ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the theory and practice of citizenship education with particular reference to cultural diversity. I begin by offering an account of the development of education for citizenship in the UK. This is followed by an examination of the implications of such education for promoting cultural diversity. In particular, I shall focus on international education programmes such as world studies and global education, which aim to contribute to the development both of citizens and of such diversity. Having argued that teaching the skills of critical thinking, reasoning and argument is central to any adequate notion of ‘international education’ and of ‘education for citizenship’, I suggest that the absence in these programmes of explicit guidance on the teaching of such skills is a significant omission. Finally, I conclude the chapter by discussing how citizenship education, which promotes cultural diversity and the development of pupils’ thinking skills, might take place in primary and secondary school classrooms through the teaching of personal, social and moral education.
