Module 1
Factual Background
Chapter 1 Conceptual Framework
1.2 The role of teaching staff and school leaders in the delivery of democratic citizenship education
School leaders and teachers play a crucial part in this learning process. Therefore, the training and assistance offered to them are extremely important to the successful implementation of citizenship education.
Countries such as Montenegro and Slovenia emphasised the necessity of providing school leaders with greater learning opportunities on democratic values, so that they could integrate them in the process of developing a more inclusive school climate. If they fail to understand the significance of inclusive education, this could affect the degree to which teachers engage with diversity and equity issues in class.
Teachers are at the frontline of the learning process, and they play a crucial role in the implementation of democratic values education in terms both of goals and concepts, and of procedures and pedagogical approaches. Their possible lack of understanding in this field may be remedied by offering training at the beginning of their teaching career and through continuous professional development. However, research has demonstrated that there is ongoing difficulty in assisting educators in acquiring such information, skills and attitudes, and only six countries (United Kingdom, Belgium-French Community, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Denmark) had a citizenship education specialisation in initial teaching education, despite countries declaring steady progress in teacher training (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2017).
In spite of several beneficial achievements, 17 education systems have no laws or suggestions for the development of potential teachers’ civic education competencies via initial teaching education.
In general, teachers show resistance to teaching democratic values and fundamental rights because they are not completely aware of how important this is for them and for the school community. They prefer to keep teaching their specific subject and leave the democratic citizenship and fundamental rights education to be taught by social science teachers.
The supply of advice and support materials to teachers is another crucial aspect of school-level capacity development for the implementation of democratic citizenship education. Whereas top level education authorities in approximately two-thirds of European education systems are involved in the provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities for teachers in the area of citizenship education, they provide similar opportunities to school principals in only fourteen European countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and Slovenia. The primary focus of the CPD activities for school leaders is the promotion of citizenship education in schools through the curriculum, a democratic school culture, work with parents, extra-curricular activities, and by encouraging cooperation between teachers so that citizenship education can be effectively implemented as a cross-curricular topic. (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice 2017).
Countries such as Montenegro and Slovenia emphasised the necessity of providing school leaders with greater learning opportunities on democratic values, so that they could integrate them in the process of developing a more inclusive school climate. If they fail to understand the significance of inclusive education, this could affect the degree to which teachers engage with diversity and equity issues in class.
Teachers are at the frontline of the learning process, and they play a crucial role in the implementation of democratic values education in terms both of goals and concepts, and of procedures and pedagogical approaches. Their possible lack of understanding in this field may be remedied by offering training at the beginning of their teaching career and through continuous professional development. However, research has demonstrated that there is ongoing difficulty in assisting educators in acquiring such information, skills and attitudes, and only six countries (United Kingdom, Belgium-French Community, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Denmark) had a citizenship education specialisation in initial teaching education, despite countries declaring steady progress in teacher training (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2017).
In spite of several beneficial achievements, 17 education systems have no laws or suggestions for the development of potential teachers’ civic education competencies via initial teaching education.
In general, teachers show resistance to teaching democratic values and fundamental rights because they are not completely aware of how important this is for them and for the school community. They prefer to keep teaching their specific subject and leave the democratic citizenship and fundamental rights education to be taught by social science teachers.
The supply of advice and support materials to teachers is another crucial aspect of school-level capacity development for the implementation of democratic citizenship education. Whereas top level education authorities in approximately two-thirds of European education systems are involved in the provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities for teachers in the area of citizenship education, they provide similar opportunities to school principals in only fourteen European countries: Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and Slovenia. The primary focus of the CPD activities for school leaders is the promotion of citizenship education in schools through the curriculum, a democratic school culture, work with parents, extra-curricular activities, and by encouraging cooperation between teachers so that citizenship education can be effectively implemented as a cross-curricular topic. (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice 2017).
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