Thursday, 30 June 2011
PROJECT: VOICE. Developing citizens - Paths to core competencies through a problem-based learning project in civic education
The Center for Citizenship Education in Slovenia is taking part in VOICE, a Comenius multilateral project funded by the European Commission.
See also http://dare-network.blogspot.com/2011/06/project-voice-developing-citizens-paths_30.html.
The project started in January 2011 and will last two years’ time. Educational experts and practitioners from different institutions from Austria, Estonia, Germany, Slovenia and Turkey are working together in order to contribute to improving educational practice in civic education.
Lifelong learning and civic competencies are essential for each individual in modern, knowledge-based, democratic societies. As dispositions of learning-to-learn skills and active citizenship shape up in childhood and adolescence, schools can make a significant contribution to the enhancement of social and civic competencies as well as to learning-to-learn skills.
All eight key competencies are listed in the “Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18th December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning”. Among others (e.g. digital competence, cultural awareness and expression, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship) learning-to-learn skills and social and civic competences are fundamental to equip individuals to participate actively in civic society.
The VOICE project aims to address this issue by developing problem-based learning materials for secondary school pupils and a teacher training course on skills and background knowledge for implementation of competence-oriented civic education.
The expected project outcomes are (a) problem-based learning modules for secondary school classes with on the topics Democracy, Europe, Human Rights and migration and with focus on enhancement of social, civic and learning-to-learn competencies, and (b) a teacher training course featuring necessary skills and background knowledge for implementing competence-oriented civic education. The course will be announced via COMENIUS database.
More information about the VOICE project and involved partners on http://www.voice-comenius.org/voice, in Slovenian on http://www.eip-cdv.si/voice
Elena A. Begant (Program Director), Center for Citizenship Education (30 Robiceva Str, SI-2341 Limbus, phone +386 246 11 585)(Slovenia)