ABSTRACT
In this chapter I discuss perspectives about citizenship education by drawing attention to two broad questions that are currently debated with some vigour: ‘what is citizenship?’ and ‘how may citizenship be taught, learned and assessed?’ In relation to the first question I discuss six overlapping areas that focus on rather fundamental matters about citizenship emerging from philosophy, politics, location, morals, identity and action. In relation to the second question (about teaching and learning) I refer to the three areas of status, form (or framing) and method. The complexities and controversies of citizenship education cannot all be covered within the space of one rather brief chapter but it might be possible to sketch in a rather cursory manner some aspects of the key debates.
