Worthing Meeting: Decisions

[John Simkin]

As a result of the numerous meetings we had we were able to make several decisions. There was virtually total agreement about the Comenius Proposal. It was also decided to call the project: “Teaching Active Citizenship with ICT in a Globalized Europe”.

It was decided that we would use the International Education Forum as a means of communication and therefore will not bother creating a specialized forum for the project.

First Year

Will create a “Teaching Active Citizenship” website. This will involve all project members writing an overview of how the subject is taught in their own country. They will also contribute one or more case-studies These would be published in English and in the language of the author.

We will also establish a team of “associates” from countries outside those of the project team. These associates will be commissioned to write an overview of how the subject is taught in their own country. They will also contribute one or more case-studies.

The website will also contain a collection of reviews of resources to teach citizenship (in the language of the member of the project).

Second Year

We will be adding to what we have done in year one. We will also add overviews and case-studies from countries outside of Europe. Most members have contacts with people who could contribute to this aspect of the project.

In the second year we will start providing some examples (activities, etc.) of how active citizenship could be taught.

We would also start planning the five day residential course that we need to deliver in the third year of the project.

Third Year

We will be adding to the website that we created in years one and two. However, the main priority will be in organizing the five day residential course.

Application Form

We spent Saturday going through the Comenius 2.1 Application Form. There was general agreement about issues such as staff costs, travel & subsidence, equipment and materials, sub-contracting, etc. However, no final decision was made concerning individual contracts. We will need to decide whether we have an agreement that places the emphasis on equality or one on the ability to contribute to the project.

We hope that Andrew Davies (Varndean School) will be the team leader. So far, only the following have been able to clearly state that they want to be a member of the Comenius Project as it was described at the meeting in Worthing:

Janos Blasszauer (Batthyany Lajos Gimnazium, Hungary)

Andrew Davies (Varndean School, UK)

Caterina Gasparini (Istituto Tecnico Industriale, Italy)

Juan Carlos Ocaña (Institution: IES Parque de Lisboa, Spain)

Ulrike Schuh-Fricke (Gymnasium Neue Oberschule, Germany)

John Simkin (Spartacus Educational, UK)

The main problem is that over the next few months we will have to find three teacher training institutions to join the project.

[David Richardson]

The main problem is that over the next few months we will have to find three teacher training institutions to join the project.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I talked the Project through with my boss this spring, and I think it's fairly certain that the University of Kalmar will be able to take part (and we're a teacher training institution). Whether I'm the main contact person is another issue. In our department we have a number of teacher trainers of History and Citizenship teachers who've been lurking on this forum already and are very interested in contributing in some way.

[Vicente López-Brea Fernández]

Dear Citizenship team :

My name is Vicente López-Brea Fernández and to some extent have collaborated with the E-HELP Project. Now transferred to the Spanish Lycée in Paris we are eager to develop a project on European Citizenship. The fact of being at a crossroads in cultural terms (Spanish institution with strong French presence) and the multilingual environment in which our students and members live (Spanish, French and English) may mean an active impkication in the contents that I have been able to read, a product of you Worthing meeting.

Institutionally we would like to be involved and will probably be able to develop our website to include all the aspects dealt with within the project.

If possible I would like to know whether the experience we may contribute will be admitted or the numbers are closed.

Kind regards.

[Juan Carlos]

Hi Vicente,

Thanks for your post.

So far it is not decided the definitive list of partners.

There is only one condition: three teachers training institutions must be included.

So far, Andy's and David's institutions meet this requirement.

In our preparatory meeting in Worthing, Susana Muñoz, representative of Centre Virtuel pour la Connaissance de l'Europe, told us that probably she will be able to bring in another institution of this sort. I hope so.

Apart from that, I strongly support your inclusion in the Citizenship project. Your school, Spanish Lycée in Paris, can be a perfect example for teaching European Citizenship.

[Vicente López-Brea Fernández]

Hi Vicente,

Thanks for your post.

So far it is not decided the definitive list of partners.

There is only one condition: three teachers training institutions must be included.

So far, Andy's and David's institutions meet this requirement.

We may well demand the inclusion of the CAP de Alcorcon, which seems to be a Teacher Training Institution, should that be a possibility.

Edited September 9, 2005 by Vicente López-Brea Fernández

[Vicente López-Brea Fernández]

As stated elsewhere the Spanish resource centre in Paris will be in joint collaboration with us the Spanish Lycee and adds is dissemination capacity.