Hayward, Jeremy; (2002) Economic Citizenship: A Key Stage 4 Teacher Resource. [Book]. Institute for Citizenship: London, UK.

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Abstract

The new citizenship programme of study in England contains much that would fit neatly under the heading of political literacy: learning about democracy, government, the role of the courts, the UN, the Commonwealth etc. But at Key Stage 4 it is also required that students be taught about: How the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services How does learning about the economy and business fit with the general ethos of citizenship? Firstly, part of the aim of citizenship education is to enable young adults to play an effective role in society. Economic matters such as changes in interest rates, recessions, financial exclusion, and the future of pensions play an increasingly important role in society, and a degree of understanding and knowledge of these matters has become correspondingly important . Secondly, political debate increasingly centres on economic issues. Whether it is taxation, the management of the economy or the Euro, politics is never far from economics. Thus a basic understanding of some of the key concepts is now a vital component of political literacy. While the importance of economic matters is doubted by few, its importance has not always been reflected in the school curriculum. The introduction of citizenship education in England will ensure that all students spend some time at KS4 thinking about economic issues. Quite how this strand will be delivered will differ from school to school. Speaking to citizenship coordinators and trainee citizenship teachers, it is apparent that many teachers feel less confident in delivering economic issues than they do other areas of political literacy. Drawing on subject expertise within the school is an obvious solution, but may not always be appropriate. This pack is designed to help non-specialists deliver some key concepts in the area of the economy, business and personal finance. Economics and personal finance have a sometimes deserved reputation for not being the most exciting area of study. Even adults find topics such as pensions unexciting and inspiring students becomes more of a challenge. To counteract this tendency, the pack attempts to make the lessons as active and student based as possible. In addition, when statistics are used, these are drawn from the music and advertising industries to help motivate and interest students.

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