**NEW** General Election 2011 & The Fine Gael/Labour Coalition Cabinet

The 31st Dáil met for the first time on Wednesday, 9th March 2011. Seán Barrett, TD  for Dún Laoghaire (Fine Gael) was elected unopposed to the position of Ceann Comhairle. Following the Ceann Comhairle's election, Enda Kenny, TD  for Mayo (Fine Gael) was elected to the positon of Taoiseach by 117 votes to 27 (24 TDs abstained). Upon receiving his seal of office from the President  An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, nominated his Cabinet who have received their seals of office from President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. You can download the namesand photos of all members of the cabinet by clicking here. To find out who was elected for each of the 43 constituencies click on Election 2011 Results.

**NEW** Census 2011 - A Resource for CSPE 

Ireland's next census of population takes place on Sunday, 10th April 2011. Each census gives a clear picture of the social and living conditions of the people. The census provides vital information for planning Ireland's future.  This resource has been developed to enable students and teachers to explore Census 2011. It focuses on the CSPE concept of DEVELOPMENT and it also includes a Census-based ACTION PROJECT. You can download the resource here by clicking on Census 2011 & CSPE. For further information on the Census click on www.census.ie.

**NEW** MerrionStreet.ie

MerrionStreet.ie, the new online Irish Government News Service, which provides lots of informaiton about the work of the Irish government. Click on www.merrionstreet.ie.

**NEW** What Do You Say? Resource from the Ombudsman for Children

A new range of materials for CSPE from the Ombudsman for Children's Office is now downloadable here What Do You Say?. A limited number of printed copies are also available. Contact oco@oco.ie or ring (01) 8656800 . Topics include "Having a Voice", "Family Care", "Wealth and Material Deprivation", "Young People and Education". The teaching and learning resource pack comes with a set of posters, suggested activities and ideas for Action Projects. The Introduction to the resource states: 'The purpose of this resource is to make young people more aware of children's rights and to highlight how they apply to them in their everyday lives. The materials also highlight the role and work of the Ombudsman for Children's Office'. 

**NEW** Latest Edition of Newsletter

In the latest edition of the CSPE newsletter 'CitizeNews' there is information about some changes to the Report on an Action Project (RAP) for submission in 2011, a resource to help you and your students prepare for Election '11  and some other useful resources. Click here to download CitizeNews, December 2010.

**NEW** Evening Workshops

Using Film in CSPE

A series of evening workshops has been organsied commencing on Monday, 21st March focusing on the use of film in the CSPE classroom.  A selection of film resources will be given to each participant, including the following: View from Here (Irish Wheelchair Association); Experiences of Childhood; The President of Ireland - Role and Functions; The Houses of the Oireachtas; 2020 Vision - A Closer Look at the Environment and Ireland and the European Union. See Brochure for details. Download Booking Form here.

Deadline for completing Reports on Action Projects (RAPs) and
Course Work Assessment Books (CWABs)

 

This year's deadline for the completion of RAPs and CWABs will be much earlier this year -  Friday, 15th April 2011. Blank RAPs and CWABs for this year's examination candidates will be sent to schools directly by the State Examinations Commission. If you have any queries contact Ms. Majella Smyth at 0906-442700. The completed RAPs and CWABs are handed up in schools and retained securely in schools until the day of the written examination when they are handed over to the Examination Superintendent.

 

 

CSPE Written Examination 

This year's Junior certiciate examination in CSPE will take place on Monday, 13th June 2011 from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. In preparation for the Junior Certificate the most recent examination papers for CSPE are available to download here: Exam'10 and  Exam '09. To download the colour insert that accompanied these written papers click here Colour Insert '10 and Colour Insert '09.

 

The Marking Schemes for the 2010 and 2009 Written Paper, the RAP and the CWAB are all available here: Marking Scheme 2010 and Marking Scheme 2009.

 

The most recent published Chief Examiner's Report on Civic, Social and Political Education is for the 2009 Junior Certificate examination and it is available to download here: Chief Examiner's Report 2009.  

CSPE Newsletter

This newsletter provides teachers with information with some really useful teaching and learning resources across a range of course concepts. All of the resources mentioned are available online to download. Newsletter March 2010.

**NEW** Journey through Europe Resource

The European Studies Programme in co-operation with the CSPE Support Service have produced this teaching and leanring resource with the very generous financial support of the European Commission Representation in Ireland.This resource was developed by a team of dedicated CSPE teachers and support personnel: Gillian Casey, Eileen Coleman, Michael Domoney, Eileen Gray, Conor Harrison, Maxine Judge, Lorna Lavelle, Kathryn Moore, Mary O'Donnell, Deirdre Phelan, Aoife Ruane, Jim Ryan and Dolores Stinson.

Journey through Europe is laid out as a module of work. it contains ten core lessons and suggesitons for Action Projects. The pack includes teachers' notes together with any materials and resources needed for classroom use. The emphasis is on engaging students actively in their own learning and encouraging them to discover the European Union for themselves and to become aware of its importance in their lives. Students are provided with opportunities through this resource pack to develop their knowledge of Europe, their Citizenship skills and attitudes that will encourage active citizenship at the european level.

Journey through Europe focuses on the course concept of Interdependence, while also helping students to develop their understanding of the concepts of Democracy and Law.

The Classes and Activities are available to download here.

Introduction Introduction

Class 01 - What does it mean to be Irish? Class 01

Class 02 - Characteristics of European Union Member States. Class 02  Jigsaw Activity

Class 03 - Travelling within the EU. Class 03

Class 04 - The History of the European Union. Class 04 

Class 05 - The €uro. Class 05

Class 06 - Making Decisions in the EU. Class 06

Class 07 - The Communications Company. Class 07

Class 08 - Local, National and European Issues. Class 08

Class 09 - Accessing Europe. Class 09

Class 10 - What does it mean to be European? Class 10

Task Cards for Class 04, Class 06, Class 07, Class 08 and Action Project 01 and Action Project 02. Task Cards

The Appendices include a Revision Word Search, some Sample Examination type Questions and TWO Action Projects: 1) Celebrating Europe Day and 2) Organising a Mock European Election. Appendices

Some additional weblinks:

Europe on the Move Poster which charts the development of the European Uniion from its foundation. Europe on the Move

EU Member States Map. EU Map

EU Passport Actiivty Booklet. EU Passport

Let's Explore Europe Information Booklet on the EU Member States. Let's Explore Europe

Europe Day, 9th May 2010 Poster. Europe Day

Short Guide to the Lisbon Treaty. Lisbon Treaty Short Guide

Extended Guide to the Lisbon Treaty. Lisbon Treaty Extended Guide

Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament. President of European Parliament

Ireland's 12 MEPs. Ireland's MEPs

Presidency of the European Council. Presidency

Herman von Rompuy, President of the European Council. President

Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. High Representative

Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. President of Commission

European Commission, 2010-2014. Commission

Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. Commissioner
 

**NEW** Think B4U Click Resource

 Thisa resource was produced by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the National Centre for Technology in Education in collaboration with the SLSS. It looks at Rights & Responsibilities with regard to internet safety. The pack contains information, classroom activities and ideas for Action Projects. Think B4U Click.
 

**NEW** Without your Home, your life develops differently Resource

This is a resource produced by FocusIreland on the issue of homelessness. This pack focuses on the course concepts of Rights & Responsibilities and Human Dignity. The pack contains information, classroom activities and ideas for Action Projects. Without your Home.

The CSPE Starter Pack

The CSPE Starter Pack CD-Rom has been fully updated and is being given out to teachers new to Civic, Social and Political Education at the Induction In-service courses taking place during October. All of the key documents relating to CSPE are on the CD-Rom (including the CSPE Syllabus, Teacher Guidelines, Teaching and Learning Materials, Past-Examination Papers including the 2008 Exam, Information on Subject Planning and Subject Inspection, etc.). This is a must have respource for all teaxchers new to Civic, Social and Political Education. For copies of this CD-Rom contact Ms. Angela Thompson at 053-923 9121 or e-mail her at angela@ecwexford.ie.

The 6 Steps: A Guide to CSPE Action Projects

To help clarify and simplify the process of the Action Project it is often broken down into six steps, which are followed on this DVD. Through collaboration with Irish Aid and Trócaire the Citizenship Education Support Team of the SLSS have taken the theme of Development, while using the Trócaire teaching and learning resource Solidaridad, and followed four different CSPE classes in different schools as they undertook their Action Projects. There is a Student version and a Teacher version on the DVD. Student comments and Teacher comments add to this very useful DVD.

*NEW* A Question of Aid - Trócaire's latest Citizenship Education Resource

This CSPE resource has been developed for teachers to explore with students the issue of Aid in the CSPE classroom. This booklet contains ideas for classroom activities that can be used in conjunction with a DVD available from Trócaire (www.trocaire.org/schoolresources). The resource focuses on the concepts of Rights and Responsibilities, Interdependence and Development. You can download this resouce from the Trócaire website (www.trocaire.org) or here bu clicking A Question of Aid.

*NEW* Dolceta - Online Consumer/Citizenship Education Resource

This online resources provides lots of classroom lessons and materials which relate to many of the themes explored in Citizenship Education using creative and innovative active learning methodologies. For further information www.dolceta.eu/ireland/.  

Subject Inspection in CSPE

The Department of Education and Science has included evaluation of Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) in its inspectorate work plan since the academic year 2007-08. In essence, the roll out of CSPE evaluation has involved five inspectors, one in each of the five regions in which the inspectorate operates. A Guide to Subject Inspection gives a full outline of the subject inspection process. In the Spring/Summer 2008 edition of CitizeNews the team of Inspectors inspecting CSPE wrote an article on Subject Inspection in CSPE. See pages 6-7. 

The School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI) have produced a number of tools and templates which are useful in supporting the process of subject evaluation. See www.sdpi.ie for further information. 

 

A significant number of reports on Subject Inspection in Civic, Social and Political Education are now available to read on the Department's website www.education.ie and then click on School Inspection Reports. 

 

 

CSPE Fact Sheet

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have recently produced a series of Fact Sheets on the Junior Certificate subjects for use with Sixth Class pupils and incoming First Year students. These will also be of use for parents at meetings for incoming parents or at Parent - Teacher meetings. The Fact Sheet for CSPE can be downloaded here CSPE Fact Sheet or at www.ncca.ie.
 

 

 

New Publications - Education for Citizenship and Diversity in Irish Contexts and Government in Modern Ireland

 

 

 

The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) has recently published the first collaborative collection of papers on Citizenship Education on the island of Ireland under the editorship of Gerry Jeffers (Education Department, NUI, Maynooth) and Una O'Connor (UNESCO Centre, University of Ulster, Coleraine). This publication had its origins in a cross-border conference on Citizenship Education under the auspices of the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North-South (SCoTENS) held in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan in 2004 where academics and practitioners from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland involved in Citizenship Education shared their experiences of curriculum development and curriculum implementation.  This publication offers an engaging range of practical suggestions, conceptual frameworks, critical analyses and policy challenges. It will be of interest to everyone who has an interest in the important and evolving area of Citizenship Education on the island of Ireland. This book costs €26. Click here for further information Brochure.

 

Former President of Ireland and Human Rights Activist, Mary Robinson, at the launch of Education for Citizenship and Diversity in Irish Contexts in the IPA Offices, 5th February 2009 with some of the contributors (from left to right : Andy Pollak, Alan McCully, Conor Harrison, Máirín Wilson, Mary Robinson, Gerry Jeffers, Una O'Connor, Majella McSharry, Deirdre Murphy, Marie Rooney and Tom Healy)

 

 

The Institute of Public Administration have also published a very useful guide to Government in Modern Ireland by Muiris MacCarthaigh. The book provides information on The Constitution, The Office of the President, Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann, The Government, The Civil Service, An Garda, The Courts, The Defence Forces and Northern Ireland. This book costs €20.  Click here for further information http://www.ipa.ie/?id=63&categoryID=3&pubID=666&sc=1.

 

Both books are available from The Institute of Public Administration (IPA), Publishing Division, Vergemount Hall, Clonskeagh, Dublin 6. Telephone: 01- 240 3600. E-mail: sales@ipa.ie.

 

 

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at 60

 

NEW Teaching and Learning Resource
 To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the UDHR on 10th December 2008 Amnesty International, Irish Section, have produced a resource on Rights and Responsibilities called Celebrating The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This resource is designed as a 10-12 lesson module of work with lots of classroom activities, worksheets and ideas for Action Projects. Two copies of this resource were mailed to each post-primary school in September. This resource can be downloaded from www.amnesty.ie/live/irish/article.asp id=23397&page=00 . For further hard copies contact Amnesty International.

 

NEW Series of Short Stories
Amnesty have also commissioned a series of short stories on each of the Articles of the UDHR which were published weekly, leading up to the 60th Anniversary, in The Irish Times and are also available on the Amnesty website http://www.amnesty.ie/amnesty/live/irish/action/article.asp?id=17978&page=15310.

 

NEW Radio Column

Each Friday afternoon, leading up to the 60th Annniversary on the 10th December 2008, on the Drivetime programme, between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., on RTE Radio 1, Amnesty's Executive Director, Colm O'Gorman, did a short radio column on one of the Articles of the UDHR. These are available to download as podcasts on http://www.rte.ie/radio/podcast/radio1.html Then scroll down to the Drivetime programme.

 

ONE WORLD WEEK 2008

For One World Week in November 2008 the National Youth Council of Ireland decided to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the UDHR also. To help prepare for One World Week they produced a resource on young people's rights called Setting Our Sights on Rights. The resource can be downloaded from http://voteat16.ie/Setting_our_Sights_on_Rights.pdf. Further information is available on www.youthdeved.ie. Or contact Lucy Hill  lucy.hill@nyci.ie .

 

 

New Teaching and Learning Resources

A number of other new teaching and learning resources for Civic, Social and Political Education have been published ranging across a number of the course concepts, including Rights and Responsibilities, Development, Stewardship, Law, Democracy and Interdependence.

 

The President of Ireland: Role and Functions
The Office of the President produced this DVD with an accompanying CD-Rom on the role and functions of the President of Ireland. The DVD explores the work of the President through the eyes of young people. It is 20 minutes in duration with some teaching and learning activities on the accompanying CD-Rom.

Coffee Matters in Guatamala 
This DVD and worksheet explore coffee production in Guatamala. They look at the growth of coffee co-operatives right across Guatamala and how they are trying to wrestle back control of the coffee industry. Fairtrade is very much part of that effort.

Creating a Climate for Change
Trócaire's latest Citizenship Education resource focuses on climate change and particularly how changes in climate patterns are challenging the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world. Since Africa is singled out as the continent likely to face the worst impacts of climate change this teaching and learning resource focuses on the effects of climate change on Kenya.  Click here to download Creating a Climate for Climate Change.

Show Racism the RED Card
This resource aims to familiarise students with the causes and consequences of racism. It also aims to help young people to develop the skills that will enable them to challenge racism when they encounter it. For more information take a look at www.theredcard.ie .

Sign Up, Log In, Opt Out: Protecting Your Privacy and Controlling Your Data
The office of the Data Protection Commissioner have developed this pack to explore the whole area of data protection. It looks at data protection as a human right; data protection legislation; social networking and data protection and the latest technology and data protection. To download this resource click here http://www.dataprotection.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=%2Fdocuments%2Fteens%2Fdefault%2Ehtm&CatID=88&m=t . This resource is also available 'as Gaeilge'.

Let's Look at the Law
The Courts Service developed this teaching and learning resource which consists of a DVD, posters and a teacher's pack. It is a module on the law and looks at topics like: Who's who in the Courtroom? What is the Law? Where do Laws come from? What happens during a Trial? If you are interested in getting a copy of the pack contact the Courts Service. For more information click on http://www.courts.ie/Courts.ie/Library3.nsf/0/0B536DB6D935C35180257404003F7135?OpenDocument . This resource is also available 'as Gaeilge'.

Giving Young People A Voice: Student Councils in Schools
This is a module of work that was developed for use in CSPE, but which can be used across the board in developing an educational programme within a school to educate all students on the role and functions of Student Councils and those students who are elected to serve on them. Click here to download a copy of this teaching and learning resource Giving Young People A Voice.
 

Student Council Support

Deirdre Phelan is the Co-ordinator for Student Council Support. She may be contacted at 086-3108944 or e-mail her on deirdrephelan@slss.ie for any of your Student Council queries. Important documents to do with Student Councils are available online to download at www.studentcouncil.ie.

 

'Images and Objects' Active Methodology Toolkit

This is a new teaching and learning resource focusing on the use of Images and Objects to explore Education for Sustainable Development. A copy of this resource was mailed to all post-primary schools in September. This resource will be of assistance to teachers and students as they explore the concepts of Stewardship, Development and Interdependence in particular. The resource was developed by Task Group 8 of the Consumer Citizenship Network. The Support Team had the pleasure of working with this Task Group in September 2007 while they were piloting a number of active learning methodologies on Sustainable Development. You can download this resource by clicking on Images and Objects. For further information on the Consumer Citizenship Network click on http://www.hihm.no/concit/. For more information on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development click on www.unesco.org/education/desd/.