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This paper looks at the growing interest in exploring alternative futures and in particular at the need for a futures perspective in education. It looks at the ways in which educators are responding to this and at the concerns expressed by young people themselves about the future. The value of a futures perspective in work exploring issues of environment and sustainability, whether in local or global contexts, is stressed.

This article begins by noting some of the global concerns that young people have today and highlights the crucial role of global education in responding to such concerns. It then considers the importance of teacher training in such matters and reports on a preliminary study relating to the initial training of teachers in England. In particular this raises questions about the knowledge and understanding that such students bring to their courses. It concludes by identifying some of the consequent dilemmas faced by teacher trainers working in this context.

Recent initiatives in England have promoted education for citizenship, including teaching about topical global issues, for both primary and secondary pupils. Little is known, however, of primary children’s interest in this area or the extent to which they see themselves as active citizens. This article reports on a study into primary children’s hopes and fears for the future at personal, local and global levels, their action for change and the contribution of schools. The research replicates a similar study undertaken 10 years ago. Findings indicate that children are concerned about particular local and global issues - including poverty, conflict, violence and the environment - and want solutions. There are differences in the responses of girls and boys, and in the responses of the 1994 and 2004 cohorts. Possible reasons for these are discussed as are curriculum implications for citizenship education in both primary and secondary schools.

One of the most significant features of society in the 21st century is the tendency for people in the later stages of their lives to want to play a more participative role. Seeking to be creative, offering community leadership, taking a second career are just some examples of what is becoming commonplace. However, one of the biggest problems we face is that those who are less visible in the community, such as older and retired people, or people living in isolated rural areas, usually have fewer opportunities to meet people and thus can easily find themselves disengaged from society. This can frustrate their desires to participate in society. Many may then become depressed and lonely, lacking the motivation to become re-engaged with their neighbourhood. They then gradually lose their identity as valuable and valued members of society, and often their health begins to suffer as well, producing personal distress and imposing additional demands on health care. This position paper proposes a qualitati...

Education for citizenship has the teaching of social and moral education, community involvement and political literacy at its core. Perhaps more than any other curriculum area, the influence of the home is significant, yet little is known of the extent to which parents support the teaching of citizenship. This paper presents the findings from a case study into the perspectives of thirty‐six parents in two primary and one secondary school. Although there is diversity of opinion among the parents, the majority support the work of their child's school in social and moral education and want more information about what is done. There is less support for community involvement and for the teaching of political literacy, although this varies according to the age of the child and social class.

Teacher educators from eight European countries undertook a collaborative study into children's understanding of their own national and European identity, their understanding of the geography and cultures of Europe and finally their understanding of how countries are governed. The views of the British children are reported here, set alongside a summary of those from the seven other countries. Findings indicate a confusion with the notion of British identity, a limited understanding of Europe's geography and peoples, but a high level of acceptance of those from other cultures and countries. The implications for geography teaching and for teaching about identity, tolerance, respect and European citizenship are discussed.

Education for citizenship is now recommended for all primary schools. Whilst primary teachers have long covered social and moral education, they have been less likely to cover teaching about community and political literacy (including the discussion of topical, controversial issues). This paper reports research findings on current practice and identifies key areas for discussion. It argues that there is great scope for enriching and enlivening the primary curriculum through the introduction of education for citizenship, by extending current practice in social and moral education and incorporating the newer themes of community and political literacy into existing teaching.

Teaching about controversial and topical and political issues has consistently been a difficult area for primary teachers, with many worrying about their professional role. Drawing on recent research and curriculum innovation this paper suggests that there are three key areas to be addressed if we are to allay these concerns: the teacher's role in handling controversial issues, appropriate teaching strategies and opportunities in the primary curriculum for addressing controversy and political issues. It suggests possible approaches and gives two extended examples of lessons for the primary classroom.

(2000). Learning for Democracy: From World Studies to Global Citizenship. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 39, Global Education - Viewed From Around the World, pp. 74-80.

Education for citizenship will be a new subject for children in England and Wales from September 2000. It will be mandatory for all pupils in secondary schools from 2002 and recommended for pupils in primary schools. This curriculum will focus on social and moral education, which is well established in schools, and the newer aspects of community involvement and political literacy (QCA, 1998, 1999). The success of this innovation will depend on the extent to which schools are able to build on work currently undertaken in schools in social and moral education, whilst introducing the two new elements. We know little of what teachers think about these three aspects of education for citizenship, what parents want or indeed how children will respond. We also know little about the work that is currently done in schools in the name of social and moral education, the foundation of education for citizenship. This article sets out to review the various interpretations of education for citizenship, including that recommended by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and to report on a small scale research project into teachers' current beliefs and practices in social and moral education. Discussion follows as to whether such practice is an adequate foundation for education for citizenship, and the implications for research and continuing professional development.

‘Do they keep cars out to save the streets?’ ‘Do they still have chariots?’ ‘I think Rome's in Italy … Italy? Is that in Africa? Paris? Australia?’

The visions that young people hold for their personal futures and the concerns they have for their community and the wider world are indicators of the values held by today's boys and girls. By documenting such concerns we can begin to understand the kind of society young people wish for and are prepared to work towards for the next century. This article describes recent work with children aged 7,11,14 and 18. It looks at their hopes and fears for the future, the kind of future they envisage for themselves and for the world, and the action they take towards creating a better future. Its specific focus is the differences in response between boys and girls which were most evident in relation to environmental concern, political awareness, social and family relation­ ships and the advent of new technology. I'd like a completely egalitarian and ecologically sound society, where all people and all nations live in harmony with each other, unthreatened by the shadow of nuclear destruction and global disaster. When problems arise they will not be hidden but confronted and solved in the most compassion­ ate and logical way.

This article describes the attempts of a small village school to take on board the findings of a major research project. We give the perspectives of both teacher and researcher to provide the full picture and to exemplify how researchers and teachers can work in close collaboration to improve the quality of education.

Education for human rights has been identified as a requirement for all children in Europe (Starkey, 1991). In Britain the cross-curricular theme of Education for Citizenship was a means of introducing such issues but its absence from the recent Dearing review indicates that citizenship education may become marginalised. Some opportunities are provided within the history curriculum, but these are not obvious to the inexperienced teacher. In Holland, however, the new history curriculum has issues of citizenship and human rights as central and the teacher is required to make links between past and present. This article describes the author's work within an Erasmus curriculum development project, Education for Citizenship in the New Europe: Teaching about democracy, human rights, social justice and global responsibility, with student teachers in both Holland and the UK. It describes the responses of students to an active learning approach where they were required to examine their understanding of citizenship...

summary There is considerable current interest in the need for a more ecologically sustainable future. If environmental educators wish to make a significant contribution to this debate, two prior and interrelated areas of concern need addressing. The first is recognition that teaching about global issues can sometimes be counterproductive and lead to feelings of despair. The second, explored in more detail here, is the need to know how young people conceptualise the future in the first place. A recent study of pupils’ views of the future is described which provides important information about their attitudes to the local and global environment.

As part of the 1988 Education Reform Act, standardized assessment procedures have been introduced in England and Wales within an explicit market philosophy in which schools are seen as ‘traders’ supplying a product for the benefit of their ‘consumers’ ‐‐ the parents. This market model of education is based on a number of assumptions about the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of both parents and teachers. The research reported here aims to examine some of these assumptions in the context of national assessment at Key Stage One. A sample was drawn up of 123 children (mean age, 7 years) from 20 contrasting schools in the South and South‐West of England. All the children underwent standardized assessment in the summer of 1992. The parents and teachers of these children were interviewed individually before the administration of standardized assessment tasks (SATs) and again after the SAT results had been reported to parents. Observations of ongoing teacher assessment were also made after the SAT p...

Recent legislation in England and Wales has aimed to bring a market philosophy into education. Schools are under increasing pressure to provide the kind of education that parents value, or face ext...

Whilst there has been much research into differences between boys’ and girls’ involvement in talk in whole class situations, there have been fewer studies analysing the nature of this talk in group work. This study uses episodes of mathematics/technology and language group work to investigate the differences between boys’ and girls’ involvement in talk and the nature of that talk. Findings show that boys and girls contribute differently depending on the curriculum area engaged in, and a clear pattern emerges of how talk is affected by the particular gender balance of the group. Furthermore, the quality of the talk is influenced by the gender balance. In particular the abstract level of talk achieved by girls is depressed when the group composition has more boys than girls.

Part 1: The Global Dimension 1. Responding to the World Dave Hicks 2. Principles and Precedents Dave Hicks 3. Young People's Concerns Cathie Holden 4. Student Teachers' Views Cathie Holden 5. Controversial Issues Cathie Holden Part 2: Key Concepts 6. Conflict Resolution Lynn Davies 7. Social Justice Ange Grunsell 8. Values and Perceptions Robin Richardson 9. Sustainable Development Ros Wade 10. Interdependence Teresa Garlake 11. Human Rights Margot Brown 12. Diversity Hilary Claire 13. Global Citizenship Julia Tanner Part 3: The Global Classroom 14. The Wider World in the Primary School Fran Martin 15. Global Citizenship in Secondary School Harriet Marshall

This is the final volume in the series European Issues in Children's Identity and Citizenship, arising from the ERASMUS Thematic Network Project Children's Identity and Citizenship in Europe (CiCe)...

Education for Economic and Industrial Understanding (EIU) now forms part of the school curriculum across the 5‐16 age range as one of several cross‐curricular themes. Considers how initiatives in schools‐industry links have developed during the last 15 years and raises several important issues. Argues that EIU can broaden children′s learning experiences but at the same time must be incorporated in ways which are relevant and appropriate to this age group and which reflect different forms of economic activity. Case studies provide evidence of the possibilities for curriculum development avoiding some of the problems which have been encountered in EIU.