppement international/Canadian International Development Agency through its Global Classroom Initiative program.
[2] For an historical perspective see Alan Sears and Ian Wright, eds., Challenges and Prospects for Canadian Social Studies (Vancouver, British Columbia: Pacific Educational Press, 2004); Yvonne Hbert and Lori Wilkinson, eds. Citizenship in Transformation in Canada (Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 2002); Rosa Bruno-Jofr and Natalia Aponiuk, eds., Educating Citizens for a Pluralistic Society (Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Ethnic Studies 2000).
[3] To a large extent the international literature has identified problems such as lack of knowledge, necessity of appropriate materials, lack of leadership and support in school districts, lack of interest or topics that are seen as threatening. See, for example, M. Merryfield (1991) Preparing American Social Studies Teachers to Teach with a Global Perspective: A Status Report, The Journal of Teacher Education, 42 (1): 11-20; C. Holden and D. Hicks, Making Global Connections: The Knowledge, Understanding and Motivation of Trainee Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education, 23 (2007): 13-23. Yet, within this literature, little is written about pedagogical strategies. For exceptions to this comment see David Hicks, Learning about Global Issues: Why Most Educators only Make Things Worse, Environmental Education Research 7 (2001):413-425.
[4] Since there were few completed francophone questionnaires for these events we have not discussed these results separately in Table 1. References Aronowitz, S., & Giroux, H. (1991). Postmodern education: Politics, culture and social criticism. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota. Barber, B. R. (2000). Challenges to the common good in the age of globalism. Social Education, 64(1), 8-13. Bruno-Jofr, R., & Aponiuk, N. (Eds.). (2000). Educating citizens for a pluralistic society. Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Canadian Ethnic Studies. Burnouf, L. (2004). Global awareness and perspectives in global education. Canadian Social Studies, 38(3), Retrieved 1 May 2007 from http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/css/Css_38_3/ARburnouf_global_awareness_perspectives.htm. Calder, M. (2000). A concern for justice: Teaching using a global perspective in the classroom. Theory into Practice, 39(2), 81-87. Cook, S.A. (forthcoming 2008). Sisters are doin it for themselves: The abandonment of gender in modern peace education. The Canadian Journal of Peace Studies. Imagining Global Citizens 63
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Dean, D. L. (2003). How to use focus groups. In J. Wholey, H. Hatry & K. Newcomer (Eds.), Handbook of practical program evaluation (pp. 338-349). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Diaz, C. F., Massialas B. G., & Xanthopoulos, J. A. (1999). Global perspectives for educators. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Evans, M. (2003). Can schools create citizens?. Orbit, 33, 36. Gautier, C., & Rebich, S. (2005). The use of a mock summit to support learning about global climate change. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53(1), 1-15. Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and womens development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard. The global citizen project: An exploration of culture, history and interconnectedness. (2005, March/April). TEACH Magazine. Grewal, I., & Kaplan, C. (2002). An introduction to womens studies: Gender in a transnational world. New York: McGraw Hill. Hebrt, Y., & Wilkinson, L. (Eds.). (2002). Citizenship in transformation in Canada. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press. Hendrix, J. C. (1998). Globalizing the curriculum. Clearing House, 71, 305-308. Hicks, D. (2001). Learning about global issues: Why most educators only make things worse. Environmental Education Research, 7, 413-425. Hicks, D. (2003). Thirty years of global education: A reminder of key principles and precedents. Educational Review, 55, 265-275. Holden, C. (2000). Learning for democracy: From world studies to global citizenship. Theory into Practice, 39(2), 74-80. Holden, C., & Hicks, D. (2007). Making global connections: The knowledge, understanding and motivation of trainee teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 13-23. Horsley, M., Newell, S., & Stubbs, B. (2005). The prior knowledge of global education of pre-service teacher education students. Citizenship, Social and Economics Education, 6 (3), 137-155. Le Roux, J. (2001). Research in education: Re-examining global educations relevance beyond 2000 (No. 65). Hatfield, South Africa: University of Pretoria. Merryfield, M. (1990). Teaching about the world: Teacher education programs with a global perspective. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University, Mershon Center for International Security Studies. Merryfield, M. (1991). Preparing American social studies teachers to teach with a global perspective: A status report. The Journal of Teacher Education, 42(1), 11-20. Moore, T. (2003). Giving children global views. Scholastic Early Childhood Today 18 (3). Pike, G. (2000a). Global education and national identity: In pursuit of meaning. Theory into Practice, 39(2), 64-73. Pike, G. (2000b). A tapestry in the making: The strands of global education. In T. Goldstein, & D. Selby (Eds.), Weaving connections: Educating for peace, social and environmental justice (pp. 218-241). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Sumach Press. Pike, G., & Selby, D. (1988). Global teacher, global learner. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Preece, J. (2002). Feminist perspectives on the learning of citizenship and governance. Compare, 32(1), 21-33. Reardon, B. A. (1988a). Comprehensive peace education: Education for global responsibility. New York: Teachers College Press. Reardon, B. A. (1988b). Education for global responsibility. New York: Teachers College Press. Reardon, B. A. (1993). Women and peace: Feminist visions of global security. New York: State University of New York Press. Reardon, B. A. (2001). Education for a culture of peace in a gender perspective. New York: UNESCO. Risinger, C.F. Global education and the world wide web. Social Education 62(5), 276-7. Schweisfurth, M. (2006). Education for global citizenship: Teacher agency and curricular structure in Ontario schools. Educational Review, 58(1), 41-50. Sears, A., & Wright, I. (Eds.). (2004). Challenges and prospects for Canadian social studies. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Pacific Educational Press. Sears, A. and Hughes, A. S. (1996). Citizenship Education and Current Educational Reform. Canadian Journal of Education 12 (2), 123-142. Selby, D., & Pike, G. (2000). Global education: Relevant learning for the twenty-first century. Convergence, 33, 138-49. Toh, S. H., & Floresca-Cawagas, V. (2000). Teaching toward a culture of peace. In T. Goldstein, & D. Selby (Eds.), Weaving connections: Educating for peace, social and environmental justice (pp. 365-384). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Sumach Press. 64 Mcclean, L. Cook,S. Crowe, T http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Tucker, J. L. (1982). Developing a global dimension in teacher education: The Florida International University experience. Theory into Practice, 3, 212-217. Tucker, J. L. (1983). Teacher education attitudes toward global education: A report from Dade County. Educational Research Quarterly, 8, 65-77. Tye, K. A., & Tye, B. B. (1993). Realities of schooling: Overcoming teacher resistance to global education. Theory into Practice, 32(1), 58-63. Tye, K. A. (2003, December). Globalizing global education to nurture world citizens. The Education Digest, 69(4), 18-23. Wells, G. (1996). Using the tool-kit of discourse in the activity of learning and teaching. Mind, Culture, and Activity: An International Journal, 3, 2. Wiggins, G. S. (2004). The analysis of focus groups in published articles. Canadian Journal of Evaluation, 19, 143-164. Willinsky, J. (2005). Fostering scientific culture within a public and democratic culture: Or whats a social science for? Teachers College Record, 107(1), 38-51. Wholey, J. S., Hatry, H. P., & Newcomer, K. E. (1994). Handbook of practical program evaluation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Citizenship Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 20088
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
Preparing Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools
BERNADETTE L. DEAN, Aga Khan University
ABSTRACT The paper reports an action research study with social studies teachers aimed at facilitating democratic citizenship education in Pakistani classrooms. The findings indicate that teachers who desire to teach for democratic citizenship are constrained by school structures and processes. Action research facilitates more democratic teaching practices and changes in the material conditions and practices of school.
Introduction The raison d'etre of social studies education in a democratic society is the preparation for citizenship (Kaltsounis, 1994; Osborne, 1997; Print, 2000; Sears, 1996). This means preparing students with the knowledge, skills and dispositions required for informed participation in a democracy. However, the literature (Apple & Beane, 1999, 2007; Cotton, 2001; Dean, 2000, 2005, 2007; Freire, 1999; Nayyar & Salim, 2004) shows that the goals of democratic citizenship education cannot be realized given our current education practices and suggests changes in school structures, curriculum, and teaching practices to make them more democratic.
This paper begins by delineating a model of democratic citizenship education. It then describes the action research process used with two social studies teachers to facilitate education for democratic citizenship. The paper concludes by showing how action research can serve the creation of more democratic classrooms and schools.
Democracy and democratic citizenship education According to Resnick a modern democratic state has three essential elements: First it recognizes the equality of legal rights of citizenship, disdaining special privileges or powers for some, whether based on heredity, wealth, and social and political position. Second, it recognizes further the need for citizens to be able to participate in some ongoing manner in political affairs. Third, and no less important, it sees equality of condition (or something approaching this) as the prerequisite for the practice of democratic citizenship (1990: p.31). 66 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
The creation of such a state requires that citizens be knowledgeable about how institutions and structures privilege some individuals and groups and become skilled at uncovering and challenging them so as to ensure greater equality for all (Apple, 1999; Giroux and Penna, 1988; Banks, 1995; Osborne, 1991). It also means that citizens must be prepared to actively participate in political and social affairs at the local and national level.
Education aimed at preparing democratic citizens requires three important school conditions: democratic structures, a democratic curriculum and democratic teaching practices (Apple & Beane, 1999). Democratic structures are required at both the policy making and classroom level, ensuring genuine participation of stakeholders in policy making and governance. The school curriculum has usually emphasized official knowledge. It is essential that the curriculum includes information encompassing voices of those outside the dominant culture (Apple & Bean, 1999, p.15) and facilitates analysis of the society and ways to make it into a genuinely democratic society. In classrooms students must actively collaborate in selecting what and how they will learn (Apple and Beane, 1999; Chilcoat and Ligon, 1998; Sehr, 1997; Volk, 1998). There must be a more equal relationship between teachers and students. Moreover classroom interactions must serve to empower students to understand their world and take action for social change.
Teachers are the key to changing schools. If they are to create democratic schools they cannot be seen as technicians implementing other people's ideas (Apple, 1990; Giroux, 1983, 1988). They must be seen as active, reflective practitioners who have control over their work (Giroux, 1988). This means viewing teachers as potential creators of curriculum, teaching and learning experiences and agents of transformation in schools and society.
The Research Methodology A study concerned with facilitating teachers to educate for democratic citizenship in social studies classrooms must use a democratic research methodology. The study therefore employed action research.
Kemmis and McTaggart (1983) describe action research as a collective self-reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social situations in order to improve the rationality and justice of their own social or educational practices, as well as their understanding of these practices and the situations in which these practices are carried out (p.152). Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 67 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
Action research was chosen as the inquiry would allow teachers to understand themselves, their practice and their schools and make their teaching and learning practices more democratic.
The research began with conversations about democracy in Pakistan, envisioning a more democratic Pakistani society and the education needed to create such a society. The teachers then chose to teach a syllabus topic integrating an aspect of democratic citizenship. The action research process entailed working with each teacher to plan lessons, observe actions and facilitate reflection over a three month period.
The Action Researchers
Anila Anila began teaching in 1992 after completing a Masters in economics from Karachi University. The only professional education she had was an eight-week course in social studies teaching. At the time of the study in 1999 she was teaching 12-13 year olds at a private school.
Malik Malik began teaching in 1992 with a Bachelors of Education from Karachi University in Urdu and Pakistan Studies. At the time of the study he was teaching social studies to 12-14 year olds at a government school.
Democracy and Democratic Citizenship Education: Teachers' Views
Teachers' Understandings of Democracy Initially, our conversation focused on democracy in Pakistan which the teachers referred to as electoral democracy as citizens' only voted in elections. Anila desired participation in all major decisions.
Democracy is a system of government in which people choose their representatives so that their opinions and desires are taken into account when decisions are being made. I think, each time a decision is to be taken the people must be asked their opinion.
Malik agreed, and emphasized freedom of thought and expression:
Democracy is a system of government in which people make decisions about things that will affect them...in order to do this effectively they must have the freedom to think and express their opinions
68 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Anila felt change would only come when the feudal system -- the taken-for- granted belief that people are unequal because of the circumstances of their birth -- was brought to an end. She said
Nothing will change until we get rid of the jagirdari nizam (feudal system) and the jagirdari (feudal) mentality. Things have not changed because of the jagiradari nizam. Economic, social and political power are in the hands of the jagirdars (feudal lords).
Malik thought education would bring about the required change. Anila observed that education was not enough, structural change was required.
I felt it was important that this critique be followed by a visioning exercise, as a vision of a desired and possible future would provide the hope to drive and sustain their efforts.
Envisioning an Egalitarian and Just Society To facilitate envisioning the society they wanted, I shared the gist of the chapter "On Disruptive Daydreams," from Roger Simon's Teaching Against the Grain. I read the quote of Ernst Bloch:
Dreams come in the day as well as at night. And both kinds of dreaming are motivated by wishes they seek to fulfil. But daydreams differ from nightdreams; for the daydreaming "I" persists throughout, consciously, privately, envisaging the circumstances and images of a desired, better life. The content of a daydream is not, like that of a nightdream, a journey back into repressed experiences and associations. It is concerned with as far as possible an unrestricted journey forward, so that instead of reconstituting that which is no longer conscious, the images of that which is not yet can be phantasied into life and into the world (p. 7)
I explained how Bloch sees daydreaming not simply as wishing for a better society, but a envisioning of a society that one is willing to struggle for and work to realize. I asked them to envision the society they wanted. The long silence was broken by Malik, who said
I dream of a society where there is peace and security and an educated society in which people respect each other.
Anila argued that peace could only be attained if there were equality and justice. She then pointed out that equality and justice must be practiced in the home and society, for in experiencing justice, one learns to be just. However, recognizing that people will often, fall short of the ideal, Anila proposed a strong and independent Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 69 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED judiciary. Malik agreed adding, Justice is needed if people are to feel free to speak the truth, to express their point of view to others.
Implicit in the teachers' vision for Pakistani society is the desire for a democratic society based on freedom, equality and social justice for all. A society in which citizens behave democratically in both their private and public lives. By thinking this way, the teachers seem to share Aristotle's view (quoted in Barber, 1984) that democracy is "not an ideally perfect constitution, but first a way of living" (p. 117). Anila expressed it well when she said
If we are talking about citizenship in a democratic society then we must look at the culture, the values. Are they democratic? Is the government structured democratically?...Is there a culture of democracy in the family? It is insufficient to have an elected government. Democratic behaviours and attitudes must be developed and they must be seen everywhere, in our families, in our schools then democracy will follow.
Education for Democratic Citizenship The teachers believed that democracy requires citizens who have the knowledge and skills to understand and address the problems of society. Malik stressed the need for students to develop deliberation and decision-making skills:
The first thing is knowledge of their rights and the rights of others. Then their speaking power and ability to listen to others... After this there is the need for decision-making skills.
Anila felt students should undertake a comparative study of political, economic and social systems to identify the strengths and limitations in the present system and work to improve it:
I think students must learn about the present political structure, how it has developed, what alternative systems there are, how they are different, how power is distributed in each. The relation between the social, political and economic structure. There are many social and current issues students are aware of but do not understand. They have a lot of questions, We must ask students what they want to learn.
An animated discussion followed between Malik and Anila about where teachers would get the information required to teach social issues.
I then posed the question relating to the attitudes and values required. Anila responded:
70 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Equality. Equality in the distribution of resources. Tolerance. For example, Muslims and Christians live together peacefully. Justice. Understand injustice and raise their voice for justice.
The teachers had many ideas about democratic citizenship education but they expressed concern about translating this vision into classroom reality. I pointed out that teaching, like democracy, is not an ideal state to be realized but is built through continual efforts at making a difference (Apple & Beane, 1995, p.13).
Teaching For Democratic Citizenship Through Action Research
Malik's Project During our conversations, Malik stated that citizens in a democracy must be aware of their rights and responsibilities. For him an important right was freedom of expression which resembled what Barber (1984) calls "strong democratic talk". It entails thinking, expressing one's ideas, listening to the ideas of others and making decisions.
Freedom of Expression Malik decided to teach students about rights and responsibilities through discussion to allow students to express their views. The lesson, however, was unsuccessful because Malik only got short answers to his questions. Malik, however, expressed satisfaction, interpreting students' lack of response as "shyness" and lack of "familiar[ity] with the style of teaching." He expected their participation to improve the next day. I agreed and suggested another reason may be students' lack of knowledge about the topic. Malik thought the suggestion plausible, but wondered where he would get the required information.
I suggested I could provide a copy of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was in English so we translated it. Malik decided to teach the rights of the child discussing three questions: What did the rights entail? To what extent are children receiving these rights? and Whose responsibility is it to ensure children their rights? In keeping with his belief that the right to express oneself entailed the responsibility to listen, Malik wanted students to learn the social skill of 'listening attentively.' Unsure of how to teach the skill, he asked me to demonstrate.
The next day Malik shifted from his small classroom to the science laboratory to facilitate discussion. Following the teaching of the social skill, Malik again tried to elicit the rights through questioning. Receiving no response, he began explaining each right.
The following day he started what became an animated discussion on the three questions. Students argued that they were not receiving their rights, because the government built schools but did not ensure quality education, built hospitals but did not supply medicines. Malik asked, "Who is the government?" followed by "What is Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 71 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED our role as citizens in a democracy?" Students responded, "to vote for the candidate most likely to win".
Malik found it difficult to engage in self-critical reflection about his classroom actions. His reflections were a description of his teaching and his perceived successes in promoting students' learning. We, therefore, engaged in reflective conversation after his lessons.
I asked Malik why he asked the same questions. He explained that during a professional development programme, teacher educators elicited participants' ideas through questioning, so he did the same. He did not realize that this model presupposed students' and teachers' (to a greater extent) prior knowledge about the topic. He was aware that he did not have the required knowledge but was relying on his questions to provoke discussion.
Malik believed that democracy requires citizens to make decisions about issues that affect them. In an electoral democracy like Pakistan, the main decision is who to vote for. Malik was concerned when a student suggested one should vote for the likely winner. He believed, lack of conscious choice by citizens during elections was responsible for the political crises in Pakistan:
The Waderas rule the people under them. They order the people to vote for them and the people do because they have taken money from them. The Waderas are given tickets by the political parties because the parties know they will win. The lack of careful selection by the people is the reason for the political instability in Pakistan.
In the next lessons, students developed criteria for the selection of a candidate and applied it when voting. Malik asked students what had helped them make their decision. On the response, "education helped he started discussing the right to education. During the discussion Malik raised questions, asked students to clarify their ideas and moved the discussion forward.
During the end-of- cycle conversation, Malik was ecstatic about his lessons. He had met his objectives as students understood their rights and had expressed their ideas:
Children found it very easy to understand their rights and responsibilities because it concerned their personal life, it is part of their reality. When they were asked to give their opinions they replied very well. That's how I concluded the children understood very well what I taught them.
He also acknowledged his learning. He had followed my example of modelling attentive listening, raising questions and challenging ideas during discussions.
72 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED When Malik finished teaching rights and responsibilities in January, he was faced with the dilemma of preparing students for the examinations in February or teaching for democratic citizenship. He chose the examinations. He selected the chapter "Pakistan and the Muslim World," incorporating map skills. Acknowledging the importance of preparing students for the examinations, I asked Malik to consider how he could simultaneously prepare students for democratic citizenship. He suggested he spend four days a week teaching the chapter and Saturdays discussing a social issue. Accepting it as a way of dealing with the dilemma, I challenged him again. He reminded me "everyone has to study the same content" and to appease me suggested using cooperative groups so students could learn to work with others. We spent an entire day planning. We revised the key concepts and skills, discussed how best to teach them and prepared lessons accordingly. Malik expressed a number of concerns:
How do I deal with the weaker students? How will they learn?....How do I teach so many students? Can you teach half and I teach half?... There is no large map of Pakistan, no world map in the school how will I explain?. . . Can you help me identify the Muslim countries on the map?
The active-participatory activities designed and the teacher's role in creating a cooperative learning environment, required radical changes to Maliks beliefs about and practice of teaching. He lacked content knowledge. He believed transmission of knowledge was the only way to deal with large classes, lack of resources, curriculum and examination demands. He doubted his ability to use an active-participatory pedagogy with sixty-three students. He wondered about classroom discipline and weak students performance. As we discussed the concerns and identified ways to deal with them, Malik's anxiety decreased.
Malik began the lesson by asking students to draw a map from their home to school, followed by teaching directions and conventional symbols. Students learned to draw freehand the map of Pakistan, apply the skills of directions and use conventional symbols on it. They learned to locate important Muslim countries on the world map and inquire about them. Malik created a cooperative learning environment, teaching students interpersonal skills and having them work cooperatively. Malik observed, explained and encouraged students.
The environment in Malik's classroom was electrifying. The enthusiasm of the students towards this, student-centered approach to learning encouraged Malik to push himself and his students even further. The roles of teacher and student blurred and the Freirean classroom of "teacher-students" and "student-teachers" emerged (Freire, 1970, p. 67). Reflecting on his lessons he said:
The work that seemed very difficult before we started became easy because the students enjoyed this method of teaching way beyond my expectations. I think it is because cooperative learning is in accord with our way of life in Pakistan What they were learning was related to their daily life, therefore, it had a greater impact on them I also
Creating a Cooperative Classroom Environment Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 73 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED learned a lot ...to recognize the different continents, identify the Muslim countries...
Malik made some important observations: the teaching method was effective because it was related to the way children learn (active engagement) and the way they live their lives (cooperatively). In addition, students learned useful content. Pakistan is a Muslim country, its relationship with and events in Muslim countries are regular news items. Knowledge of these countries would help students engage critically with the news.
Malik recognized that a cooperative learning environment led to a more open and equal relationship between student and teacher. He confronted the myth of the teacher as sole authority:
If we want to teach for democratic citizenship teachers have to modify the traditional teacher-student relationship. It is commonly believed that teachers should be strict, and distant. I think there is too much distance between teachers and student. teachers should talk politely, treat their students equally, cooperate with them but must retain their respect.To change my own behaviour I have worked hard. In these six weeks I have come very close to the students. The change started when I encouraged the students to speak, accepted what they said and showed confidence in them...Now in creating a caring and cooperative environment I have seen the difference on me and my students.
Discussing Social Problems Malik decided to discuss a social problem on Saturday as "citizens in a democracy need to be informed about the problems in society and see their role in solving them." Malik decided to show the video Der na ho jiya (Before it's Too Late) which depicts the environmental problems of Pakistan and peoples actions to address them.
I suggested encouraging students to take social action. Malik was surprised, "What action?" he asked. Taking social action was not part of his educational experience. Even in the teacher development programme where he got the idea of discussing social issues, they only identified possible actions. The result is that most Pakistanis discuss problems, articulate grand solutions but fail to act.
On Saturday, the Principal, under pressure from students who wanted to learn like Malik's students asked Malik to allow another class to join his class. The students watched the video noting the environmental problems and suggested solutions. Malik found it difficult to manage both classes and volunteered to teach the other class separately.
In subsequent lessons, students discussed the causes, effects and possible solutions. The last problem discussed was waste disposal. Malik suggested keeping the classroom clean as a possible action and told students to Pick up the garbage on the floor. The students picked up the garbage walked to the window and threw it 74 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED outside (there being no bin in the classroom). No student asked for a bin or pointed out the need for one. The behaviour demonstrated that the teacher and students had yet to understand and act democratically.
Malik realized that in the discussions students were drawing not only on the video but also on their own experiences. They were also using the discussion skills he had taught them.
Before students would only speak about what they were taught but now they talked about the environmental problems of their surroundings and Pakistan. The reason there was noise in the class was because students had ideas and were eager to share them. ... they were not waiting for their turn. I feel in the last two months I have succeeded in making the students speak, listen and ask questions.
Analysis of the observations revealed that all the students had participated in the discussions. Students were supporting their ideas, asking questions, identifying limitations in proposed solutions and suggesting alternatives. They identified causes and effects on health and well being. Malik claimed:
The topics in the textbook are boring as students have been learning them since class one and in the subjects of English, Urdu and social studies. This topic was not from their textbooks, it was new, challenging related to their daily life, therefore, it had a greater impact on them. It is also because students are sharing ideas and learning from each other.
Anilas Project Anila emphasized the importance of developing democratic values such as equality, tolerance and justice, learning about political and economic systems; rights and responsibilities; and current issues. She planned to teach these by relating the text to real world situations.
Teaching the Text Anila's class had to study "The Major Climatic Regions of the World," "The World of 2000 AD" and "The United Nations." Anila started with The Major Climatic Regions of the World. Students defined climate and weather, learned about the major climatic zones, found out about vegetation and animal life in each zone and presented their findings.
With school holidays for Eid, Anila had time to discuss the lessons. Anila wanted to educate for democratic citizenship but had been unable to given institutional imperatives of completing the syllabus and preparing for examinations:
I have no choice with the syllabus; we all have to teach the same syllabus because the exams are based on it. I do have a choice in Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 75 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED methodology and I use it sometimes. I would like to go beyond the syllabus but how can I when the students don't even know the facts? I could ask them to read the textbook themselves but many students can't even read correctly. I would like students to do a project but it will take a whole month. I can give the facts in thirty minutes. We can't ignore the facts, they are the base for their work in classes nine and ten.
Anila's struggles exemplified the struggle between authoritative (discourses of the institution), and internally persuasive discourses (her own desires for change) (Britzman, 1991). I wondered if there were possibilities of collaboration with other teachers to address curriculum requirements. Anila responded:
Yes and No. I have felt the need for these changes for a long time and wanted to tell my Principal but I don't have the confidence to share my ideas with my superiors If you want to do these things you have to create an environment, you need to facilitate teachers; provide time, resources, training. For example, when I want to do work that requires concentration there is no time or place. ...That is why the possibilities I see are not realized in this environment.
We decided to seize this research opportunity to see how these constraints could be addressed. Anila suggested dealing with the syllabus by teaching the facts first and then relating them to life so as to educate for democratic citizenship.
Relating the text to real world contexts Anila had completed teaching the text. She decided to relate it to life by discussing environmental degradation. She selected newspaper articles on the environmental disaster caused by the Gulf war and on increasing air pollution of South-East Asia and the videos: Greening Our Future: Pakistan's National Conservation Strategy and Before It's Too Late.
Anila introduced each newspaper article and ensured a fluent reader was in each group. A hush descended as students read. In the discussion students shared the main ideas noting that people were responsible for environmental degradation.
In our reflective conversation Anila immediately focused on students reading difficulties which militated against using materials other than the textbook:
If there was only one difficulty we would overcome it but you deal with one and another arises (referring to materials other than the textbook, being too difficult). It is so difficult to find materials suitable for our students.
I referred her to my observations that indicated students had difficulty understanding only a few words. She agreed and realized that students required the meanings of the difficult words. She expressed surprise at how well the students had grasped the ideas in the articles. I pointed out that it was because of her practice: 76 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED preparing questions to guide the reading, introducing each article and ensuring a fluent reader in each group.
The school had not replaced the stolen video cassette recorder (VCR) so Anila decided to complete the syllabus teaching the next two chapters in a week. Students discussed the future world and answered the end-of-chapter questions. They listed the aims and objectives of the UN and described its work.
Analysing the script tapes of her teaching Anila expressed surprise at how controlling she was. She had used questioning to actively involve students in learning. In actual fact, Anila had not changed her practice. Questioning like lecturing allowed her to rapidly cover large amounts of textbook content and gave the illusion of students' active participation.
Having completed the syllabus Anila returned to the environment. Both students and teacher were disappointed (the VCR had not arrived) so I brought a VCR. The students watched the videos. Animated discussions of the environmental problems and solutions followed. Highly motivated students suggested they participate in the ongoing tree plantation campaign, make compost or participate in a signature campaign to prevent the conversion of parks into parking lots.
Reflecting on her lessons Anila pointed out the importance of having materials in Urdu as it facilitated conceptual understanding and active student participation. Discussing students' motivation to act, Anila expressed concern about the action interfering with examination preparation, the likelihood that the Principal would not give permission and her inexperience with preparing students to take social action.
There is no time now. The students are busy preparing for their exams...The exams are so near I don't think Mrs. M.will give permission. I want the students to take some action but I don't know which action they should take and how to go about doing it.
We discussed the process, time and effort required to take each action. Recognizing they were doable she decided to seek the Principal's permission, which she received.
The students decided to participate in the signature campaign. Anila prepared the students eliciting ways to approach people and role playing various possible scenarios. The students went out and obtained the signatures. She ended the topic with reflections on the action and learnings that accrued from their study.
Anila and the students learned that persistence pays off. Going from house to house to obtain signatures they learned that people have different perspectives on an issue, the reasons for peoples inaction, and most important, their actions can bring about change (the government revoked their decision to convert parks into parking lots). Anila was thrilled with the result of the action and the learnings that accrued for her students and herself. She began to see how teaching could prepare students for democratic citizenship.
Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 77 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Reflective Conversation On Possibilities And Challenges Of Educating For Democratic Citizenship Our conversation started with the teachers identifying the need to reconceptualize social studies education to prepare students to create a more democratic society. While Malik emphasized enhancing textbook knowledge, Anila stressed social issues. Malik wondered how he would teach social issues when "the textbook contained no information related to issues affecting our life." Anila shared how she used newspapers and videos to enrich textbook information and how it motivated students to act. She concluded, I think they now have first hand experience of being democratic citizens.
Malik was impressed but did not think it would be possible to teach like this without professional support. He however, pointed to how the textbook could be used to facilitate democratic citizenship education. He suggested students should compare the positive picture painted therein to what is happening around them. This would develop in them the desire to find out why things are the way they are and think of what can be done to change them.
The conversation then moved to the instructional strategies that could facilitate democratic citizenship education. Malik stressed discussion as it developed students confidence to speak. Anila stressed cooperative learning because it empowered students. She said:
When using cooperative learning the teacher only has to ensure the students understand the task. She doesn't have to shout at them or ask them to pay attention every two minutes as when she lectures. When we ask questions students do not hesitate in answering. The teacher therefore doesn't have to punish, beat or use galat alfaz (bad language).
Anila continued, proposing an alternative system of assessment that received the approval of Malik. She suggested:
Students' knowledge should be assessed by having them do different assignment throughout the year. Besides knowledge, their communication skills, participation in class and attitudes towards others should be assessed.
Through the research Anila and Malik realized they had agency and their actions could bring changes. For example, they could create a democratic classroom environment, use active-participatory teaching methodologies and receive some institutional support for these. But they also identified constraints to teaching for democratic citizenship such as a time-table that did not provide teachers time for preparation and reflection.
78 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Anila and Malik moved from school level constraints to a discussion of how the curriculum and examination system constrained their desires. Anila felt curriculum issues could be addressed at the school level by teachers working together to enrich it. She asked Malik if he would be willing to work with her to prepare a syllabus aimed at educating for democratic citizenship.
Anila's thoughts then turned to a more idealistic goal of changing the education system which she believed, reproduces the existing society:
If we want to create a democratic society we will have to change the education system because in its present form it promotes beliefs and values that support the existence of the present society . I realize that concerted effort will be needed to introduce changes. We teachers are the products of the system. We are teaching in our classrooms with the same techniques and beliefs of the society without realizing our mistakes.
The teachers' reflections then turned inwards as they reflected on how their beliefs had changed through systematic action and reflection on teaching for democratic citizenship. Malik explained that he now realized that students were not "dull" but had a "lot of potential". Anila added.
The students not only know more than I expected but also have very good analytical and critical thinking skills which I ignore most of the time and do not help them to develop.We have to believe in the potential of our students.
The Possibilities A Democratic Research Method Offers For Creating More Democratic Schools
Action research provided teachers the opportunity to look critically at themselves and their practices. They recognized that although constrained there were possibilities for democratizing their practice. As they enriched the curriculum, used active-participatory pedagogies and gave up some control they began to uncover new possibilities.
A democratic curriculum As the teachers began to educate for democratic citizenship they recognized the curriculum was narrow and irrelevant to students' lives. They made curriculum decisions in choosing what and how to teach. They enriched the content and designed intellectually engaging activities that helped students understand the content and develop skills.
Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 79 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED The teachers realized that what they had accepted as "school knowledge" was only one way of selecting knowledge to meet curriculum goals, that the school curriculum inhered values and interests that did not serve democracy and that they and their students were not just consumers but also producers of knowledge. Even though the teachers did not provide students opportunity to make curriculum decisions, the students did so by demanding they be allowed to take informed action.
Teaching as the practice of democracy The use of democratic practices led to the teachers and students discovering a whole new way of being in the classroom. The passive and bored students became active and enthusiastic participants in learning as they engaged with meaningful and challenging ideas and tasks. The authoritarian and controlling teachers found that when they created a cooperative learning environment students learned well and did not sit on their heads.
Action research helped teachers to prepare lessons in greater consonance with their goals, reflect on their teaching and make new plans. This process helped them to realize that teaching need not be a repetition of monological performances but a continually evolving process that is challenging yet exciting, deeply satisfying but also exhausting work. They pointed out that to continue to teach like this they would require greater autonomy over their work, more time for planning and reflecting and professional support.
Changing school structure and processes Over the course of the research the teachers came to recognize that they and their students had agency. Their interactions with their school heads resulted in changes in school structure (longer periods for social studies) and practices (allowing students to participate in a signature campaign) opening up ways for teachers to make their practice more democratic. The students, recognizing the more democratic environment in their schools, used it to bring about change. In Malik's School, other students demanded they be taught like Maliks students which resulted in Malik teaching another class. Similarly, Anilas students organized themselves as a group to insist they be allowed to take action based on their learning.
Conclusion The empowerment of teachers and transformation of their classrooms that resulted from them researching their practice suggests that action research can be a powerful means of creating democratic schools. Action research provides opportunities for teachers to critically reflect on themselves as teachers, undertake an analysis of the culture of schools and the society. Teachers must explore "the dynamics of power and desire in educational life" (Britzman, 1991, p.242) so that they see how they are influenced by and can influence society. As teachers engage in action research they subject their practice to critical reflection, uncovering the assumptions underpinning their practice and identify more democratic ways to act based on reflective insights. Furthermore, as teachers transform their practice they 80 Dean, B.L. http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED influence others, bringing about change in the material conditions and practices of school.
Correspondence: BERNADETTE L. DEAN, Aga Khan University Institute For Educational Development, F.B. Area, Karimabad, P.O. Box 13688, Karachi 75950, Pakistan.
REFERENCES: APPLE, M.W. (1990). Ideology and Curriculum. New York and London: Routledge APPLE, M.W. (1999). Power, Meaning and Identity: Essays in Critical Educational Studies. New York: Peter Lang. APPLE, M.W. & BEANE, J.A. (1995). Democratic Schools. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. APPLE, M.W. & BEANE, J.A. (1999). Democratic Schools. Lesson from the chalk face. Buckingham: Open University Press. APPLE, M.W. & BEANE, J.A. (2007). Democratic Schools: Lessons in Powerful Education. 2Ed. Portsmouth, MH: Heinemann. BANK, J.A. (1995). Transformative Challenges to the Social Science Disciplines: Implications for Social Studies Teaching and Learning. Theory and Research in Social Education, 23(1), 2-20. BARBER, B.R. (1984). Strong Democracy. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. Before It's Too Late (Urdu Drama) by Shireen Pasha Films BRITZMAN, D.P. (1991). Practice Makes Practice: A Critical Study of Learning to Teach. Albany: State University of New York Press. CHILCOAT, G.W. & LIGON, J.A. (1998). We Talk Here. This is a School for Talking. Participatory Democracy from the Classroom out into the community: How Discussions was used in the Mississippi Schools. Curriculum Inquiry, 28(2), 165-193. COTTON, K. (2001). Education for Citizenship. An online article of School Improvement Research Series. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/10/c019.html DEAN, B., L. (2000). Islam, Democracy and Social studies education: A Quest for Possibilities. Unpublished thesis submitted to the faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of doctor of Philosophy, University of Alberta. DEAN, B. L. (2005). Citizenship education in Pakistani schools: Problems and possibilities. International Journal of Citizenship and Teacher Education. Vol. 1 (2) DEAN, B.L. (2007). Creating Gender Apartheid: A Critical Study of an English Language Pakistani Textbook. In Rashida, Q. & Rarieya, J. (Eds.), Gender and Education in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press FREIRE, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: The Seabury Press. FREIRE, P. (1999). Education and Community Involvement. In M. Castells, R. Flecha, P. Freire, H.A. Giroux, & P. Willis. Critical Education in the Information Age. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. GIROUX, H.A. (1983). Theory and Resistance in Education: A pedagogue for the opposition. Massachusetts: Bergin & Garvey Publishers, Inc. GIROUX, H.A. (1988). Teachers as Intellectuals: Towards a Critical Pedagogy of Learning. Massachusetts: Bergin & Garvey. GIROUX, H.A. & PENNA, A.N. (1988). Social Education in the Classroom: The Dynamics of the Hidden Curriculu. In H.A. Girouxs Teachers as Intellectuals: Towards a Critical Pedagogy of Learning. Massachusetts: Bergin & Garvey. Greening Our Future: A Film on the Pakistan National Conversation by IUCN World Conversation Union. KALTSOUNIS, T. (1994). Democracys Challenge as the Foundation for Social Studies. Theory and Research in Social Education, 22(2), 176-193. KEMMIS, S. & MCTAGGART, R. (1983). The Action Research planner (Third Edition). Victoria: Deakin University. NAYYAR, A.H. AND SALIM, A. (2004) The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan. Islamabad: Sustainable Development Policy Institute Democratic Citizens in Pakistani Schools 81 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED OSBORNE, K. (1991). Teaching for Democratic Citizenship. Toronto: Our Schools/OurSelves Education Foundation. OSBORNE, K. (1997). Citizenship Education and Social Studies. In I. Wright and A. Sears (eds.) Trends and Issue in Canadian Social Studies. Vancouver: Pacific Educational Press. PRINT, M. (2000). Civics and Values in the Asia-Pacific Region. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 20(1), 7-20 RESNICK, P. (1990). The Masks of Proteus: Canadian Reflections of the State. Montreal and Kingston, London, Buffalo: McGill-Queens University Press. SEARS, A. (1996). Something Different to Everyone: Conceptions of Citizenship and Citizenship Education. Canadian and International Education, 25(2), 1-16. SEHR, T.D. (1997). Education for Public Democracy. Albany: State of University of New York Press. VOLK, S. (1998). A Democratic Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Citizenship, Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 2008
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A response to Ralph Leighton's Article- "Revisiting Postman and Weingartner's 'New Education' - is teaching Citizenship a Subversive Activity" GARY CLEMITSHAW, University of Sheffield & Sheffield Hallam University ABSTRACT This article is written in response to Ralph Leighton's Revisiting Postman and Weingartners New Education is teaching Citizenship a Subversive Activity? (Leighton, 2006), which appeared in Citizenship Teaching and Learning Volume 2, Number 1. Drawing on the radical late-60s writings of Postman and Weingartner, Leighton calls for citizenship education to avoid the perils of entropy, and to energise education with a spirit of creative subversion. This article has two halves. The first considers Leighton's criticism of education in general, and concern for citizenship education in particular, and questions whether the Postman/Weingartner critique is valid in the conditions of the first decade of the twenty-first century. The second seeks to identify the Postman/Weingartner critique as being part of a genesis of emerging orthodoxies in educational policy in the late twentieth century, policy that can be seen finding expression in the discourse of the Learning Society and Life-Long Learning. It is argued that these discourses emphasise the individual, and individual needs, to the extent that they have the potential to undermine citizenship education's ambition of promoting meaningful community involvement, respect for diversity and social cohesion.
Introduction This essay is a response to Ralph Leightons engaging article in Citizenship Teaching and Learning 2.1, entitled Revisiting Postman and Weingartners New Education is teaching Citizenship a Subversive Activity? (Leighton, 2006). The article deserves attention as it covers many very important principles, and policy issues, relating to the current initiative to develop citizenship education in English secondary schools (QCA 1998, DfEE 1999a). The intention of the essay is to acknowledge the verity and importance of some of the concerns Leighton raises, and the criticisms he makes about current policy and practice. This will spring from a support for many of the aims he defines for citizenship education.
However, there are aspects of Leightons pessimism that are open to contention, display some potential contradictions, and could be unhelpful to the project we both support. This essay will attempt to identify and discuss these. Additionally, and Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 83
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED importantly, some of the principles that inform Leightons argument, drawn with reference to the work quoted in the title of his article, will also be discussed. Postman and Weingartners seminal radical writing, first published in 1969 (Postman and Weingartner, 1969), offered a powerful critique of concepts of education, schooling, teaching and learning, they considered prevalent at that time. Leightons article is presented as homage to this work (Leighton 2006:79), and consequently this essay will regard the two works under discussion as positing much the same thesis. It will consider the value of Postman and Weingartners critique to the circumstances of the early years of the 21 st century, in the light of some current writing relating to citizenship education. This essay is offered as a professional and academic colleague drawing on similar experiences, having similar responsibilities and sharing similar aims.
Leightons article is heartfelt, it is described in the editorial to the edition as deliberately polemical (Davies, 2006). That it comes from the heart should be considered a virtue. There is a passionate commitment to citizenship education, and to the objectives of students learning relevant knowledge, critical skills and empowering them to question, and to engage in the project of an essential renewal of civic society. It might be described as idealistic; this too is a virtue. It is important that we engage in a discussion of ideals. This essay makes many points that could also be described as idealistic.
In favour of citizenship education: pessimism or optimism?
Leighton is rightly impatient with the faltering implementation of citizenship as a meaningful subject in many, if not most schools (Kerr et al, 2004, Calvert and Clemitshaw, 2003, Clemitshaw and Calvert, 2005), in the lip service paid to it in many policy documents, in the absence of sufficient initial teacher education in citizenship. He asserts that this is indicative of a continuing process of entropy, in a Postman and Weingartner sense, in much that passes for schooling in England in the first decade of the 21 st century. Entropy is a word used to denote a general and unmistakable tendency of all systems natural and man-made in the universe to run down, to reduce to chaos and uselessness (Postman and Weingartner, 1969:17).
I will first of all review Leightons article to establish the broad areas where issues are identified which, to me, are valid, and where general prescriptions should be supported. They lie in the areas of the preparation of specialist teachers committed to the new citizenship education project, education for critical citizenship, the application of democratic principles to school communities, and the need for belief and passion in education.
The general picture relating to the training of specialist teachers dedicated to the teaching of citizenship is presented in the article as lamentable. By the beginning of the 2006-2007 academic year, 800 specialist teachers had qualified through the Post- Graduate Certificate of Education, enough to offer a specialist citizenship teacher to only 15% of secondary schools in England (Leighton, 2006:82). Pointedly, this lack of supply is matched by a lack of demand, with few schools advertising to recruit a specialist citizenship teacher. This is indicative of a faltering curriculum 84 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED development project, illustrative of schools adopting a minimalist approach to developing citizenship as a new curriculum subject, giving, sometimes foisting, citizenship subject responsibility to existing non-specialist staff, placing it alongside, at best, a discreet Personal, Health and Social Education (PHSE) programme, at worst a fragmented, low-status PHSE curriculum, or relying on cross-curricular token gestures to citizenship education, which are beyond meaningful management, monitoring or evaluation. Additionally, in the main, little progress has been made in developing a sense of the civic implications of subjects across the curriculum.
If schooling is a process designed to produce unquestioning loyalty and cannon fodder, if pupils are still largely expected to be passive recipients of their place in society (Leighton, 2006:80) then criticism of and opposition to this is undoubtedly right. If schools actively generate alienation from, and rejection of, education and society, then urgent concern is essential. The potential, and essential need, for citizenship education to promote social and civic engagement, dispositions to question, and scrutinise established institutions, their policy and purpose, is also to be concurred with. One might question whether the two short quotes from Leighton above are a fair criticism of all that goes on in our schools, but that it happens at all is a cause for concern, and remedial action.
Leightons worry that the democratic principles that should lie at the heart of citizenship education might find difficulty being translated into democratic values and processes in schools is valid.
These activities (school councils) are controlled by teachers who either set their own restrictions or follow guidelines laid down by school managers or school governors. It is exceptional for a school to devolve any budget to a school council, although some do; it is rare for schools to have pupil representation on governing bodies, although there is legislated provision for such representation. It is almost unheard of, in the state sector, for pupils to have any formal say in the structure of their day, their lessons, or their curriculum.(Leighton, 2006:85)
Seeking out and empowering the student voice, establishing school councils with a meaningful role in the school community, a budget, real representative and decision-making functions, is essential to a citizenship education project. However schools are traditionally authoritarian institutions. A mis-match between the espousal of democratic values in citizenship teaching, and the absence of democratic values in the school community, is something that students will detect very easily. Nevertheless, there are some examples of good practice in these areas, as Leighton acknowledges, and perhaps these can be a basis for more optimism than is generally conveyed by him. However we might acknowledge the paradox that positive development in this area will be dependent on determined and dynamic head teachers. There needs to be a commitment to spreading good practice from teachers, school leaders and policy makers.
Leighton calls for belief, commitment and passion in education (Leighton, 2006:79), and these qualities are conveyed in the pace of the prose throughout the Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 85
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED article. They are qualities that can energise, and make meaningful, the whole project of education, not only citizenship education. If visible in students, teachers, school leaders, administrators and policy makers, they may be signs that something important, and good, is going on. But, to sound another note of caution, such qualities might exist in an educational project that one might not want to aspire to at all.
A case of over pessimism?
Building on some of the qualifying comments in the section above, I now want to argue further that there is a degree of over pessimism, and over criticism, in some of the points that Leighton makes, and that aspects of good practice in what good citizenship education is can be defined, identified and spread, given the political and managerial will to embrace these issues. I will look at some of the ways in which school and classroom practice is characterised by Leighton in ways that are over critical; for example, questioning.
Leighton offers a critique of what he characterises as classroom cultures and processes. He decries teacher questioning that is based on guesswork, guess how apparently disparate strands are interconnected, guess what answer the teacher wants, guess what is RIGHT and TRUE but with the valued questions, values behind the questions, and arbitration on validity of guesses, being the sole remit of teachers. (Leighton, 2006:83). This point descends directly from the Postman and Weingartner thesis, Now, what is it that students do in the classroom? Well, mostly they sit and listen to the teacher. They are rarely encouraged to ask substantive questions It is practically unheard of for students to play any role in determining what problems are worth studying Examine the types of questions teachers ask in classrooms most of them are convergent questions, but which might be more simply be called Guess what Im thinking questions.(Postman and Weingartner, 1969:30-31) There are grounds for criticising, in a technical sense, what passes for teacher questioning in some classrooms, perhaps because it is too shallow, too closed, too undemanding, lacking the challenge of focused rational complex thinking in those being questioned, even falling into the blind guess what I am thinking field, a characterisation of the nature of questions in education much favoured by Postman and Weingartner; a field which literally leaves students unclear and confused, unable to make any new, rational connections. Anyone who has the privilege of observing lessons as a teacher trainer can identify this limited practice in beginning teachers. It is no doubt found in the work of experienced teachers too. Nevertheless it is surely not possible to deny that questioning is an important aspect of a teaching technique, one that, if done well, can enrich teaching and learning. The recent initiative in England to identify and spread good classroom practice identifies questioning as a 86 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED key teaching technique and offers valid guidance on ensuring it is done in a meaningful way. It draws on definitions of high level thinking that should be the target for questioning challenges. Leaving aside any criticisms that the National Strategy for Key Stage 3 is yet another element of centralised control of what goes on in schools and classrooms, this is surely an indication of a technique that is valid, and essential professional practice.
Leighton calls for a spirit of inquiry in education and asserts that this spirit is embodied in the ambitions of the citizenship education project. The National Curriculum programme of study for citizenship (DfEE 1999a) calls for such enquiry skills to be fore-fronted in citizenship teaching. However his article talks of a fear of enquiry in schools, a conspiracy that fears an uncovering of inadequacy amongst decision makers and commentators, a preference for their own feelings of security and superiority rather than looking to develop and enhance the prospects of future generations (Leighton, 2006:83). This is again in danger of caricaturing educational policy and practice, and of being over pessimistic. In many subject areas the principle of enquiry-led teaching and learning, with questions, pupil generated questions as well as teacher-determined questions, being the organising principle for learning focus is well established (see, within the area of history education, Riley, 2000). A list of questions that Postman and Weingartner set out as indicative of the pointless nature of questioning include, How many sets of chromosomes do human beings have?, What is the real meaning of this poem?, Why did Brutus betray Caesar? (Postman and Weingartner, 1969:31). I would first of all argue that these are questions of very different natures, but all possessing some validity. If these are questions that students have only been equipped to guess an answer to, they are indeed pointless, but if they are questions that are formulated in a spirit of enquiry, that enables teachers and supports students to offer speculation and posit tentative exploration of their implications, reflecting on their significance, in human and in civic terms, then I assert their value.
Postman and Weingartner: A message for our times?
All this, of course, begs the point, strongly argued by Leighton, and by Postman and Weingartner, that schools and schooling, and the whole educational establishment, are so crippled by entropy that they have lost any validity. we believe that the way schools are currently conducted does very little, and quite probably nothing, to enhance our chances of mutual survival.
our present educational system is not viable, and is certainly not capable of generating enough energy to lead to its own revitalization.
there are so few men (sic) currently working as professional educators who have anything germane to say about changing our Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 87
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED educational system to fit present realities. (Postman and Weingartner 1969:12-14) They also criticise the school curriculums structure based on subjects, subjects that are content based. There are thousands of teachers who teach subjects such as Shakespeare, or the Industrial Revolution, or geometry, because they are inclined to enjoy talking about such matters. In fact that is why they became teachers. It is also why their students fail to become competent learners. (Postman and Weingartner, 1969:50)
To our knowledge, all schools of education and teacher training institutions in the United States are organized around the idea that content and method are separate
Content exists independently of and prior to the student, and is indifferent to the manner in which it is transmitted'.
The professors of the liberal arts have, so far, escaped the censure and ridicule they deserve for not having noticed that a discipline or a subject is a way of knowing something in other words, a method and that, therefore, their courses are methods courses.(Postman and Weingartner, 1969:29-30) In these passages the authors are arguing against content, and for method. They are privileging method over content, pitching method as a field of educational practice that stresses the centrality of the learner, her active engagement in learning, and the development of the ability to learn to learn, against a subject content that is simply transmitted to a passive learner.
If this caricature of a binary had credence in the 1960s, I would argue that it does not have credence today. Subjects have, as part of their identity, a method, and in the last extract quoted above, Postman and Weingartner acknowledge this, seemingly exposing a contradiction in their argument. For example, History, as a subject, has concepts that are central to its identity; a way of knowing, they would include chronology, causation, evidence, interpretation. These ways of knowing are organising principles that a history teacher would lead students into an understanding of, through the exploration of some aspects of the content of history. They, alongside the creation of learning environments and tasks, involving degrees of student autonomy, would be the terrain of meaningful history teaching and learning. What is more, the History National Curriculum for England emphasises and promotes these very qualities (DfEE 1999b). It is worth suggesting that one of the difficulties in the development of citizenship education is the absence of such ways of knowing. Currently we are called upon to teach citizenship knowledge 88 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED through the acquisition of skills, and through active participation (DfEE 1999a); whilst of value, and laying down a very important challenge to build up experience of what this education might look like in practice, they are not organising concepts as such, in the way that chronology, causation, and evidence are in history.
Postman and Weingartners criticism of subjects as an organising principle in the curriculum goes against the validity of subjects as a map of the field of human experience, thought and endeavour. These subjects should be taught sensitively, with a sense of humility to the human experience, and the human imagination, that they embody. As subjects they have proved capable of acknowledging and criticising their nationalist and imperialist origins and limitations, and transcended them. They should be ways of knowing that students actively engage with, rather than be passive recipients of. Furthermore they should all, history, geography, science, literature, mathematics, be held to account for the civic significance of their pursuit, a consideration that should be central to all this teaching and learning that is going on. Citizenship teachers might play a catalyst role in developing this aspect of subject teaching across the curriculum.
This brings us to Postmans and Weingartners distrust of the teacher as expert. It seems to me that to wish away the nature of the teachers subject expertise, is to set out on a programme of absurdity. A teacher is inevitably a subject expert, and the role she embraces is one of developing greater understandings in her students. If that is a responsibility that is carried out badly, with no reference to supporting the student, engaging the student, creating a sense of belonging between the student and the subject, encouraging their sense of exploration of the subject, then indeed there is a cause for concern. If it is teaching that is pompous and sterile then it will contribute little to fostering an understanding of the human and civic importance of the subject.
If, however, it is teaching that does support and engage, inspire commitment and the desire to understand, then subject teaching, and subject expertise, is valid and essential. If a teacher can acknowledge and convey to students the sense that, although they, as teacher, may know more, their humility towards the human and civic significance of what they know grows all the more greater; that the more they know, the less they know, then perhaps we have teaching that means something.
There is much in the Leighton/Postman and Weingartner thesis that makes a moral argument for a type of school, classroom, curriculum, that is valid and valuable. (I would personally recommend the chapter entitled So what do you do now? (Postman and Weingartner, 1969:183-194) to any teacher with an open mind, and a willingness to reflect on their day-to-day teaching.) A dead weight of conservative entropy in education may have provided the impulse for Postman and Weingartners polemical tour-de-force in 1960s USA. The well-documented fractures in American society of the late 1960s are also a context in which their work should be read. I would argue, however, that these aspects of society and education are not characteristics of England today. If vestiges of entropy remain, they sit alongside a great deal of educational theory and practice that is very different. On a positive side, there is a prevalence of educational practice that emphasises challenge, questioning, enquiry, thinking skills, active learning, interactive classrooms and the integration of content and method. This is a realisation of much of the progressive agenda called for by Postman and Weingartner. Whilst acknowledging varied and Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 89
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED uneven practice in the complex reality of day-to-day schooling, in many ways this realisation is a new orthodoxy. This new orthodoxy is supported by reams of training materials that have gone into schools in the early years of the new century. It has been promoted by new posts of curriculum development leadership in local authorities responsible for education provision, in the creation of the status of Advanced Skills Teacher to identify teachers who exemplify good practice and can promote it across a community of schools. It is perhaps best exemplified in the prevalence of the terms learning to learn and the Learning Society. It is a development that Leighton either does not acknowledge, or perhaps implies that it is policy without practice.
Leighton asserts that students are still largely expected to be passive recipients of learning about their place in society. Can this point be sustained? Much of the moral impulse in education comes from an ambition to support students to see beyond their place in society, to counter parochialism, promote achievement. It may not always succeed, and the reasons for the limitations of success are complex, and relate to circumstances of inequality and interests of privilege. Nevertheless, in the decades of the 20 th century since the publication of Postman and Weingartners work, English education, as a mass project, has seen rising achievement, largely through community-based schooling, and a vast expansion of access to higher education. This is not to be complacent about the persistence of low attainment and educational deprivation, nor of impoverished classroom practice. Importantly, for the rest of this essay, neither is it a blanket approval of current educational policy and practice, which, it will be argued, present challenges for education, particularly citizenship education, but challenges that are very different from those defined by Postman and Weingartner in the 1960s. From Postman and Weingartner to Masschelein and Simons What I want to explore in the latter part of this essay is the way in which some of the language employed in the Postman and Weingartner thesis, reappears in the current policy discourse around what education is, or should be, in an English, and broader European context today. In doing this I want to consider a tension which I think exists in the conceptions and objectives of a civic education, between, on the one hand, an emphasis on the individual, and, on the other, a concern with issues of identity, community and social cohesion. I want to draw primarily on the idea of current educational discourse as immunisation against being together (Masschelein and Simons, 2002). I will argue that we, as a citizenship education community in England, and internationally, need to consider what kind of citizens are proposed by educational policy and practice as currently conceived. I will argue that there are implications for citizenship in current educational policy that run a risk of impoverishing, and even curtailing, any sense of being together as communities.
I have argued above that in many ways the emphasis on method, as opposed to content, made by Postman and Weingartner can be seen as present in much official material which attempts to identify and spread good practice in pedagogy today; a new orthodoxy. There are other aspects of language that echo across the decades. In the quote below, having claimed a disjuncture between the technical developments of media and communication, and the entropic practices of education in the 1960s, they set out their clarion call for action to prevent the end of western civilisation; 90 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED We suggest that this is the stage we have now reached environmentally, and so we must now work to reach this stage educationally. The only thing that is at stake is our survival.(Postman and Weingartner, 1969:95) As I have argued above, the type of education argued for by Postman and Weingartner, rather than being now needed, as argued by Leighton, has actually come into existence in modern conditions. It is present in the concept of the Learning Society, a term that is central to much current educational discourse. In this society the production and management of knowledge and information is the critical purpose that will secure societys survival and renewal. There has to be a capacity to react to continual change, and to learn how to survive and renew in these conditions. Individuals have to become permanent learners and be active in defining their learning needs, educational institutions have to become flexible facilitators of the meeting of self-defined learning needs, and all organisations have to become learning organisations. Furthermore we must develop a learning market, a learning city, a learning nation, a learning democracy (see, for example, Ranson, 1998).
In some ways, as educationalists, we might consider this emphasis on learning as a good thing, one that supports and promotes our belief in the importance of education for society, and promotes the concept of the socially participating citizen. Also, one might evaluate its emphasis on adapting to changing environments, putting the student at the centre of the purpose of education, and striving to ensure the renewal and survival of society, as being, at least in some ways, a welcome realisation of the changes demanded by Postman and Weingartner. When we consider the type of citizen implied by current educational policy, it is reasonable to suggest that echoes of Postman and Weingartner can be detected, arguing that, in some important ways, they exist as progenitors of current policy. However, this turn in educational discourse raises real challenges for a conception of a civic, or citizenship, education in our time.
In a critique of the Learning Society, Jan Masschelein questions the conceptions of life and the citizen implied by this discourse (Masschelein, 2001), in particular its implication for the citizens relationship with the other. This essay will attempt to identify and summarise the implications of the discourse of the Learning Society for the tension between the individual and community in citizenship education, implications which risk undermining the potential of education to consider community. The discourse of the Learning Society reduces the relationship between the individual and community to an over-individualist position. The emphasis placed, in the discourse of the Learning Society, on the meeting of needs and survival, means that any notion of success and happiness are tied to the self-centred satisfaction of all our lifes needs. It reduces life to a zoological level, and defines social relations, quoting Masschelein, as such; as a living being in this sense the individual cannot have a relationship with something or someone else in their particularity, but only in their functionality (Masschelein 2001:7). He posits the environment and the citizen, as defined by the discourse of the Learning Society, against another, preferable, conceptualisation of the world and the citizen: (where) things do not appear only as instruments or means for goals or objects of choice. They do not only serve the maintenance of life Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 91
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED and the satisfaction of needs. Therefore they do not build an environment (for life), but they build a world where human beings can exist: a world being the public space between human beings who appear to each other as unique and who act and speak together. The world is understood here as a durable habitat of human beings not there in order to be consumed, but in order to endure (and) in order for life to be the life of someone, there is need not only for a world of artefacts, but also (for) a world as a network of meanings and embodied relationships among a plurality of beings who are at the same time equal and absolutely different and unique. (Masschelein, 2001:9) Here is a call for an alternative conceptualisation of human beings to the one offered by the Learning Society, a conceptualisation of human beings in a society, as citizens in a community, as people with life stories, not just needs.
In a later work, Masschelein and Simons (2002) discuss the implications of current educational policy, as exemplified by The European Higher Education Area, a joint declaration of the European Ministers of Education, convened in Bologna in June 1999. They ask, given the way this declaration speaks of education, and the people who inhabit education, what are its implications for the type of citizen it expects to live in the globalised world it seeks to prepare them for? They draw attention to what they call the discursive horizon of the declaration, and what it invites the inhabitants of education to become. I will set out some of the key concepts that compose this discursive horizon.
The Bologna Declaration invites us to be autonomous individuals, identifying our learning needs, negotiating the satisfaction of those needs through flexible, competitive educational provision, doing this as an entrepreneurial self, engaging in lifelong learning, pursuing a life as an enterprise. As such we will compose a learning or knowledge society. Inhabitants of the learning society are referred to as stakeholders, with self-directed learning needs, requiring a number of competing education environments to be available to match provision to individual needs. This maximises the individuals potential for success. It implies new skills of self- appraisal, self-evaluation, self-criticism, and new forms of self, and peer assessment. First, it becomes clear that we are dealing with an individual who is confronted, on the one hand, with needs (her own and those of others) and, on the other, with potential and capital; she is someone who is obliged to do something with her capital or potential in order to meet those needs; and this means that the individual subject is expected to develop a productive and entrepreneurial relationship towards itself. (Masschelein and Simons 2002:593-594) This is a process of the capitalisation of education, and furthermore, the capitalisation of life itself, enabling education to be defined as investment, and defining many aspects of life; marriage, divorce, procreation, as investment, with outcomes measured as profit or loss, with an emphasis on the exploitation of preference and choice to maximise the satisfaction of needs. 92 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED People are responsible for their own well-being, and therefore a specific kind of self-knowledge and self-mastery is required opening the way for the experts of the self (the therapists) to sell their expertise. The entrepreneurial self is an active, counting and calculating self. It counts with itself, it keeps its own account and is accountable. (Masschelein and Simons, 2002:595) This is a discursive horizon of education that puts the learner at the centre of the process, places an emphasis on skills, and the importance of individuality, echoing Postman and Weingartner. Even though the analysis is focused on the space of higher education, its implications are just as relevant to schools. Anyone who has worked in schools in recent years will be able to detect this discourse as informing the way the institution defines itself and its students. Individualised learning routes, competitive schools with diverse specialisms, to support consumer choice, learning to learn, self-assessment, individual learning targets, professional portfolios for teachers expected to cross a quality threshold to secure higher salary rewards, are just some of the current terms that are prevalent in English schools. It echoes with the emphasis put on the learner, the individual, the elevation of method and skills over content, present in Postman and Weingartners prescription for the entropic condition they defined in their time. But it does so in a way that has implications that we might want to consider anew.
Going back to the critique offered by Masschelein and Simons; they explore the implications for social relations implied by the discursive horizon they analyse. They identify it as not anti-social; defining relations towards friends and loved-ones as crucial for personal happiness, social effectiveness and a healthy society, but, that these personal/social relations start from an identification of individual self-needs, requiring for their meeting the conscious development of inter-personal skills, to make social relations transparent and to manage the meeting of needs. These are calculable and calculating relations (Masschelein and Simons, 2002:597).
The success of these entrepreneurial projects also requires a permanent obsession with quality, performativity and standardisation. Competing institutions, and entrepreneurial learners, have to be compared and measured against quality indicators. Again, anyone with experience of schools in England in recent years will readily testify to the growth of quality measurement in the professional and learning life of the school; regular (if not obsessive) assessment of learning against defined levels, individual targets for learners and teachers, frequent monitoring and evaluation of teaching, measurements of value-added in learning, performance management regimes, publicised inspection reports and school league tables.
To conclude this section, and reassert the way that Postman and Weingartners prescriptions can be found to echo in this discourse, as described by Masschelein and Simons, I offer this next quote,
a human life required to be so conducted is a life not so much in a world as in an environment. The proliferation of the word environment is striking indeed. Reality is not allowed to appear as a world, and as such has nothing to say to the entrepreneurial self; it does not speak to her. Things (only) receive their meaning from Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 93
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED their function in the framework of projects. In this environment an entrepreneurial relationship towards ourselves is said to be vital for our survival. (Masschelein and Simons, 2002:599) Conceptions of community The message of this critique should be clear. This discourse embodies the creation of a market environment, not only of education, but also of life as lived. In doing so it centralises the autonomous individual, and their individual needs. This centralisation of the reflective, autonomous individual accords with much of the liberal traditions emphasis on the individual, and the emphasis which is present, in some ways legitimately, in the liberal conception of the citizen, and in the objectives of citizenship education. Nevertheless it presents a paradox; the appeal to the entrepreneurial self appears (politically, institutionally) with an authority that knows what is good for those to whom it is addressed. On the other (hand) it feeds a distrust towards this authority since it resounds with the message: be yourself, become the entrepreneur of yourse (Masschelein and Simons 2002:601). For the purposes of this essays argument, it closes down other possible conceptions of life, education and community. In emphasising the individual it somehow closes down diversity and any sense of the other. Postman and Weingartner may not themselves have taken us to this, but their reaction to the conditions of their time, is, I assert, a genesis to this discourse.
Others have also expressed this concern with the development of a strident individualism in modern conditions, creating a precarious individual identity based on consumerism, and diminishing a necessity for individuals to consider the moral demands that come from outside ourselves, a necessity which requires the fostering of a stronger sense of moral responsibility to the significant other, based on an understanding of a complex, authentic, more deeply founded sense of diverse identity (see Mason 2001).
It is essential that a civic, or citizenship education, has as its objective, not just the creation of informed, critical, active individuals, but citizens with a sense of, and obligation to, community. This objective requires more than is present in the current English citizenship programme of study. It makes statements such as use their imagination to consider other peoples experiences and be able to think about, express and explain views that are not their own (DfEE 1999a) though well meaning, seem inadequate. Within the educational discursive horizon analysed by Masschelein and Simons, this is an inadequate counter-balancing prescription for the need to educate citizens for an understanding of the relationship between the subject of the individual, and the other of the community.
To develop this essay, I want to draw further on the discussion of the meaning of community presented by Masschelein and Simons, which, I argue, poses a fundamental challenge to the neo-liberal discursive horizon of the European Higher Education Area, and to education more generally, requiring more than a counter- 94 Clemitshaw, G http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED balancing, but a serious re-thinking, by those committed to civic education. They refer to the effects of the discursive horizon as immunisation, not in the Postman and Weingartner sense of injecting students with pointless doses of entropic teaching (Postman and Weingartner, 1969:32), but as an immunisation against being- together. The discursive horizon immunises individuals from a possible threat to their individuality and subjectivity, whereas, in reality, the very notion of community includes an infringement of individuality. The discursive horizon, whilst stressing the importance of interaction with the environment and others in this environment, individuals are (nonetheless) addressed in the first place as separated and isolated from each other (Masschelein and Simons 2002 p. 602). The discursive horizon negates the reality that we are always captured in relations of dependency and obligation, which are beyond transparency and beyond calculation; parent to child, teacher to student, speaker to listener, individual to community. They are the crucial reality of a life lived. The meanings implicit in the derivation of the word community draw on cum, meaning with, and munus, meaning void, debt, gift, implying the debt we owe to others which cannot be measured, as its calculation would imply that it could be dispensed with, paid off. These notions of belonging, and the void of the debt we owe to the other are critical realities of life as lived, of meaningful identity, and of the nature of meaningful civic discourse and social cohesion.
It is important that civic education begins to embrace these principles. There should be a recognition of the other, in more than a contractual sense of tolerance, and readiness to listen and to empathise with views other than our own, but rather with an acknowledgement of the incalculable debt we always owe. This is not to negate the complexities of community, its pluralistic nature, the different community experiences and narratives that comprise a complex society, the conflicts inherent in a complex society (see Mouffe 2005), indeed it reminds us of these complexities, complexities that I think are also inadequately acknowledged in the current English conception of citizenship education (Clemitshaw 2007). However we should negate the overwhelming emphasis placed on the subject as individual in much educational and political discourse of our time. Conclusion This essay has been a response to Ralph Leightons homage to the writing of Postman and Weingartner about the nature of education in the late 1960s, re-visited as a recipe for a meaningful citizenship education. Whilst sharing many of Leightons concerns about the progress of citizenship education project in England today, I have questioned some of Postman and Weingarthers conceptions of pedagogy and the role of teachers. More fundamentally, and contrary to Leighton, I have argued that whilst Postman and Weingartner may have had much to say, particularly about education in the USA at the time, and that read in conjunction with an understanding of US society in their time, it is indeed powerful, it has only limited relevance to education, and to civic education in particular, in England today. I have also suggested that there can be read in the reaction of Postman and Weingartner to features of their time, at least a genesis of the neo-liberal politics, particularly relating to education, that are prevalent today. These policies, with their stress on survival, individualism, the centrality of skills, learning to learn, performance measurement, and an overwhelmingly marketised version of educational relevancy, are seriously absent of the notion of community, and its Is citizenship a Subversive Activity 95
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED importance for social cohesion. Liberal democratic citizenship needs more than a focus on critical autonomous individuals if it is to reflect the importance of community, and affiliations of identity and belonging, that are essential components of life as lived.
Correspondence: GARY CLEMITSHAW, School of Education,The University of Sheffield, 388 Glossop Road, Sheffield, S10 2JA. g.clemitshaw@sheffield.ac.uk Division of Education and Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University, Owen Building, City Campus, Sheffield, S1 1WB. g.clemitshaw@shu.ac.uk
REFERENCES: CALVERT, M. AND CLEMITSHAW, G. (2003) Implementing Citizenship into the English Secondary School Curriculum. In Pastoral Care in Education, 21, 3, 3-12. CLEMITSHAW, G. AND CALVERT, M. (2005) Implementing Citizenship in the English Secondary School Curriculum: A Follow-Up Study. In Pastoral Care in Education, 23, 3, 31-36. CLEMITSHAW, G. (2007) Citizenship without history? Models of citizenship and civic education in different national contexts. Paper given at the CitizED International Conference, The University of Sydney, Australia, April 2007. DAVIES, I. (2006) Editorial. In Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 2, 1. CitizED. DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT (1999a) Citizenship: The National Curriculum for England. DfEE. DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT (1999b) History: The National Curriculum for England. DfEE. KERR, D., IRELAND, E., LOPES, J., CRAIG, R., AND CLEAVER, E. (2004) Making Citizenship Education Real: Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study: Second Annual Report. In Davies, I., (ed.) Citized: Citizenship and Teacher Education. (E-newsletter no. 14) LEIGHTON, R. (2006) Revisiting Postman and Weingartners New Education is Teaching Citizenship a Subversive Activity? In Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 2, 1, 79-89. CitizED MASSCHELEIN, J. (2001) The Discourse of the Learning Society and the Loss of Childhood. In Journal of Philosophy of Education, 35, 1, 1-20. MASSCHELEIN, J., AND SIMONS, M. (2002) An Adequate Education in a Globalised World? A Note on Immunisation Against Being-Together. In Journal of Philosophy of Education, 36, 4, 589- 608. MASON, M. (2001) The Ethics of Integrity: Educational Values Beyond Postmodern Ethics. In Journal of Philosophy of Education, 35, 1, 47-69. MOUFFE, C. (2005) On the political. New York, Routledge. POSTMAN, N. AND WEINGARTNER, C. (1969) Teaching as a Subversive Activity. New York, Delacorte Press. QUALIFICATIONS AND CURRICULUM AUTHORITY (1998) Education for Citizenship and the teaching of Democracy in Schools: Final Report of the Advisory Group on Citizenship. London, QCA. RANSON, S. (1998) Lineages of the Learning Society, in Ranson, S., (ed.) Inside the Learning Society. London, Cassell. RILEY, M. (2000) Into the Key Stage 3 history garden: choosing and planting your enquiry questions. In Teaching History, 99. Historical Association
Citizenship, Teaching and Learning Vol 4, No. 1, July 2008
http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED
Book Reviews Education for Intercultural Citizenship: Concepts and Comparisons Edited by Geof Alred, Mike Bryam and Mike Fleming. Published 2006 by Multilingual Matters Ltd., UK. ISBN-13: 9781853599187. Cost: 25.22.
This edited collection of essays makes a useful contribution to citizenship education in a globalised world. I also share with the editors their sensitivity to diversity and aspiration for intercultural education, and will certainly recommend the book to my students.
A short introduction sets the content and scope of the book. It suggests that the increasingly multicultural make-up of our societies necessitates an educational response. A notion of interculturality is promoted which involves experiencing and reflecting on a sense of otherness and acting on insights gained in relation to self and wider communities. Intercultural citizenship is presented as a way of being that both challenges and enriches, but does not replace existing identities. It has particular resonance with citizenship education where plurality of identity may be seen as a barrier to participation and developing a sense of national identity.
The book is presented in three parts. The first considers questions of complexity in national identity formation and underscores the importance of context to discussions on citizenship education. Ryan (Chapter 1), through the voices of others, explores contingencies of place, ethnicity, wealth and social class in constructions of Mexican identity. Leung and Lee (Chapter 2) reason that cultural identity is inseparable from linguistic identity. They review studies of citizenship in Hong Kong to show, with reference to the growing dominance of Cantonese as a language of choice, that identity both constructs and is constructed by language. Martin and Feng (Chapter 3) present an overview of the history of Singapore that helps explain why Singaporean political leadership seeks to mould through the curriculum a sense of patriotic belonging, a national identity that is essentially introspective, compliant and defensive.
The second part of the book builds on the first, and comprises two chapters in which we are introduced to different and sometimes competing concepts of citizenship education. Himmelmann compares citizenship education in Germany, Britain and the USA and reflects on how terms are conceptualised in different countries. Developing this theme, Feng highlights that in China, seemingly equivalent terms referring to membership of the nation-state, are differently value- laden with profound implications for policy and practice.
The final part of the book gets to the nub of its aims. One aim is to develop from a theory of interculturality a concept of intercultural citizenship. Although chapters by Byram and Fleming go some way towards this, I feel the manoeuvre warranted further discussion, particularly with respect to geometries of power both Book Reviews 97 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED within and between nation states. In his chapter, Byram asserts what is at stake is the ability to decentre from ones own cultureto gain insight into another; not to abandon held values but to develop deeper understanding of these and other positions. This is fundamental to his model of intercultural communicative competence which he sees as complementary to education for democratic citizenship where learners develop competence in ability to deliberate, compare, make judgements, and negotiate. What citizenship teachers may wish to further develop is practice that builds on intercultural communicative competence to engage in civic and/or political action within and beyond the nation state.
A second aim of the book uses axioms and characteristics of education for intercultural citizenship as criteria to investigate the extent to which intercultural citizenship is developed in different countries. These statements merited further explanation perhaps as an introduction to concluding chapters on intercultural citizenship in J apan, Poland, Spain, and Portugal. These studies not only provide interest in their own right but also add depth and layering to discussion. They further offer intercultural encounters for us to reflect on, and gain insight into our own conceptions of citizenship education.
Reviewer: Peter Cunningham, Senior Lecturer, Department of Education, Metropolitan University, London. Email: p.cunningham@londonmet.ac.uk
Citizenship, Enterprise and Learning: Harmonising Competing Educational Agendas
Ross Deuchar. Published 2007 by Trentham Books, Stoke-on-Trent, UK. ISBN: 9781858563817. Cost: 16.99.
A significant number of academics in the field of citizenship education believe declining youth participation in formal electoral processes suggests the need for radical classroom reform in the area. Many of us working in the area of citizenship education also see an underlying tension between the instrumental human capital demands of neo-liberal schooling and promoting the student agency required for participatory democratic citizenship. In Citizenship, Enterprise and Learning: Harmonising Competing Educational Agendas, Ross Deuchar addresses this critical problem by arguing for an expanded concept of enterprise based on communitarian principles that foster student social involvement. The book focuses primarily on a Scottish-based study of young students where an expanded notion of enterprise was introduced, and where, in the authors view, some promising practices and principles for citizenship education were identified. Although this book addresses a compelling tension in contemporary schooling, that is, the potential incommensurability between the instrumental preparation of students to satisfy neo-liberal human capital demands and the agency required for meaningful democratic citizenship, Deuchars solution fails to provide a convincing answer to how these two objectives might be, to employ his term, dovetailed. Deuchars focus on enhanced community engagement to relieve the tension between 98 Book Reviews http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED labour market and democratic citizenship requirements resembles what Freire terms false generosity. The approach qualifies as false generosity because it fails to address the actual structural causes of problems such as social inequality and economic hardship. Deuchars proposed enterprise framework, rather than offering genuine political and/or social alternatives to contemporary workplace, social and economic conditions, expects students and teachers within citizenship education merely to act as mediators of widespread neo-liberal suffering. As a result, the principles for citizenship education emerging from the expanded construct of enterprise seem more an exercise in social and ideological reproduction than tenets for robust democratic citizenship. In spite of this problem, the subject addressed in this book is a critically important one for the future of citizenship education among industrialized democracies, that is, whether democracy can be developed in authoritarian school structures and whether existing enterprise practice can enable pupils to develop social, moral and ethical values [consistent with democratic citizenship] (p. 4). The Scottish study employed by Deuchar occurs within a schooling context where, The Scottish Executive continues to encourage schools to focus upon employability skills, enabling young people to take their part in a prosperous competitive economy (p. 6). Deuchar correctly suggests that within a democratic society the emphasis on satisfying business needs in education must be balanced by a corresponding focus on business ethics that encourages the development of thoughtful, responsible and caring citizens (p. 6). Any thoughtful education program focused on the notion of enterprise would no doubt include a component or curriculum unit on appropriate ethical conduct for business leaders. Yet, such an imperative in isolation from other broader ethical questions avoids the more pressing and trenchant questions related to contemporary business practices within a democratic society. For example, students also should be encouraged to ask questions about the roles and responsibilities of businesses and corporations within a democratic society that embraces principles of equality and justice. The theoretical framework adopted by Deuchar, that is, communitarianism, is inadequately connected with the practical principles for citizenship education identified in the book. Some elaboration on the relationship between the chosen theoretical framework and the expanded notion of enterprise education would strengthen the argument. The reader is frequently left wondering what particular aspects of communitarianism are most valuable to democratic citizenship education based on an expanded notion of enterprise. For example, J ohn Rawls presented his theory of justice as universally true, while other communitarians argue that standards of justice must be found in the traditions of particular societies and, hence, may legitimately vary from context to context. Martha Nussbaum argues compellingly for the restoration of liberal democratic principles which broaden the scope of possible critique beyond the practice and principles accepted in any given context. Such a communitarian stance would open the possibility of more authentic and trenchant critiques of the prevailing social and economic structures. Suffice to say, there is ample room for Deuchar to discuss his communitarian theoretical framework in far greater detail and articulate what he considers the most important and relevant communitarian precepts related to the development of democratic citizenship based on enterprise. Perhaps my primary concern in the text, as mentioned previously in this review, is Deuchars predilection toward false generosity in his examples of enterprise style democratic citizenship. For example, there is celebratory discussion of venture Book Reviews 99 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED philanthropists such as Tom Hunter in Scotland, Anita Roddick in England and Bill Gates in the U.S. Deuchar suggests that these instances of philanthropy should be used to foster more discussion about how young people can contribute towards economic strength while also helping the needy through charitable causes (p. 10). What is noticeably absent in the discussions of philanthropic neo-liberal behaviour is any structural analysis that questions why such acts of charity are required within wealthy nations in the first place. Freire termed such charity as false generosity because its more general effect is simply propping up a socio-economic system that, by its very design, generates significant levels of economic disparity. True generosity amounts to challenging and transforming the prevailing social and economic structures through democratic processes to create a fairer distribution of resources that reduces the overall need for charitable and philanthropic exercises. In spite of Deuchars obviously noble intentions to relieve the tension between human capital enterprise and citizenship learning, the fundamental weakness of this book is its complete absence of structural analysis. The social ravages of neo-liberal economic excesses are left relatively untouched. The remaining and somewhat superficial question addressed by Deuchar is how to prepare students as productive human capital while simultaneously promoting some interest in community welfare. Hence, although this book is ostensibly about democratic citizenship education, it also offers tacit protection to neo-liberal enterprise culture from serious democratic critique. If, as Deuchar contends, Education for democratic citizenship is about creating a sense of belonging, the opportunity to exercise both rights and responsibilities and the ability to communicate opinions and participate in decision-making (p. 92), then such an education must include space for students to challenge and democratically transform basic social organization. Simply providing young students as future citizens with learner-centered classroom environments and opportunities for community service as Deuchar proposes does not afford them the intellectual tools or opportunity to raise foundational questions about the kind of society appropriate for democratic flourishing. The structural analysis absent in Citizenship, Enterprise and Learning: Harmonising Competing Education Agendas is actually the starting point for authentic democratic learning at any age and for meaningful citizenship participation more generally.
Reviewer: Emery J . Hyslop-Margison, Associate Professor, University of New Brunswick, Fredricton. Email: ehyslopm@unb.ca
Citizenship and Moral Education: Values in Action
J . Mark Halstead and Mark A. Pike. Published 2006 by Routledge, London. ISBN: 978- 0-415-23243-2. Cost: 21.70.
What is Citizenship? What is Moral Education? What is the relationship between Citizenship and Moral Education? Why should these subjects be taught? How can these subjects be taught and assessed? This book is a welcome contribution for student-teachers, teachers, other classroom professionals and general readers who are looking for answers to these questions particularly as they pertain to the British context. This book aims to give teachers the resources to reflect on values education, and the concepts and strategies they need to produce informed, 100 Book Reviews http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED committed, active, autonomous and critically reflective citizens and moral agents within the framework of political liberalism.
The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 focuses on the concepts, contexts, underlying values, and aims of Citizenship and Moral Education. This section introduces readers to the its theoretical underpinnings and suggests that while Citizenship provides the unifying force for people with different beliefs and backgrounds to live together co-operatively, Moral Education provides the basis from which the ethical appropriateness of laws and political decisions can be judged (p. 3).
Part 2 focuses on the teaching and learning of Citizenship and Moral Education in the curriculum. Attention is devoted to subjects that are particularly relevant to Citizenship and Moral Education: Language and Literacy, the Arts, the Humanities, Religious Education (RE), and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). A key point underscored by the authors is the need for teachers to go beyond merely teaching about the diverse religious and ethnic identities of their students in a plural society. Teachers need to model an understanding of the different linguistic, religious and social needs of all their students, and address the needs of their students by providing a learning environment where the beliefs and values of the majority are not imposed upon the minorities.
Part 3 continues the discussion by exploring issues relating to the teaching and assessment of Citizenship and Moral Education. Readers are introduced to seven common models of Citizenship adopted in schools and the teaching of Citizenship using non-fiction, media, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The section on the various ways in which children learn values - through observation, participation and guided action, and critical reflection - reminds teachers of the need to teach Citizenship and Moral Education holistically beyond the textbook. Three core principles for the successful implementation of Citizenship and Moral Education are advocated by the authors: respecting young people as individuals; promoting social justice; and preparing citizens for an uncertain future.
Although this book centres on the British context and many examples are taken from British secondary education, teachers outside Britain will be able to identify with the issues and challenges raised in the book, and will find the ideas and strategies beneficial and practical. For example, the authors recommendation of critical literacy where students can develop skills of communication and discernment is pertinent to any teacher who wishes to nurture informed, active and reflective students. Classroom practitioners will also appreciate the discussion on the Arts and the Humanities, especially the examples taken from subjects such as Art and Design, Drama, Geography and History, which effectively illustrate how empathy, imagination, and social engagement in moral and civic issues can be developed in the students.
Reviewer: Charlene Tan, Associate Professor, Policy and Leadership Studies, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Email: charlene.tan@nie.edu.sg
Book Reviews 101 http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Diversity and Citizenship in the Curriculum: Research Review Uvanney Maylor and Barbara Read, with Heather Mendick, Alistair Ross and Nicola Rollock at the The Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan University. Published 2007 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Research Report RR819. Available online: www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR819.pdf.
This research review was commissioned by the UK Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in 2006 to support the high profile Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review Group, which in turn was formed to respond to concerns raised about social cohesion in the wake of the London bombings, 2005. Despite its clear focus on British education, this carefully produced small-scale research project addresses a variety of critical issues relevant to policy makers and educators both within and beyond the UK. It is generally thought provoking in how it relates teaching and learning about and for diversity and questions about national and other social identities to the deeper purposes and potentials of citizenship education.
The two primary aims of the research review, which includes both a literature review and case studies of three mainly White and three more ethno-culturally diverse English schools, are to examine how diversity is promoted across the curriculum at all ages; and whether/how to incorporate 'Modern British Cultural and Social History' as a potential fourth pillar of the secondary citizenship programme. As for the latter possibility, teachers responses to it prove to be an interesting mix of positive and negative reactions. The report subsequently recommends the need for much further discussion with education stakeholders about how best to frame and incorporate such a strand. In particular, two problems appear daunting: first, how to teach such a topic given the extreme difficulty of finding consensus on any definition of 'Britishness'; second, how to reconcile respect for diversity with the exclusionary power of any definition that is adopted. As additional goals, the authors of the report set out to identify: "good practices in the teaching of diversity; the type of contemporary British identities and values that are addressed through the National Curriculum in English schools; [and] approaches to promoting shared values and a common set of identities through the teaching of modern history and citizenship."
Among the Reviews key findings, it is especially noteworthy that the researchers conclude that: The National Curriculum is perceived and has drawn considerable criticism by many for being Eurocentric; Despite subject specific guidelines that promote teaching for an understanding of diversity, schools generally focus on culture and religion to the exclusion of other aspects of social identity and diversity. Importantly, social diversity among White British people is often ignored; There is considerable evidence that many teachers' knowledge and understanding of social diversity and diversity education is not strong, especially in subject areas such as Math and Science; Teaching about diversity is curtailed when schools have few minority ethnic groups and when diversity is not named as a school priority; and 102 Book Reviews http://www.citized.info 2008 citizED Students complained about the use of ideal types in the teaching of faith communities and commented that these over-generalizations did not properly represent their own real lived experiences.
Finally, as they seek to make positive recommendations to improve citizenship and diversity education, Maylor et al. underline four characteristics that they believe contribute to good practice in the curriculum and schools. They are: strong and effective leadership with respect to diversity and identities, including support for teachers to take ownership; careful and effective planning and explicit guidance for the teaching of Citizenship to prevent repetition (and boredom!) and to help teachers in predominantly White schools teach about diversity; appropriate use of students' own experiences when discussing diversity and identity, especially when it serves to counter stereotyping and idealization; and use of students' idealism in such a way as to draw on younger peoples' perceived greater acceptance and tolerance of ethnic diversity; stronger support for race equality; and optimistic attitude "that might be useful in developing teaching strategies that encompass diversity and identities."
Overall, it must be said that the report provides much food for thought for readers sensitive to various inherent contradictions involved in contemporary approaches to diversity education, particularly within Britain (but also elsewhere). As I completed the review, some of the questions that remained with me include: To what extent are schools still treating diversityand minority communities themselvesas problems to solve rather than incontrovertible features of social reality? How do educational authorities seek to reconcile agendas that promote narrow standards and high stakes testing, state funding for faith-based schools, and the putative goal of social cohesion through diversity education? Can any citizenship education curriculum realistically mitigate racism and other institutional forms of educational inequality if most teachers and schools lack even the basic preparation needed (e.g., equity and diversity-related training) to teach to and about minority groups in a way that challenges existing power structures and relationships?
Reviewer: Terezia Zoric, Lecturer, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto. Email: tzoric@oise.utoronto.ca
Notes for Contributors By accepting publication in the Journal contributors grant the right to the editorial committee to publish contributions electronically and in hard copy. Contributors should bear in mind that they are addressing an international audience and so must avoid the use of jargon, acronyms without explanation or the use of specialist terms (especially in relation to grades, ages, phases of schooling). Please ensure that writing is, as far as possible, free from bias, for instance, by avoiding sexist and racist language. Articles and Book Reviews should be sent by e-mail attachment to the administrator of the journal, Roma Woodward (roma.woodward@canterbury.ac.uk) . It is important that articles are not sent direct to the editor as this would disallow the possibility of anonymous review. The articles that have been submitted will be passed to the editor by the administrator. The editor will send submitted articles for anonymous review. Two referees will review each submission. Should there be disagreement between the reviewers the editor will approach a third person for a judgement. Proofs will not always be sent to the author. Articles should be of between 4000 and 6000 words, double spaced with ample margins and bear the title of the contribution, the name(s) of the author(s) and the name to be used for correspondence together with e- mail and surface addresses. Each article should be accompanied by an abstract of 100-200 words on a separate sheet, and a short note of biographical details. Book reviews should be of between 400 and 600 words in length. Please enclose a note with your review, stating that the review has not been submitted or published elsewhere. All material must be submitted in Microsoft MS Word format, as intended for publication. Tables and captions should appear within the text. Tables should be numbered by Roman numerals and figures by Arabic numerals. Captions should include keys to symbols. The editor will not normally accept figures. However, if they are absolutely necessary they should be submitted in a finished form suitable for reproduction at the size that will be used in the published version of the article and in any case not to exceed 125mm in width. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) should be used as a guide for spellings. Permissible alternative spellings should follow the OED, eg verbal forms which can end in ize or ise should be given the ize form. References should be indicated in the text by giving the authors name, with the year of publication in parentheses. Please note that use of 'op cit' and 'ibid' is not acceptable. If several papers by the same author and from the same year are cited, a, b, c, etc. should be put after the year of publication. Where a page number is to be referenced, the style should be (Author, Year: PageNumber) eg (Hahn, 1999:232). The references should be listed in full at the end of the paper in the following standard form: HAHN, C. L. (1999) Citizenship: an empirical study of policy, practices and outcomes. Oxford Review of Education, 25, 1&2, 231-250. McLAUGHLIN, T. (2003) Teaching Controversial Issues in Citizenship Education. In Lockyer, A., Crick, B., Annette, J. (eds.) Education for Democratic Citizenship: issues of theory and practice. Aldershot, Ashgate. RATCLIFFE, M. and GRACE, M. (2003) Science Education for Citizenship: teaching socioscientific issues. Maidenhead, Open University Press. Quotations from texts should be supported by a page number in addition to the usual text reference. Where the quotation is more than a short sentence, it should be presented as a separate paragraph without any quotation marks and followed by the reference. Short quotations should be included in the same paragraph surrounded by quotation marks ie double inverted commas. Where the quotation is not from a particular source then the words should be surrounded by single inverted commas eg In what ways do specialist secondary school teachers characterize educating for citizenship and why?
(Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research 18) Joseph Zajda, Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady, Michael Lovorn (Eds.)-Globalisation and Historiography of National Leaders_ Symbolic Representations
Knowing and Learning as Creative Action: A Reexamination of the Epistemological Foundations of Education: A Reexamination of the Epistemological Foundations of Education