| dc.description.abstract | Focusing on the relation between Education in general and Citizenship Education in
particular some key questions come to the surface: Which kinds of new trends in learning
are compatible for citizenship education? Which knowledge, skills and attitudes
must be protected? How can teachers and students obtain the label ‘ good work’? How
can we avoid a dualistic approach and promote a more holistic way to link reason and
emotion, personal and social development? How can we empower the relationship of
education to a dramatically different world view?
In the last decade the European Commission launched the Long life learning process.
Not only for students and teachers to go on mobility but also other stakeholders like
entrepreneurs. New skills for new jobs became the adagio. Also industry had an impact
on the educational system. More and more models of quality assurance came into the
school gate and breathed the industrial spirit of a linear. Pupils are so much more than
products waiting to be shaped; teachers are so much more than instructors; each are
complex adaptive thinkers who need the freedom to grow their own minds1.
The third annual Education and Training Monitor (2014) charts the evolution of educational
systems across Europe. The strategic message for Member states is clear: we need
to strengthen our investment in education and training systems if we want them to
fully contribute to productivity, competitiveness and innovation in Europe. These goals
require quality education that is both relevant and inclusive (European Commission
2014). The modernization of education systems is an important element of the Europe
2020 strategy, reflected by its education headline target. The early school leaving rate is
12% and still above the Europe 2020 headline target of 10% or less. The more than five
million early school leavers across Europe face an unemployment rate of 41% and are
at a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion . The Monitor encourages the further
professional development of teachers, exploit the potential of innovative pedagogies
and digital learning and better address the importance of early childhood education.
Our approach will be strongly inspired by the innovated vision of the American cognitive psychologist Howard
Gardner: the five minds for the future. His school policy
model will be explained and compared with other taxonomies. Arguments will be
given reinforcing the idea that all the five minds are needed within a school policy
for the future. They give us a good profile of what an active citizen might look like in
complex, interconnected, multi- and trans-cultural societies. Innovative educational
models challenge the conventional frontal teaching and row – by – row learning and
the hierarchic teaching. ‘Sage on the stage to guide on the side’2 is not an easy switch
and is based on constructivist theory of learning. Interactive teaching in combination
with cooperative learning and peer – questioning create a new dynamic in the classroom.
Putting the classroom desks in a horseshoe shape create a forum for dialogue
and debate. Maybe there will be less silence, but the noise will be full of thoughts3.
Once the conceptual background is established, we’ll present an enquiry conducted
with a group of international students (some of them participated in the Erasmus +
program) who have been asked what are their ideas regarding work, character, interpersonal
relations, values and mindsets. This will help us to recommend a number of
pedagogical ideas to encourage students’ active citizenship. | en_EN |
