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Professional Development and Raising Standards:
International Research Project Opportunity
Dear Headteacher/ Head of Humanities,
Global Education Derby, MUNDI and the Centre for Citizenship Education at LeicesterUniversity have been successful in a DFID (Department for International Development) bid for an educational project to develop and pilot a learning methodology based on critical educational approaches to citizenship education.
LEARNING METHODOLOGY The methodology is based on the concept of ‘communities of enquiry’ and aims to create spaces where participants (teachers and students) can feel safe to explore different perspectives/worldviews on global and local issues and become aware of their own perspectives/worldviews, without being told what to think or what to do.
DEVELOPING SKILLS AND RAISING STANDARDS Previous piloting of the methodology has produced evidence that it can also enable participants to develop transferable skills such as critical, analytical, systems thinking and communication skills, all essential for raising standards. The themes of the project are articulated with the requirements of the citizenship curriculum for key-stages 3 and 4 in the UK, but they can be associated with many other disciplines in the humanities area, such as RE, Physical and Moral Education, philosophy, English, Modern Languages and Geography (see conceptual framework attached).
INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT The project will run pilot groups of teachers and students worldwide and invite members of the educational and academic community to look into the learning outcomes of the methodology in a major international research project.
OPPORTUNITITIES IN THE EAST-MIDLANDS In the UK, we are recruiting 40 secondary schools and sixth form colleges in the East-Midlands to take part in this initiative . The schools involved will be offered a free 16 hour CPD course* (a space for participative discussions on the themes of the project, the methodology itself and action research) for up to 6 members of staff. This should give participants an opportunity to experience and analyse the methodology and to explore possibilities for adapting it to their contexts.
COMMITMENT Participants will be asked to plan an action research project with their students related to the methodology (customised to their students’ needs) and will be offered support to undertake that. Participants will also be invited to:
The CPD course can have a very flexible schedule and be delivered in-house or jointly with teachers from other schools in each area.
INTERNATIONAL LINKING AND COMMUNICATION There will also be opportunities for linking with project partners (teachers and students) in other contexts (online, through video-conferencing or face-to-face). The team of international partners is inter-disciplinary and currently involves academics, teacher-trainers and educators in universities, schools and organisations in 6 countries: Brazil, Canada, USA, Singapore, France and Israel.
WHAT TO DO NEXT? We would like to arrange a meeting with you and other interested members of staff to explore the possibilities for your college to take part in this educational initiative. If you are interested, please send us the booking form attached by 20 June.
We very much hope to hear from you!
Yours sincerely,
Alexander Kosogorin Mundi co-ordinator alexander.kosogorin@nottingham.ac.uk TEL/FAX: (0115) 9514485
Linda Barker Derby & Derbyshire project co-ordinator Global Education Derby linda@globaleducation.org.uk TEL/FAX: (01332) 298 185
Vanessa Andreotti Research Liaison Officer MUNDI taxvoa@nottingham.ac.uk vanessa@globaleducation.org.uk TEL/FAX: (0115) 951 4485 TEL/FAX: (01332) 298 185
*There is possibility for the provision of some teaching cover, however, we expect schools to cover the costs of their staff by incorporating the project into their continuing professional development plan. |
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Dialogue and Action Research Forum |