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T&L 02: Educating Youth To Make Sense Of Europe: Case Studies On Teaching And Learning About The EU
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Educating Youth To Make Sense Of Europe: Case Studies On Teaching And Learning About The EU This panel centres on tools, methodologies, and resources utilised for teaching about the EU. With an emphasis on active and critical approaches to learning, it applies frames of critical understanding, ludic pedagogy, political socialisation and citizenship education to explore teaching practices. Panel papers explore and reflect on the capacity of experimental curricula, field-trips, boardgames and simulations to meet the information and engagement requirements of active European citizenship in different national settings. They address theoretical and practical questions in the design and delivery of active-learning artefacts across educational level (primary, post-primary, and third level). In doing so they chime with discussions in educational and political fields on the need to unwind the perceived complexity of EU policy and decision-making. More specifically, they explore; a framework of political knowledge for active European citizenship at primary level, a field trip to EU institutions for critical understanding of EU decision-making at postgraduate level, boardgames and simulations for overcoming salience and engagement hurdles associated with the EU at third level, and the role of efficacy and experience in teaching socio-political topics at post-primary level. In the panel discussion, it is hoped that these papers stimulate a wider conversation on theoretical and practical concerns of teaching and learning political topics, along with the frames applied to the EU as an entity and Europeanness as a strand of citizenship. Presentations of the Symposium Substantive Knowledge, Powerful Knowledge And Active citizenship: An Experiment At Primary Level With European Citizenship Education When teaching about the European Union, a multi-level system of governance which an overwhelming number of primary school students know little about, it is understandable that the main focus of an educational programme on Ireland and the EU be on substantive knowledge gain. However, most academics specialised in curriculum theory and education, agree that this is not enough to develop active citizenship. Keating (2009, p.163) contends that the three dimensions of citizenship education - namely educating about citizenship, through citizenship and for citizenship – need to be present when conceiving a programme of education on European citizenship, with ‘a multi-faceted (and critical) approach to teaching about Europe’. Using an experimental PAR approach as well as a pre and post questionnaires with the students, this paper uses the framework of powerful knowledge (Young & Muller, 2013) to develop an argument around the type of civic knowledge required and the shortcomings knowledge itself brings in fostering and empowering active citizens. Car Crash Or Crash Course? Reflections On A Brussels Field Trip And Students Understanding Of The EU Experiential learning as a form of active learning 'on the ground' is conventionally considered a critical tool to both solidify and nuance understanding of course material. But does it live up to those hopes and under what conditions? This paper draws on surveys of students going on a trip to Brussels as part of their postgraduate studies and a debrief with coordinating staff to reflect on the learning objectives of the trips, whether they were met, what worked and did not and how design changes may improve a cost/benefit analysis of trips for both staff and students. Ludic Pedagogy And Boardgames About EU And Brexit In The Classroom This paper focuses on how board games and roleplay activities can be used as tools in teaching and learning about the European Union. It refers to the concept of ludic pedagogy. In general, gameplay might supplement traditional classroom learning in three ways directly relevant to teaching European Union affairs. First, games offer an element of entertainment which invigorates students who can be intimidated or uninterested in learning complex topics about the EU. Second, games place players as active participants rather than passive observers, creating an immersive experience that better reflects policymaking practices. Third, games function as counterfactuals, increasingly used in teaching history, to demonstrate that the EU policymaking is not predetermined but results from a combination of strategy, on-the-spot decisions, and personal assumptions made by political “players” who do not know the consequences of their choices. This makes games an effective way to teach the difficulties policymakers face in the complexity of the European Union. This paper discusses several games based on the political process in the European Union and a particular case study of Brexit. In all of the games, students experience first-hand the complexities of the political processes, during policymakers need to balance domestic and international priorities, respond to unforeseen external events, and negotiate outcomes in a rapidly changing process. The paper also discusses the representations of the European Union in those games in the larger context of popular culture. Therefore, board games are both educational tools in the classroom, but they can also convey specific representations of the popular identity of the European Union. Expertise And Efficacy: A Study Of Post-Primary Teachers' Experience Teaching European Politics This paper assesses expertise and efficacy as pedagogical resources in teaching European politics. Analysis is based on a survey of socio-political teachers at post-primary level in the Republic of Ireland, conducted in the current academic year. Analysis considers the distribution of expertise and efficacy and their role as resources for teaching European politics. Its theoretical basis falls within frames of political socialisation and political engagement in political science and educational disciplines. The study reflects on the impact of curriculum design and teacher support, as features of national contexts. Finally, it explores teachers' recommendations for enhancing the teaching of European politics given the current setting of adolescent learning. Studies in education, political science, and sociology affirm the importance of teachers as agents of political socialisation. Teaching style and classroom activities have been found to impact elements of youth political engagement and mitigate individual socio-economic effects. The efficacy and experience of political educators thereby impacts the socialisation and development of young citizens’ socio-political attributes and identities. The paper aims to open a wider consideration on the theoretical and practical concerns of teaching European politics within the limitations of national curricula and contexts. | |