Schools as Community Citizens
Role of Citizenship is the core concept that provides the learning focus for social studies at all grades. To identify the skills, knowledge, and values that students will need as active democratic citizens, social studies must take into account the society in which students live, and anticipate the challenges they will face in the future. Citizenship is a fluid concept that changes over time: its meaning is often contested, and it is subject to interpretation and continuing debate. Citizenship education should prepare students to participate in the public dialogue that characterizes any democracy and plays an important role in Canadian society. As students engage in this dialogue, they will enhance their understanding of citizenship in Canada and the world, and will be better prepared to become active participants in their communities—locally, nationally, and globally.
Citizenship education is fundamental to living in a democratic society. The concept of citizenship takes on meaning in specific contexts and is determined by time and place. Diverse notions of citizenship have been used in the past and are being used in the present, for both good and ill. Throughout much of history, citizenship has been exclusionary, class-based, racist, and sexist. In Canada, for instance, First Nations parents were forced to send their children to residential schools in the interests of citizenship. The concept of citizenship must be considered within the context of democracy, human rights, and public debate. Social studies provides opportunities for students to explore the complexities of citizenship. http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr9/blms/9-4-2c.pdf
Creating Community Consensus
A growing number of educators and parents see the importance of “citizenship” education. But efforts to impose forms of citizenship education with a predetermined set of values onto students and communities often provoke bitter and divisive debate. There are ways to consider such issues that can create new common ground and a significantly improved climate for learning. These include:
The Results
After leading a number of discussions about core values in communities across the country, I have found that the results of this process are often inspiring. For students, a serious school wide effort to encourage mutual respect and other core values they have discussed together with adults comes as a relief. Classroom put-downs are no longer tolerated, and students are less afraid to raise their hands with a comment or question. Disagreements are much more likely to be settled peacefully, and school feels safer.
Adults benefit as well. Discussions of values are far more engaging than any debates about curriculum, and they frequently generate an unprecedented level of parental and community involvement (interest that can be translated quickly into action). When the discussions are rooted in a consideration of behaviors, rather than beliefs, agreement on a statement of core values and new initiatives comes quickly, and all meetings begin to take on a more cordial, respectful tone. More significantly, such discussions remind us that we all have a responsibility as citizens for helping to shape a better future for the next generation. It is the bedrock common ground of every community.
From: Creating Community Consensus On Core Values © Copyright Tony Wagner, 1996 (first published in Education Week, October 9, 1996)
Role of Citizenship is the core concept that provides the learning focus for social studies at all grades. To identify the skills, knowledge, and values that students will need as active democratic citizens, social studies must take into account the society in which students live, and anticipate the challenges they will face in the future. Citizenship is a fluid concept that changes over time: its meaning is often contested, and it is subject to interpretation and continuing debate. Citizenship education should prepare students to participate in the public dialogue that characterizes any democracy and plays an important role in Canadian society. As students engage in this dialogue, they will enhance their understanding of citizenship in Canada and the world, and will be better prepared to become active participants in their communities—locally, nationally, and globally.
Citizenship education is fundamental to living in a democratic society. The concept of citizenship takes on meaning in specific contexts and is determined by time and place. Diverse notions of citizenship have been used in the past and are being used in the present, for both good and ill. Throughout much of history, citizenship has been exclusionary, class-based, racist, and sexist. In Canada, for instance, First Nations parents were forced to send their children to residential schools in the interests of citizenship. The concept of citizenship must be considered within the context of democracy, human rights, and public debate. Social studies provides opportunities for students to explore the complexities of citizenship. http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud/foundation_gr9/blms/9-4-2c.pdf
Creating Community Consensus
A growing number of educators and parents see the importance of “citizenship” education. But efforts to impose forms of citizenship education with a predetermined set of values onto students and communities often provoke bitter and divisive debate. There are ways to consider such issues that can create new common ground and a significantly improved climate for learning. These include:
- Hold community wide conversations before taking any action. Everyone may seem to agree that we need more character education, but definitions and priorities differ, and so it is essential to seek community consensus on goals. We have used a combination of both focus groups and what we call “town meetings for learning” to engage all community members in such discussions. These include parents educators, students, community members, and service providers.
- Distinguish between values and beliefs. When starting out conversations about values, it is important to set some basic ground rules. The first is to make clear that the purpose of the discussion is to seek agreement on the values (not the beliefs) that we can all agree should be promoted in our schools.
- Focus on citizenship. Such a focus avoids problems associated with “preachy” and moralistic approaches that can focus on predetermined values which are not necessarily the highest priority for many in the community.
- Don’t assume the problem is just the students. Citizenship is also a community concern.
- Conduct the discussion meetings in an atmosphere of respect and compassion. Disrespectful behavior and rudeness among adults should not be overlooked. Respect of one another is a key to discussions about citizenship. A recent Public Agenda survey revealed that 71 percent of all Americans believe it is more important to teach values than academics. The landmark study went on to report an extremely high level of consensus on core values adults want taught in schools, and respect for others topped the list.
- Ground the community conversation in discussions of behaviors. When organizing community discussions, encouraging small groups to talk about the following three questions in sequence can generate thoughtful discussion and even agreement on next steps in the space of a several-hour conversation: What behaviors (adult as well as student) are of concern to you in our community? What behaviors do you want to see more of? What are some things we might do to encourage more of the positive behaviors?
- Consider extracurricular, as well as curricular, solutions. However, values are caught much more than they are taught. And so communities must find many ways beyond the books and classroom walls to create community and bring out the best in everyone.
- One of the least discussed problems in young people’s development today is their virtual isolation from adults. A study conducted by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Reed Larson revealed that adolescents spend more time alone than with either peers or adults. Perhaps for the first time in history, we are raising a generation of young people without significant contact with adults. Encourage initiatives that establishing meaningful relationships between adults and students. These may include service learning and internships in the community, advisory and mentoring programs, and increased extracurricular offerings all help to bring adults and young people together in ways that help students grow socially and morally–often more than anything done in classrooms.
The Results
After leading a number of discussions about core values in communities across the country, I have found that the results of this process are often inspiring. For students, a serious school wide effort to encourage mutual respect and other core values they have discussed together with adults comes as a relief. Classroom put-downs are no longer tolerated, and students are less afraid to raise their hands with a comment or question. Disagreements are much more likely to be settled peacefully, and school feels safer.
Adults benefit as well. Discussions of values are far more engaging than any debates about curriculum, and they frequently generate an unprecedented level of parental and community involvement (interest that can be translated quickly into action). When the discussions are rooted in a consideration of behaviors, rather than beliefs, agreement on a statement of core values and new initiatives comes quickly, and all meetings begin to take on a more cordial, respectful tone. More significantly, such discussions remind us that we all have a responsibility as citizens for helping to shape a better future for the next generation. It is the bedrock common ground of every community.
From: Creating Community Consensus On Core Values © Copyright Tony Wagner, 1996 (first published in Education Week, October 9, 1996)