Social Security in the Classroom: A web-based learning platform

SNF Agora Projekt, s. a. unter 4530380

Social Security in the Classroom (SSC) proposes web-based Open Educational Resources for estab-lishing a sustainable communication between science and schools on the history of the Swiss welfare state. SSC targets the Secondary level II, particularly high schools and upper vocational schools. It pro-vides a multilingual learning platform, available in German, French and Italian. The platform, to be used by teachers in class, provides assignments and sources on the history of Social Security in Switzerland. Didactically, SSC focuses on the easy-to-understand perspective of individual actors and everyday prac-tices, highlighting the voices of Social Security (perspectives of beneficiaries and other concerned peo-ple). The content focuses on seven social risks relevant for the welfare state, such as poverty, unem-ployment, illness and others. The central element for the communication between science and school is the Social Security Laboratory, consisting of four elements: a) research assignments for research project to be pursued by pupils; b) a toolbox containing all necessary material (sources, video testimonials of scientists, a knowledge base) to fulfil the assignments; c) the repository Voices of Social Security for collecting and storing the products of the pupils’ work, and c) a channel for the feedback of teachers and pupils. SSC is managed by a steering committee, consisting of the three applicants and four partners: two educational experts from the Teachers Colleges of the cantons of Berne and Vaud, an expert in sci-ence communication and a representative of the Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV/OFAS). In sum, Social Security in the Classroom strives to becoming the leading platform for teaching the history of Social Security in all three language regions of Switzerland. It addresses a crucial audience, the next generation of citizens, and advances their understanding of the complexities of social policies and the welfare state in Switzerland, as well as of research practices in the Humanities.