ABSTRACT
The everlasting changes that Europe in particular and the world in general are undertaking create different challenges for each individual and for societies. Hence, a new type of citizenship is required, where individuals are called to be responsible and actively engaged. The traditional idea of citizenship education as mere knowledge about political systems and/or organisations or as a form of getting students acquainted with legislation should undergo major transformation. New forms of citizenship education need to be highlighted at European, national, and community levels. In this chapter the following issues are raised: the notion and history of citizenship education; diverse approaches to citizenship education in different countries; teacher education programmes concerning citizenship education; data on European citizenship around Europe; topics on citizenship education; and questions to reflect upon. In order to provide some examples of teacher education activities related to citizenship education, some tasks developed within the HOWBET Summer School will be described, including the students’ voices on this theme. Some conclusions will be drawn concerning citizenship education and the challenges that teacher education programmes need to face.
