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DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CIVIC EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2017. Issue 4 (181). P. 128-132

The article deals with the development and different approaches to civic education in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. During all the human history every society aimed at development of civic competences, knowledge among young generations. Nowadays these intensions (more about democratic citizenship) changed into increasing problem, demanding more attention, tightly connected with democratic processes. In different schools of Great Britain there is a program of introduction to the subjects connected with the development of civic competences. The fact of formalizing the subject in England reflects the growing concern among British young people’s attitudes to the civil society, their participation in the political life of the country, and is perceived as an important event in the history of education in the UK. However, the understanding of citizenship, education and cultural identity changes in accordance with the region, and that becomes the reason for different aims and approaches to civic education in Britain. The article presents the peculiarities in understanding of the terms “civic education” and “citizenship” in different countries of the UK. It is concluded that the understanding of these concepts affects the contents, the denomination and methods of teaching the subject of civic orientation in the school system. Aspects of civic education are firmly entrenched in government programs of primary, secondary and higher education, which constantly transform with the changes at different levels of the society. The UK has also these peculiarities and inside the Commonwealth approaches, the names and methods of civic education vary. The differences are due only to the territorial factor and the factor of experience, but, in general, the concept of civic education is a complex and versatile.

Keywords: civic education, school, Great Britain, democracy