Activist Citizenship Education

Keith Heggart is a former high school teacher and an educational leader who worked for more than fifteen years in public, Catholic and independent schools in Australia and the UK. He is Google Certified Innovator, Apple Distinguished Educator and Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Keith has a long involvement with the trade union movement in education. He has designed learning materials for the Independent Education Union NSW/ACT as well as working in digital organizing. Keith recently completed his Ph.D. exploring justice-oriented citizenship education among Australian school students. He currently works as an academic at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, in the initial teacher education program.

• Introduction.- 1 A resurgence of civil action.- 2 Apatehtic or activist? Young people, citizenship and the public sphere.- 3 The organizing potential of networks and social media: Challenges and opportunities.- 4 The 'failures' of democracy and democratic education in Australia.- 5 A new understanding of civic participation: Citizens in action or citizens in waiting.- 6 Justice Citizens as a model of civics and citizenship education.- 7 Using complexity theory to navigate roadblocks in critical pedagogy.- 8 Justice pedagogy: A framework for active citizen education.- Conclusion.

“This is an important and valuable book. … this clearly written and rigorously produced work … will be of interest to academics (perhaps especially those who are engaged in teacher education) and practitioners. … Contextual matters are presented clearly … . This is a very good book. It is intelligently and engagingly presented. It offers a wealth of insight … offers a thoughtful and practical insight into ways of helping young people to understand and engage.” (Ian Davies, Curriculum Perspectives, Vol. 41, 2021)