Citizenship Education for Sustainable Development: Theoretical and Practical Approaches for Project ESICS

Abstract

This research is a part of the project ESICS contexts in the social problem. Therefore, it is difficult for teachers to treat same issue as same context. Thus, they corporate with same ambiguous topics such as “Rice” or “Food” reluctantly. Many teachers of ESD schools (natural science teachers were mainly responsible for ESD in the schools) feel difficulty to collaborate in lessons with the topic. ESD need perspectives of citizenship education because many of social issues belong to terms of social sciences. B. Social Sciences and ESD These ESD lessons have gradually changed to include social science perspectives in 2010‟s. During UNDESD period, UNESCO discussed “After UNDESD” and adopted GAP (Global Action Program) in 2013. They finally published a handout “Global Citizenship Education” in 2014 [3]. At the same time, many good educational programs were published world widely. They focused social aspects of SD issues. Hand Print Project, promoted by CEE (Center for Environmental Education), India, has world network. The group developed many social conscious environmental educations. Paryavaran Mita Program is national wide project of India promoted by CEE. The project name means “Friends of Environment”. This program aims to develop students as young leaders who were selected from schools across India and make students‟ network. This program has 5 topics of units; “Water and Sanitation”, “Energy”, “Waste Management”, “Biodiversity and Greening” and “Culture and Heritage”. The ecological actions of the program are not only natural perspective, but also cultural and social perspectives [4]. However, the final aim of the project remains only “positive change in behaviour and action” of students. Social Action Curriculum Project also has social aspects of environmental issues. This project was developed by UK group of Hand Print Project network. They developed a grade 8 teaching material [5]. The handout includes 5 lesson units. Each lesson concerns specific school subject. Lesson 1, “Canadian Natural Resources Research Introduction”, is linked the subject “Geography: Economic Systems”. Students will explore development and trade of natural resources from the perspective of economics and society. However, students‟ achievement in this program remains “understanding”, not go far enough to find problem solving strategy in their real society. In contrast to these programs, our program includes social science perspectives to understand social issues and to develop political literacy for active citizens. (K.T.) III. THE LIMITS OF CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION A. Two Origins of Citizenship Education Historically said, UK citizenship education was a kind of elite education to develop political accomplishment, nationalism and leadership [6]. In 1908, Robert Barden-Powell started Boy Scout Movement to cultivate ordinary children‟s citizenship through military style activities [7]. Hynes points out this is the origin of UK citizenship education for children [8]. In 1898, Moral Instruct League was established in London. These were the origin of one stream of UK citizenship education. They think that students should “become” citizens through volunteer and school lives, and students should adjust existing society. This citizenship education aims to cultivate students as “Good Citizens.” Another stream of UK citizenship education is Liberalism side. In 1934, Association for Education in Citizenship was established against Fascism and Nazism [9]. In 1944, Harold Laski and his colleagues established Hansard Society and promote learning parliamentary government for ordinary people. The group advocated political education. In 1969, the society established sub group, Political Association, which promote political education in collages. Then, Deck Heater asked to attend Barnard Crick, the founder of English school subject “Citizenship Education” in 2002. In 1974, Hansard Society was funded by Nuffield Foundation and started project “Programme for Political Education”. In 1978, Crick and Alex Porter published “Political Education and Political Literacy” [10] as a grand sum of the project. They think students should learn political literacy to become “Active Citizens”. In 1997, Labour Party in UK, David Blunkett, organized “the Advisory Group on Citizenship” and nominated Barnard Crick as the chairperson. Many members of advisory group, of course, Crick side. But he also nominated Marianne Talbot, National Forum for Value in Education Community, and Elizabeth Hoodless, CSV (Community Volunteer Service). Their stance belongs to former stream. Crick nominated multifaceted stance of members widely. He may stage the committee as national debate. They finally issued famous “Crick Report” in1998 [11]. B. Community Participation and “Dispositions” These two aspect of citizenship education are seemingly an adversary relation. Conservatives insist that students should be Good Citizens through acquiring or sharing existing values. Liberals insist that students are already citizens and they should develop their democratic dispositions as Active Citizens through participating to their communities. Do they have different images of values in citizenship education? As Halstead and Taylor explain values „are principals and fundamental conviction which act as justification for activity in public domain‟ [12]. Conservatives, of course, emphasize values to share in citizenship education. But Liberals also mention democratic values. Pike distinguishes these two values into „values‟, „virtues‟ and „attitudes.‟ Examples of values are justice, equality, freedom, happiness, security truth. Values can therefore be distinguished from related and sometimes overlapping terms like „virtues‟ (which are personal qualities or dispositions like truthfulness, generosity, courage, loyalty or kindness) and „attitude‟ (which are acquired tendencies or predispositions to behave in a predictable manner, such as openness, tolerance, respect and freedom from prejudice) [13]. Conservatives‟ values are „values‟ in Pike writing. They seem to have common sense among Good Citizens. Liberals‟ values are „attitudes‟ noted above. They are required in democratic dialogue. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 7, No. 10, October 2017