Citizen School Research Articles

Valencia and the Right to Energy approach

Abstract Background Valencian (Spain) vulnerable households are suffering both winter and summer energy poverty. An increasing number of families have difficulties paying energy bills and are being forced to cut consumption, consequently reducing their well-being and quality of life. This study presents the development and implementation of the Right to Energy urban program in the Valencia pilot city, as part of the larger European WELLBASED project. Methods The interventions were designed based on the social ecological model, aiming at impacting the different layers influencing individuals’ health, following co-creation sessions with 6-9 stakeholders from policy, citizens and practice. Implementation efforts were monitored using administration of participation. The experience of the Energy Office was also valuable for the design and implementation phase. Results The program consisted of bill optimization and advice, socio-energetic audit at home and the installation of an efficiency kit. On top of that, the Valencia pilot has created the Citizen School for the Right to Energy [CSRE] to empower households and improve their health through education activities. In total, 130 vulnerable households with different profiles were supported. The CSRE has carried out 28 workshops to train people in energy and health topics: energy rights, healthy diet, mental health, sleep quality or preparation for heat waves. These were an opportunity to share experiences among participants, fighting stigmatization and isolation by creating a community. The CSRE has also organized capacity-building sessions for professionals who can identify energy poverty such as healthcare and social workers, teachers or NGO’s. Conclusions Energy poverty, both winter and summer, is a major public health issue that impacts people’s health. The CSRE is an innovative way to tackle it and promote the Right to Energy across society by supporting and training people to improve their wellbeing.

The Thai Folk Game “Jik Sen” has Become a Recreational Sport for Older People in Senior Citizen Schools

Objectives. The purposes of this study were to: 1) develop an exercise program incorporating the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen” for older people in senior citizen schools; 2) investigate the effects of the exercise program incorporating the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen” on the physical fitness of older people in senior citizen schools; and 3) assess the satisfaction level of older people with the exercise program incorporating the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen”. Materials and methods. This was a two-group experimental study including the experimental group of 17 people (65.53 ± 3.43 years) and the control group of 17 people (65.76 ± 3.60 years). The participants in this study were healthy individuals aged 60 years and above, who were actively engaged in the elderly school program. They were selected using a purposive sampling method and subsequently assigned them to the experimental and control groups using a matching method based on BMI. The research tools consisted of the exercise program, which incorporated the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen” developed by the research team, and the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). For a period of 8 weeks, the experimental group involved in an exercise regimen comprising 60 minutes of daily training in the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen”, with a frequency of 3 days per week. The control group was instructed to maintain their normal daily routine and did not participate in any physical activities or exercise programs during the experiment. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, percentage, and t-test. Results. 1) The exercise program incorporating the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen” for older people in senior citizen schools can be appropriately used to promote exercise and sports in elderly schools in Thailand. The IOC value was 0.97. 2) A significant difference was observed in the mean scores of the 8-foot up-and-go test between the pre-experimental ( = 7.94, S.D. = 1.34) and post-experimental (after 8 weeks) ( = 6.70, S.D.= 0.79) periods for the experimental group at the level of 0.05. The mean scores of the 8-foot up-and-go test between the control group (= 7.84, S.D. = 1.16) and the experimental group (=6.70, S.D. = 0.79) were also found to be significantly different at the level of 0.05. 3) The experimental group expressed high levels of satisfaction with the exercise program involving the Thai recreational sport “Jik Sen” for older people in senior citizen schools, with a mean score of 4.62 ± 0.51 points. Conclusion. The exercise program incorporating the Thai recreational sport "Jik Sen" can effectively enhance the dynamic balance of older individuals in senior citizen schools. Furthermore, it has been shown to facilitate social interaction, improve cognitive abilities including thinking and planning skills, and promote enjoyment.

ESCOLA CIDADÃ: UMA EXPERIÊNCIA CONTRA-HEGEMÔNICA

This work aims to study the fundamental principles and proposals of the Citizen School project, developed in the public municipal education network in the city of Porto Alegre, during popular administrations from 1989 to 2004. The city's democratization project and its consequences for the school democratization are analyzed. The analysis sources used were basic documents on the educational policy of the time. The main authors who served as a theoretical reference for the project were, among them, Paulo Freire, Carlos Brandao, Vygotsky, Gramsci and Karl Marx. The study shows that Citizen School was a counter-hegemonic project, based on solidary, cooperative and collective values. It is a counterpoint to the market school supported by the neoliberal market model values, such as competition, individualism, entrepreneurship and meritocracy. Key words: Citizen school. Democracy. Mercoescola. Training Cycles. Emancipatory Evaluation.

PROJETO CONSTITUINTE ESCOLAR: UM LEGADO DA EXPERIÊNCIA DA ESCOLA CIDADÃ EM PORTO ALEGRE/RS

The article presents the experience of the School Constituent Project, which gave rise to the Reference Document of the Citizen School in Porto Alegre. It highlights the participatory process carried out with all segments of the school community and analyzes some of the structuring principles and concepts of the conception of Citizen School created in the context of the educational policy of Popular Administration in this period (1993-1996). The final considerations invite dialogue about the legacy of the School Constituent Project, taking into account its contributions to the reflection on the current challenges of the Citizen School in Porto Alegre.

CONCEITOS E PRÁXIS REFERENCIAIS DA ESCOLA CIDADÃ - LEGADOS E O DESAFIO DE REINVENÇÃO

The Citizen School project developed and reflected collectively and participatively in the Municipal Network of Porto Alegre, between 1990 and 2004, produced an extraordinary change in the Public School in dialogue with other experiences, left legacies and challenges us to its reinvention in the face of the conservative neoliberal hegemony that imposes in Brazil. Questioning the authoritarian, meritocratic and exclusionary school, it resignified curriculum, assessment, rules of coexistence and management of education, through the return of sovereignty to citizenship in the relationship with the state, the rupture of the natural mechanisms of inequality and the debate and alteration of schoolregulations, educational legislation and the meaning of the school. However, the alternation in power determined by the elections, put this proposal and its new democratizing, emancipatory and inclusive concepts in the resistance. From this place, it is necessary to reinvent them and deal with important challenges such as racism, sexism, the preponderance of large-scale evaluations and the privatization of the curriculum and educational budget.

ESCOLA CIDADÃ E CRIANÇAS EM SITUAÇÃO DE ACOLHIMENTO INSTITUCIONAL: UM DIÁLOGO DESDE A PEDAGOGIA DA AUTONOMIA DE PAULO FREIRE

This is a Pedagogical Letter, inspired by the work of Paulo Freire, in which we invite our fellow teachers to dialogue, with a view to building a Citizen School, thinking about the specificities of children in institutional care situations. The book “Pedagogy of autonomy: knowledge necessary for educational practice” by the same author, supports our discussions, encouraging us to hope for an equitable, humanizing and possible school in our routines.

The Housing Experiment: Citizen Science Engaging Older Adults and School Pupils to Assess Housing Accessibility

Citizen science is gaining momentum as an approach in many scientific fields. However, it is scarcely used in aging research. Since 2009 in Sweden, Public & Science (NGO) has coordinated an annual mass-experiment where thousands of school pupils have collected data that would have been impossible for researchers to collect on their own. Designed as a cross-generational endeavour, the 2020 mass-experiment, the Housing Experiment, is based on scientific methodology for data collection on housing accessibility. The aim of this presentation is to describe the iterative development process involving older adults, stakeholders in the housing sector, teachers and pupils. We will present the app and instructions developed and piloted for data collection, as well as usability and interrater reliability results. With media attention already in the planning phases, this citizen science initiative has the potential to both generate a unique dataset and increase engagement in housing matters concerning the aging population.

Um discurso sobre democratização da escola pública: contribuições à emergência do debate

O discurso sobre a democratização da escola pública constitui peça-chave em campanhas e projetos político-educacionais no Brasil, evidenciando a necessidade de investimentos no setor, no entanto, historicamente, também paralelo a esse discurso, vivencia-se uma prática marcada pelo negligenciamento e pela falta de sistematização de políticas públicas que avancem nesse ideal. Diante desse problema, neste estudo discute-se alguns impasses e controvérsias inerentes ao processo de democratização do ensino na escola pública, apontando para a necessidade de superação desse dilema, com vistas a um espaço democrático de construção e socialização de saberes. Realizou-se uma pesquisa bibliográfica, de abordagem qualitativa, à luz das leituras de Behrens (2005), Chizzotti; Almeida (2019), Gadotti; Torres (2001), Dewey (1959), Freire (1998; 1997; 2003; 2006), Mello (2003; 2014; 2018), Saviani (2003; 2007; 2012; 2013), entre outros. Na construção de um debate sobre o tema, destaca-se a pedagogia da autonomia, de Paulo Freire, teórico fundamental na elucidação de um modelo de escola democrática e cidadã, e que hoje, face a atual configuração político-educacional do país, sofre graves ataques, deflagrando assim, a inércia governamental na estruturação dos sistemas de ensino público e na valorização dos professores, aspectos que fragmentam e distanciam a escola pública de um ideário de democracia social.

Education for Sustainable Development Review

Education for Sustainable Development Review

PEDAGOGIA FEMINISTA E CURRÍCULO ESCOLAR

Aborda-se nesse trabalho a importância da discussão sobre gênero nos currículos escolares na visão da Pedagogia Feminista, tendo como objetivo analisar a contribuição dos pressupostos teóricos feministas para a constituição de um Currículo Escolar inclusivo. O método de investigação utilizado neste estudo foi de caráter bibliográfico, alicerçado na discussão e no mapeamento da produção acadêmica sobre o tema. Reitera-se, então, a importância ímpar dessa discussão e da adoção de uma proposta pedagógica amparada nos pressupostos da Teoria Feminista para a consecução de uma escola democrática e cidadã, onde a diversidade humana seja não só respeitada, mas acolhida de forma que vise à inclusão escolar e social dos sujeitos. A Escola ainda hoje exclui e atua numa perspectiva da norma heterocêntrica.

Meninas negras e política: combatendo o racismo e fomentado a participação delas no espaço público*

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar o papel da intervenção pedagógica do Programa Escola Cidadã no empoderamento das meninas-mulheres negras de comunidades escolares da cidade de Ibirité-MG. Para isso, foram entrevistadas 11 meninas negras participantes do Programa. Diante do cenário de baixa representatividade da mulher negra na política, verifica-se que o Escola Cidadã além de contribuir para a ampliação do protagonismo das meninas e mulheres negras, tem oportunizado um ensaio da atuação parlamentar para uma ocupação futura dos espaços de poder representativo.

O diálogo como pressuposto de prevenção à violência no âmbito escolar

Este artigo está dividido em cinco partes: 1) introdução ao que podem ser ou não violências ocorridas no seio da escola; 2) apresentação analítica de uma tipologia acerca dessas violências, distinguindo-as de meros conflitos e indisciplinas diante das regras escolares; 3) apresentação analítica de uma metodologia crítico-dialógica para lidar com essas violências; 4) análise envolvendo multiculturalismo e escola cidadã; 5) dois resultados empíricos dando conta do emprego de metodologias crítico-dialógicas na abordagem de violências no âmbito escolar. O estudo está balizado por propostas crítico-dialógicas, que têm as trocas horizontais (dialogicidade), a democracia, a cidadania, a autoridade (sem autoritarismo e sem “licenciosidade”) e o multiculturalismo como pressupostos. Pressupostos estes que podem ser sintetizados em uma palavra-conceito: diálogo. O artigo defende a hipótese de que o diálogo pode ser um pressuposto de prevenção à violência no âmbito escolar, utilizando metodologias crítico-dialógicas, sobretudo o pensamento de Paulo Freire e alguns de seus mais importantes seguidores: Carlos Alberto Torres e José Eustáquio Romão. Nas considerações finais são dados alguns exemplos de projetos que utilizaram o diálogo como pressuposto de prevenção à violência no âmbito escolar.

As relações entre o enunciado, a produção e a correção de textos

Em um processo de ensino-aprendizagem durante estágio supervisionado de Língua Portuguesa nos anos finais do Ensino Fundamental, após observar resultados de uma atividade escrita, deparamo-nos com o seguinte questionamento: a formulação da proposta de produção do texto interfere na escrita da primeira versão dos textos produzidos pelos alunos? A fim de chegar a possíveis respostas para essa indagação, traçamos como objetivos: 1) analisar a proposta de produção, observando se e como ela poderia interferir na escrita dos alunos e 2) refletir, se comprovada a interferência, sobre qual metodologia de correção seria mais viável a fim de propor uma reescrita eficaz para sanar as inadequações. Em relação à metodologia, este trabalho configura-se como um estudo de caso filiado ao campo de estudos da Linguística Aplicada. Além da proposta de produção de texto, foram analisados 23 textos produzidos pelos alunos do 9º ano de uma Escola Cidadã Integral de Campina Grande-PB. A análise, que segue a perspectiva indutiva, foi feita à luz de contribuições, principalmente, de Bakhtin (2000 [1992]), Oliveira (2004), Possenti (1986) e Ruiz (2010). Os resultados apontaram que a forma como a solicitação de produção de textos é redigida pode permitir interpretações diversas, algumas delas divergentes. No entanto, os textos dos alunos oriundos de uma interpretação da solicitação fora do padrão de expectativa do professor não precisam ser descartados, pois, através da correção textual-interativa, é possível dialogar com esses alunos e sugerir as adequações.

The World Citizen School – A space for self-organized learning of socially engaged student initiatives

The civic engagement of students can contribute to all missions of a university: teaching, research, and transfer to society. At the same time, student initiatives are often overlooked in that context.Through the example of the World Citizen School model, which was developed at the University of Tübingen, this workshop report aims to show how civic engagement of student initiatives can be anchored and promoted at universities. The focus is on the description of the model and the interplay of the various constituent aspects. The illustrations draw special attention to the often-overlooked potential of self-organized learning and engagement of student initiatives for university teaching.

Departing from the beaten path: international schools in China as a response to discrimination and academic failure in the Chinese educational system

ABSTRACTInternational schools are commonly depicted in the academic literature and popular press as offering elite educational credentials to an elite, oftentimes international, student body. In this paper, I draw on a case study of a Canadian international school to argue that a new form of international school is emerging in China – one that offers a haven for domestic students from certain competitive and discriminatory features of the Chinese educational system. Fieldwork was conducted at a Canadian curriculum high school for Chinese citizens in Beijing. Most students at the school were internal migrants or children of China’s ‘new rich’ entrepreneurial class; that is, their families had economic resources but occupied precarious social positions in contemporary Chinese society. Analyses reveal that the international school offers a pathway to obtain baseline academic credentials in the absence of other opportunities for progress in the Chinese educational system. Together with evidence of dramatic growth in international schools and tracks in China, this case study suggests the emergence of a new type of international education programme that departs from a picture of international education as ‘elite’ in terms of student body, academic environment, and expected educational trajectories of graduates. The paper also develops our understanding of class and educational strategies in contemporary China.

Widely Assumed but Thinly Tested: Do Employee Volunteers' Self-Reported Skill Improvements Reflect the Nature of Their Volunteering Experiences?

An increasing number of companies use corporate volunteering programs (CVPs) to support and coordinate their employees' efforts to serve their communities. Among the most frequently touted benefits of such programs to sponsoring companies and employee volunteers alike is the opportunities for employees to develop tangible work-related skills through their volunteering activities. Evidence for skill development through volunteering, however, is mostly limited to the expressed beliefs of corporate leaders and employee volunteers. This study was designed to contribute to this largely anecdotal literature by testing hypotheses about the extent to which employee volunteers' self-reported skill development reflects the characteristics of the volunteers and their volunteering experiences. Study participants were 74 employee volunteers who completed a service apprenticeship managed by a U.S.-based nonprofit called Citizen Schools that partners with middle schools to extend the learning day with a combination of academic support, enrichment, and youth development activities. Data were obtained via the nonprofit's records, and surveys completed by employee volunteers before and after their service experience, including measures used to assess self-reported improvements in each of 10 work-related skills: communicating performance expectations, leadership, mentorship, motivating others, project management, providing performance feedback, public speaking and presenting, speaking clearly, teamwork, and time management. Support was found for several hypothesized effects suggesting that employees who practiced specific skills more often during their volunteering experience reported greater improvements in those skills. Improvements in some skills were higher among employee volunteers who completed a greater number of pre-volunteering preparation courses, and the effects of preparation courses were moderated by the employee volunteers' self-efficacy about improving their work-related skills on all 10 skills as hypothesized. I discuss the implications of these findings for theory and research, and provide suggestions for designing volunteer experiences that encourage service commitments from companies and their employees, and ultimately create tangible value for them and meaningful social value for their communities.

The pedagogical and ethical legacy of a “successful” educational reform: The Citizen School Project

The Citizen School Project (Escola Cidada) was implemented from 1993 to 2004 in Porto Alegre, capital of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. This article presents the conception behind the Citizen School Project, the basic mechanisms created to implement and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and some of its contradictions. After contextualising the educational reforms in Brazil during the 1980s and 1990s, the authors demonstrate how the Citizen School Project’s emphasis on participation and democratisation was a radical departure from Brazil’s traditional public education system. Next, they present the three main goals and structures of the Citizen School Project – democratisation of access to schools, democratisation of schools’ administration, and democratisation of access to knowledge. They conclude by discussing some pedagogic, social and political dynamics which appear to be strong legacies of this pedagogical project. The authors also argue that the Citizen School Project has both improved the quality of education in Porto Alegre and is an important contribution to our collective thinking about the politics of “successful” educational policies.

The contribution of Stuart Hall to analyzing educational policy and reform

This article focuses on the contribution of Stuart Hall to the study of educational policy and reform, using the experience of the Citizen School initiative in Porto Alegre, Brazil as a concrete example. This experience was a participatory educational reform implemented during the 16 years of the Workers' Party tenure in Porto Alegre's municipal administration. Hall's concept of articulation and his particular use of concepts such as ideology, discourse, common sense, and hegemony lay the foundation for the theoretical framework that provides a potent lens to analyze the complexity of educational policy and reform. In particular, this assemblage of concepts offers a vantage point to understand a counter-hegemonic initiative such as the Citizen School, because it helps to situate this experience as a particular historical articulation of discursive practices both connected to the recreation of common sense and anchored in a particular material context. First, the article will briefly contextualize the Citizen School experience. It will then show how Hall's concepts develop a complex theory to analyze complex phenomena such as educational policy and reform, in particular the Porto Alegre experience.

The Democratic Curriculum: Concept and Practice

Dewey continues to offer arguments that remain powerful on the need to break down the divisions between ‘academic’ and ‘vocational’ in terms of his specific theory of knowledge. Dewey's writings are used to argue that a democratic curriculum needs to challenge such divisions to encompass the many forms of knowledge necessary in the contemporary classroom. Gandin and Apple's investigation of community participation (Orçamento Participativo or Participatory Budgeting) in the curriculum of the Citizen School in Porto Alegre, Brazil, will be explored as an example of democratic structures informing educational planning. The work of Paul Hirst, Atli Harđarson and Chris Jane Brough is analysed regarding the issue of curriculum aims and student negotiation. Dewey's emphasis on learning as a collective enterprise will resonate here. Brough offers innovative research on student-centred curriculum integration that suggests even very young children are able to participate in debate over their own learning. Hirst and Harđarson provide contrasting views on the issue of curriculum aims—Hirst arguing that a curriculum cannot exist without definable aims while Harđarson challenges the very notion of settled aims if students are to be reflexive regarding their education. The article also refers to the work of Alexander on the use of dialogic questioning in the classroom. Such questioning, it is suggested, enhances and encourages collaborative forms of enquiry necessary for a democratic curriculum through discussion between teachers, students and other stakeholders.

Support for career development in youth: Program models and evaluations

This article examines four influential programs-Citizen Schools, After School Matters, career academies, and Job Corps-to demonstrate the diversity of approaches to career programming for youth. It compares the specific program models and draws from the evaluation literature to discuss strengths and weaknesses of each. The article highlights three key lessons derived from the models that have implications for career development initiatives more generally: (1) career programming can and should be designed for youth across a broad age range, (2) career programming does not have to come at the expense of academic training or preparation for college, and (3) program effectiveness depends on intentional design and high-quality implementation.