The following Strands, Topics and Learning Outcomes could be used together for the completion of the 2022 Citizenship Project Title No. 2 Audit the power and impact of Ireland’s international political diplomatic presence. Present a summary report with key observations, conclusions and recommendations to a representative of the Irish government. Citizenship Project Titles for Candidates sitting the Leaving Certificate Examination in 2022 can be accessed here

Strands:

Strand 1: Power and decision-making

Strand 2: Active Citizenship

Topics:

Topic 2: Power and Decision-making at National and European Level

Topic 3: Effectively Contributing to Communities

Learning Outcomes:

2.5 evidence about the effectiveness of representation:

engage with different viewpoints and evaluate and use evidence to come to a conclusion as to whether the Irish system of government is effective in representing the will of all the Irish people

3.2 becoming involved in, or starting an initiative, group or organisation:

make contact with initiatives, groups or organisations that are involved in politics, human rights, cultural diversity or sustainable development

3.6 appraising oneself, evaluating one’s own performance, receiving and responding to feedback:

set time aside to take stock of current achievements and, with the help of others, to engage in an honest appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses show resilience to receive and make sense of feedback

For the purpose of a series of lessons, students will be concentrating on Section C of their Citizenship Project.

Students will be able to:

• Describe the key knowledge gained

• Reflect on the skills developed through engagement in the citizenship project

• Explain the role that reflection, feedback from others and learning from the course has played in helping them carry out the project

For the purpose of concentrating on Section C of the Citizenship Project for a series of lessons, the following sample list of success criteria for students might be useful:

• Demonstrate learning gained from the project

• Demonstrate personal insights gleaned from taking part in the project

• Show a clear capacity to reflect on how the learning has influenced your skills, attitudes, opinions and/or behaviour

• Show the ability to reflect on judgement and decision-making skills, through engagement in the citizenship project, with particular reference to working with others and being personally effective

Adapted from (NCCA, Guidelines for the Citizenship Project and Report, 2018, pp.10-11)

Students should be advised of the importance of maintaining a journal throughout their learning in Politics and Society and this is especially important when it comes to undertaking their citizenship project. The journal will help students to keep track of every step of their project work and will provide an important basis upon which the students will base their Citizenship Report.

The student can use their journals to record:

▪ evidence of their research related to their chosen project

▪ relevant research findings which can inform the action

▪ planning notes and action plan

▪ lists of websites, organisations or people consulted and a summary of the information gained from each

▪ personal reflections on knowledge and skills gained while undertaking the action

(NCCA, Guidelines for the Citizenship Project and Report, 2018, pp. 13-14)

One method to encourage students to maintain a journal throughout their work on the Citizenship Project is to provide opportunities for learning logs to be kept throughout the process, with a particular emphasis on personal reflections on knowledge and skills gained.

Learning Log Example:

Further examples of Learning Logs can be found here

The following examples of self assessment reflective starter sentences could also be used by students in the Politics and Society classroom. These examples support the use of reflection in an active and discursive classroom and could be applicable to a number of subjects.