Glossary of key terms
This is a list of terms used in the field of citizenship education. Some terms are used interchangeably even by specialists.
Active citizenship
If being a citizen means belonging to a community, then active citizenship means taking an active part in shaping that community. The community might be your school, your town, Wales, the UK or the world.
Citizenship education / global citizenship education
CEWC-Cymru uses this term to encompass everything that schools do to encourage young people to become active citizens of their local, national or global communities. In England, Citizenship Education (capitalised) is a specific subject in the curriculum.
Development education
An older term, largely replaced by Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship.
Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC)
Rather than being a component of the curriculum, ESDGC is an approach to education which includes the whole curriculum and the management of schools. It promotes concepts such as interdependence, diversity and conflict resolution. For more information, see the Welsh Assembly Government’s website page on ESDGC, or see how CEWC-Cymru helps schools to deliver ESDGC.
Global citizenship
The idea that, as well as being a citizen of one’s local community or nation, it is also possible to act as a citizen of the world. Global citizenship recognises that people in different countries are increasingly connected to each other through trade, communication and the exchange of information.
Philosophy for Children
An approach to developing young people’s thinking skills by establishing a ‘community of enquiry’ in the classroom. See the section on critical thinking for more information.
PSE (Personal and Social Education)
PSE has been a statutory element of Wales’s national curriculum since 2003. It includes everything that a school does – in standalone lessons or otherwise – to promote pupils’ personal and social development. PSE includes citizenship education themes, as well as areas such as health and sex education, vocational guidance and spiritual development. Guidance can be found in the national PSE Framework for Key Stages 1-4.
School council
A democratic body which helps to decide school policies and development. Since November 2006 it has been a legal requirement for schools in Wales to establish a council which takes into account the views of young people. CEWC-Cymru can support your school council.
Thinking skills
From 2008 Wales’s curriculum will require schools to develop thinking skills, which include critical thinking and evaluation. There are many methods available to improve thinking skills, including Philosophy for Children.