Section 6: Managing CSPE In Schools

BEST PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS

Research carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in consultation with principals and teachers indicates that the implementation of CSPE benefits when it is possible for school managements to:

• include teachers' interested in CSPE as one of the main criteria used when selecting teachers to teach the subject
• allocate teachers of CSPE to those class groups to whom they also teach another subject.
• ensure, as far as possible, that each class group is assigned the same teacher of CSPE, particularly in the second and third year, so as to allow continuity in programme planning and to facilitate the organisation of Action Projects
• avoid placing the one CSPE period per week on the timetable at a time/on a day when that period may be lost on a regular basis due to interruptions in the school calendar
• support the co-ordination of CSPE by, for example, providing opportunities for team planning in line with that provided for other subjects
• promote awareness of CSPE by informing parents of incoming First Year students about it and by celebrating the work done in CSPE, e.g. the Action Projects undertaken
• ensure that CSPE features in in-house school examinations and Parent-Teacher meetings, that it appears on the school prospectus, student timetables and student report forms alongside other subjects
• encourage the establishment of a Student Council within the school.

THE ROLE OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

The successful delivery of CSPE is greatly enhanced when the following areas are attended to:

The CSPE Curriculum

It is important that all CSPE teachers have

• a copy of the CSPE Starter Pack
• a catalogue of useful CSPE resources
• access to active learning methodologies
• a clear understanding of Action Projects.

The Assessment of CSPE

It is important that all CSPE teachers have access to

• copies of the current blank proforma Report on an Action Project (RAP) or Course-Work Assessment Book (CWAB) booklets issued by the State Examinations Commission
• latest Circular Letters from the Department of Education and Science and from the State Examinations Commission
• examination forms and transmission envelopes issued by State Examinations Commission.

Supporting CSPE in the school

School Management is encouraged to

• appoint a CSPE Convenor
• provide opportunities for CSPE teachers to meet
• profile the work of students and teachers of CSPE in the school.

THE ROLE OF A CSPE CONVENOR

To ensure that students and teachers experience CSPE successfully and effectively many schools have someone in place who takes responsibility for the day-to-day management of the subject. Possible areas of responsibility for the Convenor may include:

Providing support

• Provide support/encouragement/resources for CSPE colleagues
• Brief the staff on the work of CSPE in the school
• Provide regular updates for the Principal
• Represent the views/concerns of the CSPE Team to school management
• Attend/organise appropriate in-service training
• Encourage CSPE colleagues to join the subject association (ACT: The Association of CSPE Teachers ).

Facilitating meetings

• Organise CSPE Team planning meetings, at least once a term
• Facilitate the sharing amongst colleagues of new information and new ideas from in-service
• Update CSPE colleagues as new resources become available

Administration

• Be a contact person for outside agencies
• Provide colleagues with current copies of proforma RAPs and CWABs
• Ensure that all completed RAPs and CWABs for assessment are collected from CSPE colleagues and stored appropriately, and that all relevant documentation has been completed

Organising resources

• Provide copies of essential resources to CSPE team (see Starter Pack)
• Catalogue all resources appropriate to CSPE in the school
• Organise a CSPE resource area
• Compile/maintain a list of useful contacts/organisations (telephone numbers, addresses, emails, etc.).

Profiling CSPE

• Encourage activities/Action Projects/cross-curricular events which raise the profile of CSPE in the school and community
• Inform incoming 1st year parents about the CSPE course
• Organise end of year CSPE examinations for all Junior Cycle students
• Ensure that CSPE appears on the Student Report forms
• Ensure that CSPE teachers meet parents at parent/teacher meetings.

"We take 5-10 min off each class one day in the month to facilitate subject meetings. This gives the CSPE team a chance to plan". - Tracy, CSPE teacher, Co. Monaghan

"In our school a 40 min. meeting time is allocated to CSPE at the end of term." - Tom, CSPE teacher, Co. Carlow

"CSPE has always been afforded a high profile on our school curriculum. It has never been regarded as a 'filler' on a teacher's timetable." - Nollaig, CSPE teacher, Co. Kerry

"Whatever success we have experienced owes much to the co-ordinator and our policy of supporting initiatives and consulting with staff willing to teach the subject without imposition." - A principal's view on managing CSPE

TIMETABLING GUIDELINES

As CSPE is allocated the equivalent of one 40-minute class period per week, it is particularly important that poor timeslots, where the teacher may experience difficulty maintaining interest and continuity, should be avoided, for example last class of the day/week.
CSPE as a stand-alone subject experiences many difficulties and it is not a good option. CSPE linked to another school subject is the preferred model of timetabling. Link this short course with a long course. A number of possible timetabling arrangements are shown below.

Example (1): This arrangement allows for more flexible and effective use of the time allocated to CSPE on the timetable.

An active teaching methodology, which may be difficult to undertake in one-class period per week, could be easily accommodated within this alternative timetable arrangement.
Linking subjects in this way also creates potential for the transfer of skills. For example, the skills required to prepare and write a report on an action project can be taught in other subjects and used in CSPE.
It allows regular contact to occur between the teacher and the class, thereby facilitating the development of a good working relationship. This is particularly important for less able students. Teachers who have experienced a situation where they only meet a particular class once a week remark that it is very difficult to work effectively with these students. Even getting to know their names can be difficult. Another advantage of this approach is that it allows the problem of lost time, which single period subjects may regularly experience from disruption by other school events, to be addressed.

Example (2): CSPE is allocated one class period per week for the year. However, without adjusting the existing timetable, arrangements can be made with other subject areas to run a cross-curricular theme for a limited period of 1-2 weeks.
A theme like 'Our local community' could be taught through different subject areas over this limited period of time. A possible approach is outlined below.

This approach allows the study of a key concept or theme to be undertaken with little or no disruption to the timetable.
Explicit links between subjects, often neither recognised nor addressed, are made for both the students and teachers.
It allows teachers to share both methodologies and resources and greater staff integration can result.
It develops a whole school awareness of the CSPE course.
The running of this 1-2 week theme can become an important event in the school year.

PROFILING CSPE IN SCHOOL

As CSPE involves students and teachers in a wide variety of activities and Action Projects it is important that the following supports are in place:

• Allocate a budget to CSPE - to provide for resources, arts and crafts materials, funding for speakers, visits, etc.
• Allocate time for team planning meetings.
• Encourage links with outside agencies, for example, Citizen Information Centres, local community organisations, national organisations and international organisations.
• Profile the subject at parent evenings for incoming 1st years.
• Ensure that CSPE is on the Student Reports issued at Christmas and at the end of the year
• Celebrate the Action Project undertaken by the class publicly in the school newsletter, local radio or local newspaper.

A WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH TO CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

"...it is a narrow and inappropriate view of civic, social and political education to perceive it as a single subject discipline. This area of education embodies a core content as well as inter-disciplinary or cross-curricular dimensions. It impacts upon and is impacted upon by the whole school, its organisation, operation and ethos." (NCCA Discussion Paper: Civic, Social and Political Education at Post-Primary level, Dublin, 1993, p.15).

The success of Civic, Social and Political Education will be greatly enhanced where CSPE is regarded not as a marginal concern of one corner of the curriculum but as central to the whole life of the school.
The values which underpin CSPE are learnt and cultivated in a variety of ways: at home, at school and through the media. The ethos and culture of a school conveys important messages and values in both explicit and implicit ways. One starting point might be to reflect on the values which your school or classroom upholds and the messages which are more often 'caught' than taught.

• Is there a good atmosphere or spirit within the school community which celebrates individual and collective success?
• Are there shared aims and values which are explicitly named and promoted in the school culture?
• Is there an attractive environment conducive to learning?
• Are there high and consistent expectations, at both academic and pastoral levels?
• Is there participation by students in the life of the school through formal and informal structures?
• Is there an emphasis on learning and positive staff attitudes to students?
• Are there extra-curricular activities which broaden students' interests and experiences?
• Is responsibility being shared by students and is there a positive student attitude to teachers?
• Is there a recognition of individual and collective responsibility?
• Is there a collaborative approach to teaching and learning?
• Is there a respect for the rights of students with a just system of rewards and sanctions?
• Is there a holistic view of education?
• Are links with the wider community fostered and are visitors given a warm welcome to the school?
• Is there a strong sense of school as a community and a good pastoral system which helps students feel that they belong?
• Are there democratic forms of school governance in which staff and students are involved in the decisionmaking?

Whole school events such as the celebration of International Human Rights Day (10th December), mock elections, the establishment of Student Councils, international/cross-border exchange programmes, visits to community facilities and charity work are all part of building a healthy school ethos.

CROSS-CURRICULAR POSSIBILITIES IN CSPE

A whole-school approach will also include the permeation of CSPE into all subjects. Opportunities for cross-curricular collaboration abound.
The Department of Education and Science recommends that teachers of CSPE should have their CSPE class for another subject. The subjects History, Geography and Religious Education have obvious links with CSPE, making it possible to link the learning between subjects. However, with a bit of thought there are many other subjects that create cross-curricular possibilities.

Gaeilge, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish provide poems, drama and stories which feature many of the issues which occur in CSPE. The writing of a formal letter is a skill that many students of CSPE may find necessary and should be familiar with in their quest for information, requesting appointments and thanking people for their help.
All official documents in Ireland, for example Passport Form and Census Form are available as Gaeilge and this provides teachers of this subject with an opportunity to examine these in class.

Mathematics can be very useful to students when trying to visually represent information from surveys and questionnaires in the form of pie charts and bar graphs. Working out quotas for elections could also be done in a mathematics class.

Art teachers could use the opportunity to show students how to design posters that attract attention but also contain necessary information about a meeting or debate.

Computer Studies classes could be used to teach students how to conduct research, how to access information on the Internet, how to type/word-process using a specific programme and how to represent information on a spreadsheet/brochure.

Science deals with the concept of stewardship of the environment. Recycling and waste management feature as part of the science syllabus and are an important link with the concept of Stewardship in CSPE.

Using the cross-curricular potential reinforces the notion that CSPE is happening all around us and is not confined or restricted to one class per week. The links provided by other subjects help students to develop their awareness of this. Another way of highlighting the omnipresence of CSPE is to put a chart on the wall with the seven concepts as headings. At the start of each CSPE class ask the students if they have come across any issue or topic in another subject which could be relevant to the concepts and CSPE. Note this on the chart. After a while the students will become more aware of the day-to-day relevance and occurrence of citizenship issues all around them.