The following assignment will revolve around my personal understanding of citizenship education and what it means on a global scale. The essay will address recent population changes on a social and eu scale.
Citizenship education is really a lifetime process and Continuing learning, involving total development of the whole person. Throughout this assignment I will discuss the different subject areas which include democracy and rights and responsibilities. I will also discuss the competencies and correct attitudes a teacher must have in order to teach successfully in this area.
• Section on recent social and population changes in Ireland and eu
2002- 3,917,203 – 291,116 - 1.3
2006- 4,239,848 – 322,645 - 2.0
2011- 4,581,269 – 341,421 – 1.6
The population according to the 2011 census shows an increase of 341,421 people since 2006 and an overall growth of 3, 6% since 2002.
Between census 2006-20111 the estimated net migration is 118,650 compared to the previous inter-census period (2002-2006) which was 47,832.
Immigration in Ireland has more than doubled since the census in 2002. As of April 2011 the figure of non-Irish nationals was recorded at 544,357. This was an increase of 124,624 since 2006 and an increase of 320,096 since 2002. 12% of Irish households had residents of non-Irish nationality in 2011 compared to 5% in 2002. The top five foreign nationalities in the Irish state include polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Nigerian and residents from the United Kingdom. The number of polish in the country increased by 120,461 since 2002, the largest amount out of any other nationality. (
In modern day society, because of the broadened amount of different nationalities taking up residency in Irish homes, citizenship education is becoming more important in allowing each individual to show ones identity and play a more active role in the community and society.
• What is Citizenship Education in Ireland and other countries (different definitions, understandings and ways the subject is taught from the literature and research) and why the subject is relevant in today’s changing society
At its most basic level, citizenship refers to membership of a state/country or a settled political community (Halstead and Pike 2006). There are however complexities to this simple definition. A number of factors include what communities are being referred to in the definition, what benefits the term citizenship offers and what rights the term membership implies and finally what does the country or community expect of its citizens. Since the late eighteenth century citizenship has been associated with the nation state and this identifies individuals as citizens however it has been suggested that allows people from different backgrounds and beliefs to live together despite differing allegiances. If it is to obtain this goal it must help the next generation to understand and develop their role as citizens which is ultimately the aim of citizenship education (Halstead...