(Im)mobility, 'hard to reach communities' and the practice of citizenship education

Our aim in this short conceptual chapter is to explore current understandings of the designation Hard to Reach when applied to communities, and issues arising from the development of interventions targeting such groups. By exploring the meanings attributed to the term in relevant literature, we will attempt to identify the ambiguities present in the definitions and understandings of Hard to Reach, also seeking to summarise those ambiguities that raise key questions about the designation. We will then associate these questions with conceptualisations of citizenship and citizenship education, and explore their implications for our understanding of the relationship between Hard to Reach spaces and the mainstream, and for the implementation of citizenship education interventions designed within the mainstream, intended for Hard to Reach groups

Crossing borders: new teachers co-constructing professional identity in performative times

This paper draws on a range of theoretical perspectives on the construction of new teachers’ professional identity. It focuses particularly on the impact of the development in many national education systems of a performative culture of the management and regulation of teachers’ work. Whilst the role of interactions with professional colleagues and school managers in the performative school has been extensively researched, less attention has been paid to new teachers’ interactions with students. This paper highlights the need for further research focusing on the process of identity co-construction with students. A key theoretical concept employed is that of liminality, the space within which identities are in transition as teachers adjust to the culture of a new professional workplace, and the nature of the engagement of new teachers, or teachers who change schools, with students. The authors argue that an investigation into the processes of this co-construction of identity offers scope for new insights into the extent to which teachers might construct either a teacher identity at odds with their personal and professional values, or a more ‘authentic’ identity that counters performative discourses. These insights will in turn add to our understanding of the complex range of factors impacting on teacher resilience and motivation

The deficit model of education views citizenship teaching as an imposition rather than a right

Citizenship has been taught in British schools for over a decade. Dr Michalis Kakos suggests that citizenship education has the potential to help individuals exercise their democratic rights, but that that the flawed, ‘deficit model’ approach to citizenship teaching used to date has led to a failure to fully realise this ambition

Embedding citizenship education: A tale of Trojan horses and conflicting performativities

This is the presentation of the results from an interactionist ethnographic study which examines the implementation of citizenship education in an English urban secondary school through an analysis of the interactions between students and teachers. It reports students’ and teachers’ claims that their interaction is guided by the expectations and the priorities set by a group of stakeholders (government, media, parents, management team) who are in position to influence the interaction between teachers and students although they are only occasionally present when this interaction takes place. Because of this invisible presence, this group is described in the paper as the ‘invisible audience’. The study argues that regardless of their scepticism towards the role of the ‘invisible audience’, teachers and students seem to actively support and respond to the audience’s expectations when they interact with each other. The study argues that this appears to be a result of a process which allows this interaction to function as a process of conformist (re)construction of roles though the construction of a new subjectivity in education. The participants in the study recognise that a consequence of the above is that their roles suffer from lack of humanity and flexibility, both of which are largely considered as essential elements of democratic citizenship education. In this context, the study suggests that the implementation of citizenship education is a cause of conflict of expectations attached to schools and of significant stress and frustration to the school community. The paper claims that this is a conflict between the school’s discourse as this is formed in the context of performativity and the discourse supported by citizenship education. Furthermore, it claims that the revolution in the English political culture advocated by Prof. Crick should have started with the establishment of an educational discourse more hospitable to citizenship education. citizenship education might have entered schools as a Trojan horse aiming to bring change, but ten years later, Troy is yet to fall

Citizenship education for unity and diversity within multicultural societies: critical policy responses within Europe

The multidimensional crisis in Greece has influenced relations between the native population and the large number of ethnic, national, cultural and religious minorities currently residing in the country. Poverty, intolerance and an increase in political extremism contribute to a grim illustration of the position of minority groups in Greece. Convinced there is a role for education in responding to this social fragmentation, and in actively supporting the development of intercultural understanding, this paper evaluates the Greek State’s approach to, understanding of, and expectations in reference overcoming divisions in society. Focusing particularly on the role of education in the development of students’ intercultural citizenship and identity, the study analysed four key documents outlining official strategies for the inclusion of minorities and the programme designed for Citizenship education. Our analysis suggests that although attempts have and are being made to improve intercultural communication, underlying these attempts is the problematic understanding underpinning Greek identity, which suggests Greece is an ethnically homogenous, mono-cultural society. The distinction between ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ which is integrated into Citizenship and intercultural education programmes could act as a counter-force to tolerance, preventing the attainment of the objectives set out in these programmes

Best Practice Models and Outcomes in the Education of Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

There is a rich and varied range of empirically based evidence on interventions for meeting the needs of students presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in mainstream schools. This paper is based on an international literature search and review of research published between 1980 and 2012. Particular attention is given to evidence defining the qualities and skills of effective teachers and the value of behavioural and cognitive behavioural interventions