Dec 07, 2012 / E-news, Project Citizen, Volume 4, Issue 1
Professors Carie Green of the Department of Education Foundations at Idaho State University and William Medina-Jerez of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Texas–El Paso co-authored an article on the use of the Center’s Project Citizen in the teaching of science. The article appeared in the December 2012 edition of The Science Teacher, which is a publication of the National Science Teachers Association. The article shows “the multidisciplinary Project Citizen approach to teaching and learning science and engaging students in action-oriented citizen science.”
The authors say that “Project Citizen teaches students to research and understand the positions of various stakeholders who may have diverse viewpoints on an issue. Ultimately, students come to their own conclusions and approaches to solving the problem. Students can address controversial issues such as the loss of jobs versus the enforcement of environmental regulations. Teachers can guide students to prevent tensions between local residents and organizations and companies that support the local economy.”
They observe that “Project Citizen teaches students that community problems are complex and the solutions do not always please everyone. The goal is to devise solutions that take all shareholders’ interests into account. Project Citizen’s success is partially due to its student-centered nature, so teachers should encourage student ownership from the very beginning.”
They show how Project Citizen aligns with the best practices described in A Framework for K–12 Science Education (National Research Council 2012) and how it addresses both the Science as Inquiry and the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996).
They conclude that Project Citizen “expands on the notion of citizen science through coupling scientific inquiry with civic literacy to address real-world problems. It engages students in STEM learning and environmental activism. Students learn that it is possible for them to identify problems, approach the relevant regulatory agencies, and affect decision making in their community.”
Professors Carie Green of the Department of Education Foundations at Idaho State University and William Medina-Jerez of the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Texas–El Paso co-authored an article on the use of the Center’s Project Citizen in the teaching of science. Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 18, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen
On September 17, students from Amideast’s Access 7 program showcased the public policy proposals they developed through Project Citizen, adapted for use in Lebanon by the Lebanese Center for Civic Education.
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Sep 20, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen
On September 8, 2012, the fifth annual Project Citizen National Finals in South Africa was held in the chamber of the Kwazulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg. The chamber dates from 1889 and the room was once graced by presentations from Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill.
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Sep 10, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen
More than seven hundred students participated in the 2012 Project Citizen showcase in Manila, Philippines. Las Pinas National High School was awarded “Best in Showcase” for their policy project on plastic waste.
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Aug 03, 2012 / Civitas International Programs, Project Citizen, Volume 4, Issue 1
Project Citizen Piloted in Bihar
Body Copy:
1500 students in India’s Bihar state participated in Learning Links Foundation’s Hindi adaptation of the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen curricular program. Pictured are students conducting field work in a rural community.
Full Story:
Sixty-six teachers and 1,500 students in government-run schools of India’s Bihar state recently participated in the Project Citizen curricular program, marking the first time Project Citizen was implemented in the Hindi language in this rural state. Working in collaborative groups, students in eighth and ninth grade identified problems in their communities and developed policy proposals to address these issues.
Learning Links Foundation (www.learninglinksindia.org), the Center’s Civitas International Programs partner, received support from the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy in India to conduct the program. Learning Links conducted professional development sessions for participating teachers in February 2012. The teachers then implemented the interactive, project-based curriculum with students in their classrooms. The students researched local issues, selected an issue to address, identified alternative policies for dealing with the issues selected, and developed policy proposals and action plans to promote those policies.
Upon completing their projects, the students presented their policy proposals to an audience of local leaders, educators, lawyers, and the media. Issues addressed by the students included: protection of women, strengthening governance, human rights issues, sanitation, environmental conservation, and harmony in society.
A student from Sakriya Naagrik commented, “Out of all the topics we received, our group chose to work on child labor. Children being exploited are children like us. We believe that they should get an opportunity just like us. We researched on the government policies that exist with regard to child labor and came up with our own set of proposed action such as providing the parents with employable skills or with jobs. This could help us in eradicating child labor and think instead about the children’s welfare.”
After observing the students’ presentations, Mr. Kartikeya, Indian Administrative Service Sub Divisional Magistrate, Danapur, spoke about how much society has to lose if citizens are passive. He observed that the students have already started at a young age the work that adults engage in while active in the fields of politics, social work, and government services. Emphasizing life skills, he shared how in today’s competitive world it is important to go beyond jobs, salaries, higher degrees, and a comfortable life, and display mental development, will power, resilience, confidence, and communication. Interacting with the students, he sensed that they displayed these qualities and skills.
Project Citizen, as it is used in India, is an adaptation of materials originally developed by the Center for Civic Education (www.civiced.org). Through the program, students learn how to monitor and influence public policy. Project Citizen has been adapted for use in more than sixty-five countries around the world.
About 1,500 students in India’s Bihar state participated in Learning Links Foundation’s Hindi adaptation of the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen curricular program. Pictured are students conducting field work in a rural community.
Students conduct field work in a rural community.
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Apr 03, 2012 / Project Citizen
Seventh-grade Project Citizen students from Dan McCarty School in Fort Pierce, Florida, noticed a problem: low voter turnout. Using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, they started a campaign to engage Florida residents in the voting process.
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