The Role of the Empathic Function of Literature in Dismantling Stereotypes and Eliminating Discrimination in the Classroom

The coexistence of students in the classroom from different cultural backgrounds is a challenge. Literature as a cultural product may contribute to the cultivation of intercultural empathy and acceptance of diversity in various ways. This study examines how literature may contribute to the treatment of issues related to stereotypes, gender discrimination, and how it may eliminate prejudices in the classroom. Initially, through the bibliographic review, the effect of literature on the psycho-emotional development of the individual, the strengthening of resilience and on the development of emotional intelligence is investigated as a key element for the development of healthy interpersonal relationships. Then, this study presents the results of an action research that utilized literature to break stereotypes in a pluralistic class. The action research took place at schools in Chania (Crete, Greece), and it highlights the empathic function of literature in removing stereotypes and discrimination in the classroom through various experiential activities and cooperative role play. Literature cultivates empathy and students may get into “others' shoes’’, accepting diversity. Through structured literature-based programs, a teacher may cultivate intercultural understanding and empathy, promoting human rights and enhancing the learners as future citizens with an inclusive and humanitarian attitude.

Diversity in Early Childhood Education Through Parents’ Perceptions

The management of diversity in preschool framework are today one of the main goals of early childhood education. Ιn addition to the school environment, the family also plays a key role in promoting, or not, the acceptance of diversity. The positions and attitudes of parents employed by their children affect, directly or indirectly, the pedagogical practices that teachers usually develop. The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of parents with preschool children about issues of managing diversity in the context of preschool education. Also, this research aimed to determine whether and to what extent the family environment makes efforts to raise young children’s awareness across cultural diversity. The research emerged that about half of the parents, although they initially invoked a neutral attitude towards the cultural diversity encountered in the kindergarten classes, in their deepest views seem to accept the otherness only if it does not make its appearance clearly visible in the classroom

Intercultural Education and the Teaching of English to Young Learners in Portugal: Developing Materials and Activities

Especially for the last two decades, vast international research and work has been done in the field of intercultural education, highlighting its major role in the context of a globalized, multicultural and interconnected world. Moreover, the role of intercultural education in language education has been discussed and studied and its importance in the development of interculturally competent citizens has been acknowledged. Aware of this situation, intercultural education guidelines, specifically in Europe, have encouraged the implementation of educational policies in this regard. However, despite those guidelines and recommendations, there is still a lack of awareness and knowledge on the part of language teachers and other education stakeholders. Therefore, this work intends to go through significant literature on the matter and raise awareness to the need of promoting intercultural communicative competence, and intercultural attitudes in particular. Furthermore, this work aims at exploring the mutual beneficial relationship between intercultural education and English language teaching to young learners in Portugal, taking advantage of their young age to build responsible adults and engaged citizens. Finally, this work seeks to make suggestions of materials and activities that can address intercultural education in the aforementioned context

A 'New' preschool curriculum that puts play on top: Déjà vu or second chance?

This thesis examines explanatory theories of play and an empirical study of preschoolers' play. It aims to provide an understanding of the educational purpose, value and extent of play in children’s lives. Understanding the interrelationship between play, development and learning, the writer hopes to be better equipped to facilitate and organize a meaningful play environment during the preschool years of young children to guide them into realising their potential of becoming confident and communicative beings; never mind the neat handwriting or colouring that preschool education focuses so much upon in Singapore. Considering explanations, the dominant theories of Piaget and Vygotsky's ideas in the play field are discussed. A framework towards an integrated perspective of a play- centred curriculum is presented. Considering evidence, studies of children’s play development in the domains of cognitive, language, social and emotional development are reviewed and summarized. Propelled earlier in the year 2003 by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, to accord play at the top of a new preschool curriculum, a battery of simple play experiments and tests were carried out to establish the interdependence of play, learning and development of preschoolers. Answers to two research questions regarding play in the local preschool context were processed: (1) does thematic fantasy play training conducted during English Language Arts lessons increase preschoolers' incidences of fantasy play during free play periods? (2) Will thematic fantasy play training improve preschoolers' perspective- taking ability in the domains of cognition, perception and affection? The findings (N= 28) are presented. Their implications for Singapore preschool teacher training in a play- centred curriculum are discussed. The thesis concludes with a reconciliation of understanding amongst all the high- stakes players of preschool education: parents of preschool children, preschool teachers and of course, the preschoolers themselves. The ultimate purpose of this thesis is to lay out and execute a local yet truly new preschool curriculum that puts Play at the top

Blacks in children\u27s literature: an annotated bibliography of resource materials written by or about Blacks for children in kindergarten through sixth grade

This study\u27s objective, therefore, is to present an annotated list of useful and immediately relevant resource materials which includes Black characters, written for children in kindergarten through the sixth grade levels. The list includes publishers\u27 names, prices, and a brief commentary on each title. Although the bibliography contains critical analysis, there has been no attempt to weigh the literary merits of each volume. Often the suitability of a given work will depend on how a teacher wants to use it, or the available purchase fund. However, materials worthy of a place in every school and library are marked highly recommended

Programs for social and emotional skills development for early and preschool children applied in European Countries : Compendium

With a compendium that counts almost 150 pages, the EU-SELF project team offers a thorough collection of Social and Emotional Learning programs. The 59 programs as shown in this compendium, are the result of an international systematic search by all nine project partners from six different countries in even more different languages. Only programs that included all four criteria considering age, origin, scope and content were held back for reviewing. However, the search was systematic and based on both existing databases and new searches (as shown in the methodology), there is a possibility that other relevant programs were not found by the review team and were therefore incorrectly not included in this compendium. However, would this only strengthen our first point of attention: the need for a centralized and international database that not only contains verified content of each program, but also includes practice- or evidence based research about the program. As both private businesses and universities create and offer those programs, a frame of references in quality shows to be necessary. All collected programs are already used in practice, but only some of them are based on research or show the impact and effect of the project in independent research. That brings a second point to discussion: the amount of evidence-based programs that tangle the element of SEL are limited. For reasons unknown, the EU-SELF team only found a few evidence based practices or was only in limited cases able to discover if a program was evidence based. Without questioning the effectiveness of the non-evidence based programs, the question rises why there is so little evidence. A third impression made by the EU-SELF team, is the one of perspective. What perspective on SEL is dominant and what other perspectives can also be of value? Where are gaps in the existing practices and what research is needed to discover what fits best in the long term? With the 59 practices in this compendium, the review descriptions and these questions, we hope to have both inspired as conflicted you to reflect on these and other initiatives of SEL

Parenting capacity and reading with children: enhancing the assessment framework for children in need and their families.

This thesis draws together two strands of thinking to consider their usefulness, when combined, to vulnerable children, their parents and practitioners who work in children's services. One strand conceptualises the abilities and qualities required by a parent to respond to children's developmental needs, as summarised by the term 'parenting capacity', in the psychological and social work literature which underpins assessment and intervention frameworks for practitioners. The second strand is the psychological and educational literature which considers the contribution of reading children's books to child development and the benefits to child-parent relationships of reading together. Both literatures draw from common knowledge, informed from research into the developmental needs of children and the abilities parents need to raise them. There is also contemporary research and scholarship which interprets the relevance of this heritage in contemporary cultural contexts. To add to and link these understandings, this study explores and discusses the views of 33 contemporary parents. Their views on both what makes for a good parent and the benefits of reading with children were gathered. The parents' views were analysed within the paradigm of the parenting capacity dimensions of The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, published as government guidance to practitioners in 2000 (Department of Health et al. 2000), which remains relevant to children's services in 2006. The use of this framework which draws mainly from one of the strands of literature that is explored (psychological and social work) means that the second strand of thinking (psychological and education) can be brought into the framework and relevant connections and comparisons made, in order to enhance the understanding of parenting capacity contained there. The study concludes by considering how the findings from this analysis have relevance to child welfare practice in contemporary contexts

Implementation of Character Education through Children's Language Development in Elementary Schools

Character education implementation through language development is essential in primary education. However, the application of character education in reality has not been optimal. This study aimed to explore the implementation of character education through language development in primary schools. This research used a qualitative approach, and data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The population of this study consisted of 522 students and 16 teachers in 15 classes at Silih Asah II State Elementary School in Cirebon City, Indonesia. The research sample was sampled from class 2A, consisting of 40 students, and 10 students' parents also gave feedback regarding this learning. The teacher sample consisted of 5 male and 5 female teachers, including the principal. The results showed that the implementation of character education through language development can be accomplished by combining language development activities with character learning activities such as storytelling, singing, and group games that involve all students. In addition, the results showed that through language development, children can learn communication and social skills that help them build good character. Therefore, this study concluded that language development can be an effective medium for implementing character education in primary schools.

The European dimension in picture books

This thesis considers European picture books and how they can be used by trainee teachers in upper primary classrooms. It is divided into two parts. Part One, Chapters 1-4, develops a theoretical rationale for creating picture book material which will both implement a European dimension in education and meet the requirements of the 1995 and 1997 National Curricula for English in England. Chapter One explains the notion of a European dimension in Education; Chapter Two traces European influences on the picture book since the time of Comenius, the first picture book creator; Chapter Three discusses the 'travelability' of picture books plus their role within the learning process; and Chapter Four concludes the 6rst part of the thesis, with a literature review, by drawing the strands of the first three chapters together to create a rationale for using European picture books at Key Stage Two. Part Two, Chapters 5-8, presents the study which was devised to put this rationale into practice for initial teacher training. It establishes the core questions of the thesis; Which books might form a European collection? How can such a collection of picture books facilitate a European dimension in primary education? How can this collection enable trainee teachers to implement a European dimension at Key Stage Two of the National Curriculum for English? Chapter Five outlines the development of the European Picture Book Collection (EPBC); Chapter Six presents a brief overview of semiotic, discourse and text analysis methodologies, suggesting why a Semiotic Text Analysis (STA) is appropriate for this research; Chapter Seven applies the STA to the EPBC; and Chapter Eight explores, through a number of activities, how trainee teachers might use the EPBC materials to implement a European dimension whilst meeting National Curriculum requirements