Citizenship Education

CITIZENSHIP

E D U CAT I O N

INTRODUCTION

CITIZENSHIP Citizenship is the status of being a citizen and refers to the relationship between the individual and the state, and among individuals within a state. Citizenship emphasizes the development of social and moral responsibility through involvement in the community.

ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP Active citizenship is about being involved in your community, having your say and taking part in decisions that affect you. Above all, it's about people making things happen. This often means taking the opportunity to be actively involved in tackling the things that need to change around you. As a result you will be able to improve the quality of life in your local community.

Implementing the following topics in the class. 1. An active citizen is someone who is a responsible person. Responsibility includes both private, personal responsibility and public responsibility. Individuals and groups have responsibilities. Responsibility is about action, and it includes much of what people think of as good citizenship. We must point out that one of the main responsibilities of students is to learn. They must educate themselves so that they can live up to their full potential. Strategy to use: Poster

Start a discussion about the rules that should be followed in your classroom. Write each rule as it is discussed on the board or a chart. Talk about why each rule is important. If students don't suggest anything like the following rules, which relate to the five themes, you can add them: • • • • •

Tell the truth. Be caring. Respect others. Be responsible for what you do and say. Be brave enough to do the right thing and to ask for help when you need it.

Discussion: Do you think it is difficult to be a responsible person? Do you think you are a responsible person? How?

2. An active citizen is someone who shows respect Respect is similar to compassion but different in some ways. An important aspect of respect is self-respect, whereas compassion is directed toward others. Respect is also directed toward inanimate things or ideas as well as toward people. For example, people should have respect for laws. Finally, respect includes the idea of esteem or admiration, whereas compassion is a feeling people can have for others they don’t necessarily admire. Out of honesty, compassion, and respect comes Responsibility. Strategy to use: Storytelling STORYTELLING: Stimulates discussions of social responsibility and citizenship. Develops verbal, visual and emotional literacy, and critical thinking skills. Helps deal with difficult realities in a manageable way. Provides a route into helping children discuss, accept and deal with change. Challenges stereotypes and prejudice and allows pupils to explore a range of perspectives and points of view.

A story about respect - An American Indian Legend There once was a man, who was raising his young son. The mother had passed away in childbirth and he was teaching his son all that he knew. This son, grew up and in time wanted to go to a nearby village and find him a companion. Many months passed and the young man returned to his home, and with him he had a woman, his wife. They lived in the home of his father. Shortly after, they had a son. And the father, now a grandfather began teaching this young boy all that he knew. How to respect the forest, the animals and life. The mother, tiring of sharing her home with the old man told her husband that she wanted the old man out. The father spoke "I cannot, this is his home and he built it for us." She spoke "If you do not make him leave then I will take our son and I will leave." The father agreed and spoke to his son. "My son, tomorrow I want you to take Grandpa out and leave him. Give him this blanket." The young boy cried. "Why do you do this? Grandpa has been teaching me all that I know. Why do I have to do this to him?" The father spoke. "Son, follow the wishes of your father." So the next morning, the father went hunting to the North. The son took Grandpa as far as he could walk to the South. That evening the young boy was sitting on the bed crying when his father came In. He saw the blanket on the bed. "Son, I thought I told you to give Grandpa the blanket?" "I gave Grandpa half of the blanket. The other half, I will give to you some day." The mother and father understood the message. And they went and brought Grandpa back. Organising a discussion where we compare what the story is telling and what today’s reality is.

3An active citizen is someone who cares, respects and protects his social and natural environment. Environmental citizenship involves every one of us. It means doing what each of us can, as much as we can, to protect our environment and make Mauritius a better place to live. Strategy to use: Project Step 1: Issue identified: Using the bin properly in the classroom without disturbing the class lessons. Solution: Each pupil having a bin near him/her. Step 2: Brainstorming Carrying out a class discussion to make pupils realize that: (i) we have to walk up to the bin which is a distance away. (ii) we disturb the class when doing so (iii) the teacher has to stop the lesson and wait for the pupil to go back to his/her place (iv) sometimes many pupils use the bin at the same time Step 3: Investigation: Activity: What type of waste do we dispose of in the classroom, why and how often in a day. Wastes

Why

How often

Pencil shavings To sharpen the pencils

10 times

Paper

Used to do calculations

5 times

Plastic

Used for wrapping food

2 times

Step 4: Communication Each pupil should have a bin. The bin should be small enough to put under the desk. The bin should be emptied only at noon and in the afternoon. Step 5: Action Pupils bring small boxes from home e.g. plastic boxes of butter. Teacher distributes empty chalk boxes to pupils.

4. An active citizen is someone who participates actively in the life of the community Pupils learning about becoming helpfully involved in the life and concerns of their neighbourhood and communities, including learning through community involvement and service to the community. The child’s right to be heard on decisions affecting his or her life. As abilities progress, the child should have increasing opportunities to take part in the activities of society, as a preparation for adult life. Strategy to use: role-play The role-play method is a good way to get the whole class into a fun activity. A role play is a short improvised drama played by the participants. It aims at bringing to life circumstances or events which are unfamiliar to the students. Role plays can improve understanding of a situation and encourage empathy.

The Lion and the Three Bulls THREE BULLS for a long time pastured together. A Lion lay in ambush in the hope of making them his prey, but was afraid to attack them while they kept together. Having at last by guileful speeches succeeded in separating them, he attacked them without fear as they fed alone, and feasted on them one by one at his own leisure. Union is strength. Using the above story teacher adapts it to write a play. 3 pupils play the role of the three bulls and one plays the lion. Scene 1:

Act 1: The three bulls. Bull 1: Hi my friends. How are you? Bull 2 and Bull 3: Fine. Bull 1: Hey look out! The lion is coming. Bull 3: Take your positions. Act 2; The lion comes roaring. The bulls face the lion showing their huge horns.

The lion roars furiously and goes away. Scene 2: Act1: The three bulls. The three bulls grazing grass. Bull 2 going towards Bull1. Bull 1: Don’t come near. This is my grazing place. Bull 2: But we are friends. Can’t we share? Bull 1: No. Go and eat elsewhere. Bull 2 goes to another place to eat. Bull3 goes to Bull 2. Bull 3: Can I eat with you? Bull 1: No. Go elsewhere. The three bulls eat separately. Act 2: The lion enters the scene. The lion attacks Bull1 then Bull 2 and finally Bull 3 and kills them.

End of play

Discussion: Have you understood the play? Who, you think is/are to be blamed? Do you think we people in Mauritius of different race and religion should live separately? Moral: United we stand. Divided we fall.

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