EU grant for UCC
A Cork university is to develop a European Active Citizenship education hub after it was granted EU funding, it was announced yesterday, Wednesday.
UCC said that despite intense competition it has won one of 20 Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Teacher Training grants available across the entire European Union to develop the hub.
The hub, UCC said, will be the one-stop shop for teaching material and training courses on the European Union and what it means to be a European citizen, and will be specifically tailored for teachers from Junior Infants to 6th year level.
The €300,000 Erasmus+ Teacher Training grant builds on the success of My Big Friendly Guide to the European Union (BFGTOEU), an innovative teaching and learning programme at primary level which Dr Emmanuelle Schön-Quinlivan developed in collaboration with Trish Collier, primary school teacher and principal of Kilmurry National School.
The new grant will help grow teaching and training tools, grounded in critical thinking, for five-18 year olds, on the European Union, Ireland’s place within it, and active citizenship.
Together with a team of experts and in close collaboration with secondary level teachers, Dr Schön-Quinlivan will focus on creating turn-key lessons, role play and simulations on European issues while connecting them with the existing secondary curriculum.
Dr Schön-Quinlivan explained: “The key for such training and teaching programmes on Ireland and the European Union to work is to collaborate with school teachers. Lofty ideas which don’t work in the classroom are pointless.
“European political and policy issues are mostly studied at third level, the cultural side being touched upon at primary and secondary level. It is time to create relevant and effective teaching and training tools which support teachers in empowering our children to grow the European Union of the future.”
President of UCC, Professor John O’Halloran, said: "UCC is delighted to be among the trailblazing universities in the European Union which will create a continuum of education on active European citizenship through collaboration between primary, secondary and third level of education.
“As issues like Brexit or climate change have showed, the EU is part of our daily life and Ireland has an increasing role to play. I am delighted that UCC has this opportunity to lead the way.”