Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) is a Junior Certificate course in active citizenship based on human rights and social responsibilities. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child are the two key documents which underpin this course.
CSPE has been part of the Junior Certificate core curriculum in all post-primary schools since September 1997. It is a short course and should be timetabled for approximately 70 hours over the three years of the junior cycle, which typically works out at one 40-minute class period per week.
Aims
Civic, Social and Political Education aims to develop active citizens with:
- A sense of belonging. Students will only choose to become active participants in their communities if they feel a sense of attachment to them. Social inclusion and matters of identity and values are addressed in CSPE. These are the affective dimensions of active citizenship.
- A capacity to gain access to information andstructures relating to the society in which they live. Students need a basis of information and knowledge upon which they can consider action, and do so with confidence. This is the cognitive dimension of active citizenship.
- An ability and confidence to participate indemocratic society. Practising citizenship is about taking meaningful action of some kind. To achieve this, the syllabus states that over the three-year duration of the course in Civic, Social and Political Education students should undertake at least two class/group/individual action projects. This is thepragmatic dimension of active citizenship.
Objectives
The objectives of CSPE are outlined in terms of knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes/values. An appropriate vehicle for the achievement of these objectives within CSPE is active, participatory class-work where the emphasis is on learning-by-doing.
1 . KNOWLEDGE
Through their work in CSPE, students should acquire basic knowledge and a broad understanding of the following:
Citizenship
What is citizenship about? What does it mean to be an active citizen? What is the core of citizenship? Which dimensions apply to me?
Human rights, freedoms and responsibilities
What are human rights? How are they applied in my society? How do we reconcile a conflict of human rights? How do the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child influence citizenship today?
Participation
How can I get involved? How can I influence change? How can I make a difference?
Sustainable development
What does it mean to be a temporary owner or steward of the planet? How can I play a part in protecting the environment?
Democratic system
What does it mean? How does it work? Who are the key players?
Globalisation
How do my actions as an individual affect others? What does it mean to live in an interdependent world? Do I understand the web of links that exist across communities and borders, and how an action that takes place in one area can have an effect on another? How is globalisation affecting my life and the lives of others?
Contemporary issues/current affairs
What are the topical issues/events now? How do they affect me and my community?
2 . CONCEPTS
The central concept of the CSPE course is citizenship. Through the units of study the students should come to understand how the seven concepts (see below) serve to inform and clarify the concept of active participatory citizenship.
3 . SKILLS
In exploring the concepts, units, themes, topics and issues in CSPE, students should have the opportunity to develop and practice the skills of active participatory citizenship, such as:
Identification/awareness skills:
- reading and reviewing
- gathering facts
- asking questions
- interviewing people
- writing letters
- making telephone calls
- carrying out surveys
Analysis/evaluation skills:
- collating facts
- identifying other views and judging them
- designing a booklet
- preparing graphs/diagrams
Communication skills:
- listening to others
- discussing issues
- presenting a point of view
- resolving conflict
- negotiating with others
- making appointments
- writing a letter
- using a computer
- briefing speakers
Action skills:
- agreeing to take on an issue
- identifying steps to be taken in tackling an issue
- setting up a meeting room
- providing refreshments
- disseminating information
- preparing materials
"Civic, Social and Political Educationseeks to be affective and to equip pupils with theskills and understanding of processes which enablethem to see, decide, judge and act. Its employment ofactive and co-operatively structured learningmethodologies enable and empower the pupil tobecome an active and participative young person."
(Department of Education, Civic, Social and Political Education Syllabus, Government of Ireland, Dublin, 1996)
Concepts - Citizenship
Rights & Responsibilities:
Needs/Wants
UDHR
Rights & Responsibilities
UNCRC
Democracy:
Voting/PR/Elections
Ministers/TDs
Taoiseach/Tánaiste
Local Government
Northern Ireland
Stewardship:
Recycling
Pollution/Litter
Waste Management
Interdependence:
EU
UN
Council of Europe
Fair Trade
Development:
Local Community
Developing World
Law:
Constitution
Legislation
Gardaí/Courts
Human Dignity:
Travellers
Racism/Asylum Seekers
Disability
4 . ATTITUDES AND VALUES
Students will be encouraged to recognise values and develop positive attitudes in relation to themselves, other people, the environment and the wider world. Through their work on this course pupils will be given opportunities to reflect upon and recognise the beliefs and values which underlie their attitudes and actions as individuals and as members of groups or communities. The values of this course, expressed in the attitudinal objectives below, are based on a commitment to human rights, individual social responsibilities and democracy.
Commitment to active citizenship
Concern for human rights
Care for the environment
Respect for human dignity
Concern for the common good
Openness to resolve conflict non-violently
Willingness to act responsibly
Practice of tolerance
Courage to defend a point of view
Willingness to change one's opinions andattitudes in the light of discussionand evidence
Respect for the rule of law
Commitment to oppose prejudice, inequalityand social injustice.
ACTIVE LEARNING
It is difficult to imagine students becoming active citizens if their learning about citizenship has been entirely passive. The students must be given opportunities to become active citizens within their classroom, school, community and beyond. The emphasis within CSPE is on active learning methods. These methods enable students to experience what being an active citizen is really like.
ACTION PROJECTS
Action projects have been designed to help students to develop the skills of active citizenship. The key word here is ACTION. An Action Project involves the following steps:
- students investigate an issue as a class
- students reflect collectively on what they might do in response to that issue students agree upon an action and carry it out, e.g. carry out a survey, organise a campaign, invite a guest speaker, organise a visit, publish a booklet, etc.
- students evaluate their action and learning.
Action projects are not traditional projects where students research their own individual topic and present their findings in a scrapbook.
CSPE AND ASSESSMENT
Student performance in CSPE is assessed and certificated as part of the Junior Certificate examination. It is a common level course.
Assessment in CSPE is carried out in two modes:
1. Submission of either a Report on an Action Project (RAP)
or
a Course-Work Assessment Book (CWAB) - 60%
2. An examination paper at the end of the third year of the course - 40%
Note that only 40% of the marks are awarded for the Junior Certificate examination paper in CSPE.
As 60% of the marks are awarded for work relating to the students' Action Projects, it is very important that students spend sufficient time taking action over the three years of the course and have opportunities to develop the skills of report writing.
"Citizenship is about creating what ought tobe rather than adapting to what is ....The essential task of citizenship is not topredict the future, it is to create it."
(Introduction to Citizenship Programme, Foróige, National Youth Development Organisation, 1994)
HISTORY OF CSPE
1966: Civics first introduced into post-primary schools by the Minister for Education, Donagh O' Malley.
1984-1992: Civic education under different names mentioned in various documents: Issues and Structures (1984); Report of theBoard: Social, Political and Environmental Education(1987); Guide to the Junior Certificate(1989) and Education for a Changing World (Green Paper) (1992).
1992-1993: A feasibility study conducted among 17 schools to ascertain the appropriateness and effectiveness of the draft JuniorCertificate CSPE course. This project was jointly organised by Trócaire and the Curriculum Development Unit (CDVEC).
1993-1996: Pilot introduction of CSPE syllabus to 139 schools. This pilot project was a joint initiative of the Department of Education and the NCCA. The present syllabus reflects the experience of this pilot project.
1996-1999: CSPE introduced into the Junior Cycle Curriculum by Minister for Education, Niamh Breathneach. First examined in June 1999.
1997-2000: CSPE becomes a mandatory subject for all first year students. CSPE examined nationally in 2000.