Citizenship Education and Current Educational Reform

Abstract

This article examines the character of citizenship education in Canada as it is represented in the official policy documents of the provinces and territories, as opposed to the actual classroom practice of the curriculum-in-use. We consider policies in light of a typology of citizenship ranging from elitist to activist, and identify common as well as particular features of citizenship education. We find that the official curriculum of educational policy inclines towards an activist conception of citizenship. Cet article compare la formation en civisme au Canada, telle qu'elle se dégage des documents de politiques officielles des provinces et des territoires, aux cours de civisme dispensés dans les classes elles-mêmes. Les auteurs analysent les politiques à l'aide d'une typologie du civisme allant de l'élitisme à l'activisme et identifient les caractéristiques communes et distinctes de la formation en civisme. Selon les auteurs, les programmes officiels en la matière tendent plutôt vers une conception activiste du civisme.

A Movement to Belong: The Green Movement as a Site of Citizenship

“…Do you think the reason Iranians, especially youth, came together so quickly during the aftermath of the presidential elections was solely because they wanted an opportunity to see their home country change to their ideal state -an imagined Iran of their past? Or do you think it was driven by a desire to feel a sense of belonging as active citizens (Sears & Hughes, 1996) in Canada, by using a situation with which they felt an affinity as a launching pad?…”

Complete Issue (Tony DiPetta, guest editor)

“…While citizenship is a governing principle of public education, citizenship as a topic has been given particular and explicit attention in schooling through specific courses in citizenship education which have historically been viewed as a central obligation of public schooling (Sears & Hughes, 1996). Particular understandings of citizenship have influenced the aims and objectives of citizenship education.…”

“…Notable in the study, the Canadian material is relatively more conservative. Sears and Hughes's (1996) study of citizenship education across educational jurisdictions in Canada similarly found support for citizenship education that encourages a notion of activism, but they warn that in practice, this tendency is limited. Significantly, textbooks from all three countries focus entirely on national rather than global issues.…”

“…Sears and Hughes (1996) lament the exercise of limiting education for citizenship to social studies curriculum. They insist that while citizenship education has become central to social studies, the total lack of consensus on citizenship itself has become embedded in the continuous and unforgiving debate about the purpose of social studies.…”

“Bin Laden is responsible; it was shown on tape”: Canadian High School Students' Historical Understanding of Terrorism

“…Previous studies conducted in Canada (see, for example, Qué-bec Ministry of Education, 1996;Sears and Hughes, 1996;and Sears et al, 2000) indicate that history and social studies teachers are often reluctant to deal with controversial issues, particularly contemporary and regional/local ones. Lack of time and the degree of familiarity with the issue/subject, as well as the potential negative community reaction, are frequently cited by teachers.…”