Keynote and session resources
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On Saturday, Amal Azzudin - one of the ‘Glasgow Girls’ and a human rights campaigner - and her former school teacher Euan Girvan shared their experiences of challenging those in power around the treatment of asylum seekers.
Claire Dunphy, a primary school teacher in Scotland, then shared how she uses this story in the citizenship classroom. Resources and downloads: |
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The second day opened with a keynote by Dan Firth, the Labour Party’s Director of Community Organising, about the need to invigorate more young people to take up political action.
Dan talked about community organising and his experience of organising over the last decade, and why he thinks it should be central to transforming schools, communities and the world. Listen to Dan Firth |
Tackling controversial issues in the classroom
Facilitated by Conor Harrison, Initial Teacher Educator, Maynooth University/UCD, Ireland, and Karl Sweeney, Education Adviser: Citizenship, PSHE, SMSC and Prevent, England
If classrooms are to be transformative, students must engage with the difficult issues in contemporary society. This workshop explored what makes issues controversial. It also tackled themes including: What makes an issue controversial?; Stances teachers take; Framing questions when dealing with controversial issues; Some useful active learning methodologies for dealing with controversial issues.
Document downloads:
Facilitated by Conor Harrison, Initial Teacher Educator, Maynooth University/UCD, Ireland, and Karl Sweeney, Education Adviser: Citizenship, PSHE, SMSC and Prevent, England
If classrooms are to be transformative, students must engage with the difficult issues in contemporary society. This workshop explored what makes issues controversial. It also tackled themes including: What makes an issue controversial?; Stances teachers take; Framing questions when dealing with controversial issues; Some useful active learning methodologies for dealing with controversial issues.
Document downloads:
- Teaching Controversial Issues at Key Stage 3 (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, Northern Ireland)
- Tackling Controversial Issues in the Citizenship Classroom. A Resource for Citizenship Education. (CDVEC Curriculum Development Unit, in collaboration with the Professional Development Service for Teachers)
- Teaching Controversial Issues - professional development pack for the effective teaching of controversial issues (developed with the participation of Cyprus, Ireland, Montenegro, Spain and the United Kingdom and the support of Albania, Austria, France and Sweden)
- The Prevent Duty and Controversial Issues: creating a curriculum response through Citizenship (guidance for teachers and schools developed by the Expert Subject Advisory Group for Citizenship and published by the Association for Citizenship Teaching)
- What am I Looking At? Photo Placemat January 2018
Millbrook Primary School’s journey as an agent for change learning organisation: creating resilient communities
Facilitated by Lindsay Watkins, Headteacher, Millbrook Primary School, Newport, Wales
This seminar shared the journey of Millbrook Primary School as a committed learning organisation acting as an agent for change at the heart of its community. Headteacher Lindsey Watkins explored how the school supports and works with its local community to overcome a variety of issues. She outlined how the school’s work as a pioneer school for the new curriculum in Wales has enabled staff and students to innovate and pilot new ideas with the aim of developing improved citizens of the future. Lindsey shared how partnership working, the global goals and research support the school’s learning and development of its community.
Document download:
Facilitated by Lindsay Watkins, Headteacher, Millbrook Primary School, Newport, Wales
This seminar shared the journey of Millbrook Primary School as a committed learning organisation acting as an agent for change at the heart of its community. Headteacher Lindsey Watkins explored how the school supports and works with its local community to overcome a variety of issues. She outlined how the school’s work as a pioneer school for the new curriculum in Wales has enabled staff and students to innovate and pilot new ideas with the aim of developing improved citizens of the future. Lindsey shared how partnership working, the global goals and research support the school’s learning and development of its community.
Document download:
Involving whole school communities in tackling the Cost of the School Day
Facilitated by Sara Spencer, The Cost of the School Day Project, Scotland
School costs can put pressure on low-income families and put children at risk of missing out on opportunities and feeling different. Cost of the School Day involves children and young people, parents/carers and school staff in identifying financial barriers and taking action to remove them. In this session, participants:
Document downloads:
Facilitated by Sara Spencer, The Cost of the School Day Project, Scotland
School costs can put pressure on low-income families and put children at risk of missing out on opportunities and feeling different. Cost of the School Day involves children and young people, parents/carers and school staff in identifying financial barriers and taking action to remove them. In this session, participants:
- learnt about the development of Cost of the School Day in Scotland over the last five years and common financial barriers identified in schools
- became familiar with the Cost of the School Day Toolkit and the Cost of School film and used them to reflect on barriers and solutions in their own settings
- found out about changes made to policy and practice in Cost of the School Day schools and how this has impacted on children and their families.
Document downloads:
Hendon School: Empowering young people to transform their communities
Facilitated by Noelle Doona, Assistant Headteacher, Hendon School, London, England
The school has been working to encourage all students and staff to be active leaders finding “lollipop moments” to transform their community. This session explored how small changes can be transformative; how all students have become more engaged with student voice; and some examples of their successes and great learning experiences (failures!). It also explored how a tragic event that rocked the school community empowered a group of students to set up their own Mental Health Action Team, transforming not just the lives of students at Hendon, but making real and lasting changes for the wider community and inspiring others to do the same. The session provided an opportunity to share ideas and some ready to use resources.
Document downloads:
Facilitated by Noelle Doona, Assistant Headteacher, Hendon School, London, England
The school has been working to encourage all students and staff to be active leaders finding “lollipop moments” to transform their community. This session explored how small changes can be transformative; how all students have become more engaged with student voice; and some examples of their successes and great learning experiences (failures!). It also explored how a tragic event that rocked the school community empowered a group of students to set up their own Mental Health Action Team, transforming not just the lives of students at Hendon, but making real and lasting changes for the wider community and inspiring others to do the same. The session provided an opportunity to share ideas and some ready to use resources.
Document downloads: