Certification of CDC
The design of competency certification in Education in a credible and reliable way is οne of the main goals of the project.
The STEP UP-DC project developed a method of certification of the competences of teaching for Democratic Culture and accordingly the material of the certification process.
Α set of indicators has been developed as a basis of the certification of student teachers’ competences. The indicators are presented below with the relevant assessments, which are to be implemented during and after teacher students’ studies (using Padlet and online certification – download the Padlet Manual).
| Competences | Governance School policies Leadership Participation Accountability and transparency | Relationships Staff-student Student-student Staff-staff School, parent and community-wide Local and global | Curriculum In-class curriculum Teaching methodology Extra-curricular activities | Environment Human rights friendly classrooms Safe physical environment Safe and inclusive social environment | Level of Understanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3a. Valuing human dignity and human rights | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Essay – what does a human rights-friendly classroom look like? (educating through HR) | Advanced | ||
| 3b. Valuing cultural diversity | Observation of teaching and/or extra-curricular activities putting ‘valuing cultural diversity’ into action, drawing on critical pedagogy (educating through HR) | Advanced | |||
| 3c. Valuing democracy | Presentation/ essay – understanding of different models of democratic citizenship and reflection on own experiences | Advanced | |||
| 3d. Valuing, justice and the rule of law | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3e. Valuing fairness and equality | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3f. Openness to other cultures and to other beliefs, world views and practices | Essay – how can school policies and leadership embed openness to other cultures in school governance? | Advanced | |||
| 3g. Respect for other people as equal human beings regardless of their race, gender, social or economic background, age, disability, skin colour and of their beliefs, world views and cultural practices as long as these do not violate human rights | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3h. Interest and engagement in public affairs and readiness to negotiate and collaborate with others to improve the lives of those in the community, whether this is local, national, international or global. | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3i. Self-efficacy: Development of young people’s confidence: in their ability to exert control over their own actions, behaviour and social environment | Evidence (lesson plan?) of facilitating learners’ control over and responsibility for their actions as part of portfolio work (educating for HR) | Advanced | |||
| 3j. Acceptance and respect for diversity of viewpoints and opinions on a particular issue, including acceptance that differences may not always be resolved | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3k. Development of students’ responsibility for setting their own learning goals, developing their learning strategies and assessing their learning | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3l. Analytical and critical thinking skills | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3m. Skills of listening and observing, ability to listen actively, genuinely and attentively to other people’s opinions and engage in meaningful conversations in a respectful and peaceful manner | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3n. Empathy | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3o. Flexibility and adaptability in changing conditions, ability to adjust attitudes and behaviours according to changing circumstances and the ability to modify their own views on the basis of rational argumentation | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3p. Linguistic, communicative and plurilingual skills: Ability to communicate their opinions with clarity and to engage in conversations with people from different backgrounds, including cultural and linguistic | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3q. Ability to co-operate with others and work collaboratively as members of teams and groups | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3r. Conflict-resolution skills | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3s. Ability to understand their own motivations, thoughts and emotions, to explain their behaviour and reflect on their own motives, needs and goals | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3t. Understanding and ability to reflect on concepts, including democracy, freedom, citizenship, rights and responsibilities | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3u. Knowledge and critical understanding of the law | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic | |||
| 3v. Knowledge and critical understanding of the concept of human-rights | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3w. Ability to critically reflect on the obligations of states in relation to human rights | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3x. Knowledge of basic cultural practices (e.g. eating habits, greeting practices, ways of addressing people, politeness) in other cultures | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3y. Ability to reflect critically on how their own world view is just one of many world views | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3z. Knowledge and critical understanding of history as a construction of fluid narratives that shape our understandings of the past according to the power of values and interpretations that change over time and across cultures | Advanced | ||||
| 3aa. Knowledge and critical understanding of how the media select, interpret and edit information, and how this can affect people’s judgements and behaviours | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3bb. Knowledge and critical understanding of how economies affect the functioning of societies | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic | |||
| 3cc. Knowledge and critical understanding of how economies affect the functioning of societies | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic | |||
| 3dd. Development of critical understanding of global inequalities and of their origins | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic | |||
| 3ee. Commitment to challenging inequalities at local, national and global level | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Advanced | |||
| 3ff. Development of critical understanding of patriotism | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic | |||
| 3gg. Development of a sense of global citizenship | Development of resources / Classroom activities | Basic |
Α number of different assessment activities are suggested (Padlet) while various test questions and interactive activities have been developed in order to be used in self-assessment quizzes (for example in the e-learning training) and in a digital environment certification process that is based on user-centred design (UCD) and a user-driven development (UDD) framework. It is important that these can be used with physical and virtual presence of the student teachers.
Τhe STEP UP-DC project proceeded to a certification-accreditation process of the Step UP-DC Training Programme that has been developed and implemented in three countries with specific evaluation and quality assurance indicators that the project developed, having included continuous evaluation processes from the start. As a result of this contextual process and the need that appeared, due to the pandemic of COVID-19, for online education and training procedures, the STEP UP-DC team proceeded to two certification-accreditation processes as a:
a) Postgraduate Certificate course in Citizenship Education (level 7) in the UK (LBU) and
b) Lifelong training programme (level 6) in Greece (NKUA)
Learn more from the Report on Certification of teaching Competence of Democratic Culture and of the Step UP-DC Training Programme