Citizenship Magazine

Prejudice – Take It As Red

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:53:12 +0000

All over the country there will be name calling taking place on school playgrounds today. Some of it might be playful, some might be viscous, but it has become part of our learning experience to go through such ‘character building’ exercises.
This article is not meant to evoke sympathy or draw parallels between names I may have been called whilst going through primary and secondary school; it’s simply to say that too often the names I was called were dismissed as teasing when in truth they struck like punches.
I have ginger hair. Not red, not orange; ginger. I have been one of Britain’s ‘silent sufferers’ at school because lets face it, people with my hair colour have been the butt of many peoples jokes for decades. We have become the easy target, the stand out punchline for comedians in clubs and perhaps more significantly; bullies in the playground.
When someone would say something to me in school about my hair I was told by teachers and parents to ignore it, to rise above it, to not react. On occasions I did react, I was told to calm my temper and that ‘red hair’ was the cause, as if there was some scientific reasoning behind my occasional tantrums in the face of name calling.
If ginger haired people are more prone to mood swings, it is because of their hair colour but not in the way you think. Ginger haired people get annoyed, particularly at a young age, because they have to simply put up with being called ‘ginge’ or ‘carrot top’.
Being called a ginger so and so and a black so and so are understandably different. I’m not saying that bullying a ginger boy or girl is racist. But by not really identifying the seriousness of it, there is an acceptance that it is OK. When a national newspaper carried a story on a 12-year-old boy being bullied, the headline was ‘Boy is taught on his own….. for being GINGER’; the next line described the child as ‘flame haired’. Now, if that child had been black; how would the story have been written?
Can you see the headline? No. Because it would be unthinkable to report in that way on something which has clearly left a young child and unable to enjoy school life because of bullies.
The school bully is believed to be the mean kid who goes around the playground pushes kids over and there were children in my school growing up who fitted that description. But the most unfortunate thing I found about growing up with ginger hair is that anyone can be a ‘bully’. Nicknames would be used by classmates who would see the chance to join in with the fun and become part of the ‘cool’ crowd.
There were occasions teachers were also in on the joke. Even in university, a tutor once said to me in a lecture theatre after I tried to answer a question: “I don’t quite agree with you but don’t worry its got nothing to do with your hair colour.” Cue laughter and the idiot letting out a self-congratulatory chuckle.
Prejudice and bullying should be dealt with no matter what the victim is being prejudiced over. When a boy is forced out of school it is completely ridiculous to point to his hair colour ahead of a schools stance on bullying or even the bullies themselves.
But this message about respect will be lost if it is not consistent with what goes on outside the school gates. In adulthood, I have seen little to suggest that my ‘gingerness’ will become any more accepted. If there is a new soap character with ginger hair, I will often wait for the first facebook comment or tweet which will tell me how I’m the ‘spitting image’ of the new guy on Eastenders or Coronation Street.
As a semi-professional footballer, I will be subjected to taunts and abuse when I take a throw-in and even playing in the Welsh Premier League, I’m aware that ‘pen coch’ means ‘red-head’. And yet even with that, there will be those who read this and will instantly dismiss my claims in the paragraphs above. Many I am sure will think ‘get a grip’ or ‘how can he say that’s the same’.
The point is I’m not saying it’s the same. I’m not saying its better or worse than racial abuse other children and adults receive all over the country on a daily basis. What I’m saying is that whilst there is this attitude of ‘its only teasing’ every time a remark is made towards a child with ginger hair, we’re making it acceptable for someone else to say the same thing, then the next person, then the next. Until you get to a point where you have a situation in which a child is forced to move schools, unable to cope anymore and sick of not being listened to.
Ginger hair colour might mean you are seen more than others, but it does not necessarily mean you are heard.

Safer Internet Day 2012

Luke — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:51:36 +0000

Today, Safer Internet Day 2012 calls on UK families to discover the digital world together.
Families all around the UK will be encouraged to discover the digital world together today, as activities get underway to mark Safer Internet Day, 2012. It’s the 9th edition of the annual global event and this year’s theme – Connecting Generations – highlights the benefits of sharing internet safety know-how at home.
In the UK new research reveals children appreciate their parents’ guidance in how to navigate the online world. Despite their reputation as clued-up Digital Natives, three quarters of 9-16 year olds (73%) feel they benefit from talking to their parents about their internet use. Contrary to popular perceptions that parents are the in dark, two-thirds (68%) of children say their parents always know what they are doing online.
Parents who talk to their children about the internet help to protect against potential online risks, according to the research. It reveals that an ‘open dialogue and active mediation’ can reduce children’s exposure to safety risks without reducing online opportunities. The benefits of active discussion include: lower risk, lower harm, access to more online activities and access to a greater level of skills.
And according to new BBC research launched to mark Safer Internet Day, this is a two-way street. Two thirds of young people (67%) help their parents or carers use the internet, including one in six (17%) who help with safety features like privacy settings and one fifth (21%) who help parents/carers set security settings to protect against viruses and spyware on the family computer.

New SchoolsWorld rises from Teachers TV ashes

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:27:15 +0000

The Government’s decision in 2011 to cease funding the UK’s largest teachers’ Continual Professional Development (CPD) resource, Teachers TV, caused great concern amongst educationalists across the UK.
In response Ten Alps Plc – the company who developed and managed Teachers TV – launched SchoolsWorld, a site specifically allowing free access to all 3,500 videos and resources from the Teachers TV archive.
SchoolsWorld is a brand-new, multimedia platform, providing innovative and informative content for everyone involved with, or wanting to be involved in schools. Besides all the content from Teachers TV, there is something for everyone: videos, interactive games, work sheets, fact sheets, information, guidance and hints and tips plus latest education news.
Over the last eight months the team at SchoolsWorld have been busy behind the scenes building, enhancing and extending the content and developing a brand new site, allowing not just teachers but everybody in and around the world of schools, free access to an incredible range of educational content.

SchoolsWorld now has:
• a section for pupils and students, with fun interactives and content to help with their learning and revision.
• a new section for parents brings a wealth of best practice videos and information on subjects ranging from understanding the UK education system, to dealing with the first day at school, bed wetting, or drink and drugs. This is in partnership with one of the UK’s leading parenting charities – Parenting UK.
• a section to help businesses understand how they can get involved with the educational arena – helping their engagement with and support of schools locally and nationally.

This highly interactive and engaging resource will even feature a bite sized daily digest of educational news and features.

James Lumber Assistant Head at Hamworthy Middle School Poole, Dorset said: “SchoolsWorld collects together in one place valuable CPD training for teachers, NQTs and Governors, but really interesting is the harnessing of good advice for Parents. Parents play a pivotal role in their child’s education and the more best practice hints and tips they can get easily, is all to our advantage. It will be interesting to see the content for children grow too especially with free, quality engaging interactives and sound bitesize information.”
Peter Bertram Ten Alps Chairman said: “We’re proud of our unique innovative site SchoolsWorld. It not only extends the original, widely acclaimed Teachers TV CPD for teachers, but provides fun stimulus for children and through a unique partnership with Parenting UK, provides clear best practise videos and information for Parents. It is for all those involved in the world of schools – and due soon is the section for businesses and Corporates, who engage with schools whether through providing work experience, employee engagement or CSR programmes.”

Next up….The Money Issue

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:05:35 +0000

Our next edition will be all about the money as we look at how important financial education is in this current financial climate.
Packed full of lesson plans and fact sheets, we will also look into the work of charitable organisations and feature the success of the ‘Southwell Supersavers’.
Also included will be a round up of news around PSHE/Citizenship and favourites such as Pupils Corner and Grow Your Own.
As ever I’m sure you will find the December issue an entertaining and informative read and once again look forward to your ideas and support as we look ahead to 2012.

Andy, Editor

Talking bin helps reduce litter

Luke — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:30:10 +0000

Talking rubbish bins are being installed in schools and nurseries across the UK to encourage children to dispose of their litter properly. The bins, which have been developed by British company Amberol (www.amberol.co.uk), can be programmed to respond with a message every time litter is put into them.

Greetings can be selected from a pre-programmed range and include messages such as “Yum yum feed me more”, “That’s the best meal I’ve had today” and “Thanks for your litter; I do like being fed by you.” Schools and organisations can also customise their own personal greetings. The messages are recorded on a sound card which is triggered by light sensors.

“The bins have already proven popular in schools across the UK, with children of all ages far more eager to deposit their litter in the bins,” explains John Williamson, Amberol’s Marketing Manager. “We have received great feedback, with headteachers and staff reporting a substantial reduction in litter. We hope that using these bins will develop good habits that will last a lifetime.” The company also installed bins in every school in Liverpool in 2008 as part of an initiative to educate children about reducing litter.

The bins come in various different designs including parrots, robins and chicks as well as the Amberol bear, known as Ambere, which has a maximum capacity of 180 litres and Percy Penguin which has a capacity of 90 litres. Made from recyclable polyethylene, the bins have a lock and key for security.

“Similar initiatives in places such as Sweden have shown how small rewards and positive messages, combined with the novelty factor can all encourage higher usage of the bins,” explains John. “We feel that it is important to educate children from a young age about the importance of keeping their environment tidy and litter free.”

The range is about to be extended by the addition of talking bins which include celebrity voices and novelty messages placed at tourist spots around Liverpool city centre including outside the Cavern nightclub, made famous by its association with the Beatles. The bins are being installed as part of the Love Where You Live campaign organised by Keep Britain Tidy.

Now open…The Community Education Awards 2012

Luke — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:38:54 +0000

Following the fantastic success of the first ever Community Education Awards nominations are now being accepted for next years event.
There are more awards this year covering six categories including: environment, internet/technology, health and lifestyle, community, finance and mentor/individual.
Again there will be The Citizenship Magazine Award for Outstanding PSHE/Citizenship Teacher so be sure to nominate a colleague you feel is deserving of this prestigous accolade.
For further information or for details of how to nominate, please visit www.communityeducationawards.co.uk

Coming Soon…….The Environment Issue

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:22:19 +0000

Apologies that you have had to wait so long since our last issue but the next Citizenship Magazine focussing on the environment will be available from September 1st.
There have been some changes at Citizenship Towers and this will be the first issue edited by myself, Andy Davies having taken over from Luke Davis earlier this summer.
The environment issue will look to provide learning resources and insight into all things green whilst also featuring winners from the hugely successful Community Education Awards held on July 1st.
Details of how to nominate a project for next years awards will be available in Citizenship Magazine so be sure to email subscription@thecitizenshipmagazine.org to subscribe.

Thanks

Andy (Editor)

AV and ‘first past the post’ explained

Luke — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:37:48 +0000

With the referendum on the UK voting system now just a month away, we thought this would be a good time to share this excellent animated video produced by the Electoral Commission. It offers a very simple explanation of both systems as well as the referendum itself.

Children’s media buzzwords and trends

Luke — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:55:01 +0000

To supplement the recent media issue, we have put together a guide to the latest buzzwords and concepts exciting the world of children’s media. Here goes…

Edutainment

Is learning fun? Of course it is. Do kids always agree? Of course they don’t. Media producers, therefore, have taken to dressing it up in a range of ever more convincing disguises. The Consolarium project, for example, saw Scottish school kids using Nintendo DS puzzle games to develop strategic thinking and maths skills. And then there’s Sneeze — a flash-based game in which kids sneeze on as many virtual people as possible to see how germs are transmitted. The creators called it innovative. The New York Times called it irresponsible.

Child-generated content

More and more media companies are inviting children to create and share their own content online. Why? Because it’s cheap, it fosters strong audience relationships and, as children develop more sophisticated computer skills at ever younger ages, it provides them with some pretty impressive content too. Nickelodeon was so taken with the idea that it created ME:TV; a two hour show entirely comprised of videos uploaded by viewers that is broadcast every weekday.

Transmedia

If there’s one thing that media people love doing, it’s dreaming up big new ideas and creating snappy compound words to describe them. This latest neologism means ‘beyond or across media’ and refers to products that permeate the participant’s life. E4’s Misfits, for example, features the use of transmedia storytelling via characters’ social media profiles which are used to express thoughts and feelings during the original broadcast episodes. It means that whether you are watching TV or surfing the web, you are still engaged in the story.

Multiplatform

Media products are increasingly making use of large portfolios of platforms. A toy range, for example, will typically have a presence on dedicated web pages, social media, television and DVDs. Take Ben 10 for example. Is it a cartoon? Is it a magazine? Is it a toy? Is it a game? It’s all of them and a whole lot more.

Ad-funded programming

With funding hard to come by, broadcasters are increasingly turning to advertisers to pay for new programming. CITV, for instance, has used the corporate dollar to create four such programmes in the past year including Farm Camp, a 10 part series funded by supermarket giant Morrisons. But should such a commercially motivated marriage of convenience set parents’ and teachers’ alarm bells ringing? Not according to Ofcom which insists that unsuitable brands aren’t allowed to fund shows and that ad-funded programmes can’t be used as part of a hard sell approach.

Sleepover research

Sleepovers are all the rage amongst tweens with some boys and girls taking part in one every week. A golden opportunity, thought researchers, to develop a new method of understanding the tween world. So without parent supervision or the presence of any researchers, tweens get given a camera, various pieces of technology and a number of tasks to carry out over the course of an evening. It has apparently served as a valuable opportunity to learn about children’s reactions to new forms of media.

The graphic novel renaissance

The long-form of the comic is not all caped crusaders and super-villains. Successful examples from the past decade have featured holocaust-surviving mice (Maus), mutation-causing STIs (Black Hole) and retold literary classic such as Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Heights. As kids grow up in such an image-rich world, graphic novels make perfect sense. And for boys in particular, they are a great route into reading. Sales of graphic novels in the UK rose by 28% in 2009 making a turnover of £1.8m – and that doesn’t include the profits made from film and television spin-offs. As a result, there’s much more shelf-space in bookshops and publishers are generally expanding their lists.

Live performances

It’s a traditional platform that children’s media producers are currently very keen to exploit. Take The Tweenies, Charlie & Lola and Walking With Dinosaurs – each one of these very different shows has recently been translated into successful live stage shows. But live events are also a big risk. While a 10-minute show may not always lend itself well to a 90-minute live action epic, it’s also important to remember that while the kids may be desperate to see a particular show, it’s purse-wielding Mum with her concerns for educational content who will make the booking. But the rewards can be huge – direct engagement with the audience with plenty of opportunities for sales, merchandising and broadcast.

Alastair Campbell backs citizenship education campaign

Luke — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:52:32 +0000

Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell has come out in support of citizenship education.

With Conservative education minister Michael Gove having pledged to ’slim down’ the list of core subjects as part of his curriculum review, the future of citizenship is in doubt.

But Tony Blair’s former communications chief has responded by penning a defence of the subject for Democratic Life – the campaign to protect citizenship education.

He warns that scrapping the subject would be “yet another mistake” for Michael Gove before outlining the importance of teaching young people about politics.

“We should do more to teach youngsters from primary school onwards – positively – that politics is a fundamental part of their lives,” he said.

“We should also do more to encourage an interest in world and current affairs.”

The former spin doctor, famed for his no-nonsense attitude to dealing with the press, also aimed criticism at the effect media reports have on young people’s attitude to politics.

“Most of the media spends much of its energies giving people reasons to be cynical rather than hopeful about the power of politics to make change for the better,” he said.

“That might be why citizenship education comes in for so much criticism.”

Members of the public can offer their views on the subject by responding to the National Curriculum review call for evidence.

Ministers will then announce their decision on which subjects will be compulsory in spring 2012.

Citizenship is currently optional at primary school level and mandatory for pupils in secondary schools.