Introduction to teaching Citizenship: Part 2

About this event

In the second workshop of our 3-part series, we will look at how to incorporate Citizenship knowledge within your lessons and planning.

This session will focus on democracy, one of the core concepts of Citizenship and a fundamental British value. The session will explore the complex nature of democracy and the multi-faceted levels of knowledge attached to the concept. We will also look at how this can be developed through the curriculum and demonstrate students’ progression.

Who is it for?

• Experienced teachers who are new to teaching Citizenship
• Early career teachers
• Trainee teachers

Why attend?

By attending this course you will

• Increase your understanding of the interplay between knowledge and concepts.
• Gain practical skills that will help you build powerful knowledge around Citizenship concepts for lessons.

Additional information

This workshop will support the CCF and ECF by: 

• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to sequence lessons so that pupils secure foundational knowledge before encountering more complex content.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to identify possible misconceptions and plan how to prevent these from forming.
• Increasing challenge with practice and retrieval as knowledge becomes more secure (e.g. by removing scaffolding, lengthening space or introducing interacting elements).
• Providing opportunities for all pupils to learn and master essential concepts, knowledge, skills and principles of the subject.
• Being aware of common misconceptions and discussing with expert colleagues how to help pupils master important concepts.
• Discussing and analysing with expert colleagues how to revisit the big ideas of the subject over time and teach key concepts through a range of examples.
• Drawing explicit links between new content and the core concepts and principles in the subject.
• Enabling critical thinking and problem solving by first teaching the necessary foundational content knowledge.

By attending the complete course participants will learn that:

• Effective professional development is likely to be sustained over time, building knowledge, motivating staff, developing teaching techniques, and embedding practice.
• Reflective practice, supported by feedback from and observation of experienced colleagues, professional debate, and learning from educational research, is also likely to support improvement.
• Teachers can make valuable contributions to the wider life of the school in a broad range of ways, including by supporting and developing effective professional relationships with colleagues

By attending the complete course participants develop as a professional, by:

• Engaging in professional development focused on developing an area of practice with clear intentions for impact on pupil outcomes, sustained over time with built-in opportunities for practice
• Strengthening pedagogical and subject knowledge by participating in wider networks and as part of the lesson preparation process.
• Seeking challenge, feedback and critique from mentors and other colleagues in an open and trusting working environment.
• Engaging with research evidence by accessing reliable sources, seeking support for how findings can inform practice, and monitoring the impact of applications.
• Reflecting on progress made, recognising strengths and weaknesses and identifying next steps for further improvement.

CPD strand – Introduction to Citizenship

This session is part of ACT’s CPD strand designed for anyone who is new to the subject – from ITE trainees, to experienced teachers who are teaching Citizenship for the first time. Introduction to Citizenship sessions help to develop your understanding of the core substantive knowledge of the subject, key concepts, and best practice in pedagogy. As outlined above, they have also been designed to support the CCF and ECF criteria, particularly in relation to subject, curriculum and classroom practice.