These case studies illustrate how two schools, Bowhouse Primary in Falkirk and Musselburgh Grammar in East Lothian, developed partnerships with lawyers to enhance learners’ understanding of political processes and to make learning more relevant.
Scottish Government lawyers assisted learning about the process of law making. Two P5 classes at Bowhouse Primary used the context of vandalism in their community. At Musselburgh Grammar School, this was part of an S2 unit on political processes in a democracy.
The projects were separate, but with common threads. In both schools, there was an emphasis on the importance of partnership working and active learning and enterprising learning and teaching, demonstrating how learners can be motivated by being given realistic purposes for their learning.
Through the partnership working, learners developed an understanding of some of the key ideas behind 'responsible citizenship'. Key skills including making informed decisions, justification of these decisions, and consideration of others were central to both projects.
Both of these projects linked to the Social Studies Principles and Practice and the recommendations set out in Building the Curriculum 4: Skills for learning, life and work.
The Social Studies Principles and Practice paper states that children and young people should:
.... learn about human achievements and about how to make sense of changes in society, of conflicts and of environmental issues. With greater understanding comes the opportunity and ability to influence events by exercising informed and responsible citizenship.
And that through the Social studies, learners can...
...develop an understanding of the principles of democracy and citizenship through experience of critical and independent thinking.
Building the Curriculum 4: Skills for learning, life and workEnterprising learning and teaching, specific activities and tasks across the curriculum and the ethos of the establishment - in partnership with employers - enable young people to transfer skills developed through subject-specific contexts into the world of work.
Links to Bowhouse Primary’s project on vandalism:
Links to Musselburgh Grammar School’s project on making laws:
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