It’s all about the story : Personal narratives in children’s literature about refugees

Stories are one way that experiences, ideas and culture are shared with children in educational settings. Commercially published books are the standard means in schools for sharing stories. Qualitative content analysis was carried out on 30 personal narrative-based children's picture books. While the range of stories told in books is vast, our research focuses on refugee stories for children in light of the contemporary political and public focus on refugees and the forced movement of people around the world. Scholars have identified that books about refugees for children can be useful to explore the topic of refugees, but also caution that they can perpetuate simplistic and stereotypical understandings about forced movement in the world. In our research we examine personal narratives and propose that educators should use stories and books written and illustrated by children as a means to bring refugee children's voices into formal educational spaces. We argue that this is a respectful approach that counters a deficit model of refugee children; it highlights refugee children's authentic voices and stories told on their own terms. Additionally, it offers a counter-narrative to dominant refugee stories in the public sphere and presents understandings of forced migration and its legacies from children's perspectives. We suggest that to effectively examine refugee experiences through literature, educators should use a number of texts to begin conversations in classrooms, and stories by children who have experienced forced migration should be featured

A new global lens for viewing children's literature

Children’s literature is a complex field and when examined globally there are many trends and issues that emerge. This is especially true when illustrations are the focus. From picture books to comics and graphic novels visuals in children’s literature are being used more and more in innovative and creative ways. This chapter analyses the different trends in children’s literature within the use of such visuals. Specially examined is the idea of visual literacy, the ability to interpret images found in a text, and the impact this has on children’s reading. A new genre entitled ‘blended narratives’, a genre which incorporates elements of picture books, comics and graphic novels into a more traditional novel format, is also introduced showing how it is being found around the world. A plethora of titles from around the globe are showcased to exemplify the importance of how visual literacy and illustrations work in conjunction to tell a story and engage children in reading

The impact of pandemic lockdowns and remote learning on student fitness : An investigation of changes to high school student fitness levels

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact on health-related fitness resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns on male high school students in Melbourne, Australia. Method: A total of 146 students completed fitness testing in February and retesting in November following 7 months of remote learning. Fitness tests conducted were 20-m shuttle run (Beep Test), flexed arm hang, body mass index, push-ups, sit-ups, and sit and reach. Results: The mean fitness levels of this cohort decreased across the health-related fitness components. Decreases were varying in magnitude, body composition (d = 0.3), flexibility (d = 0.56), muscular strength (d = 0.64), muscular endurance (d = 0.39 and d = 0.26), and cardiovascular endurance (d = 0.96). Discussion: The impact on students’ fitness levels was noteworthy, and the long-term impacts of this decrease are yet to be seen. This research brings focus to what can be done to maintain adolescent fitness when their usual exercise opportunities are not available

A once in a lifetime opportunity to experience 21st century teacher education

This chapter is based on a year-long embedded placement that provides third-year Bachelor of Education primary students with the opportunity to be placed in a primary school one to two days every week for the entire school year. They work in partnership with their mentor teachers, and because this partnership is with Catholic schools, they also have a faith companion that mentors them in the teaching of religious education. The main goal of this program is to provide an innovative and improved model for teacher education that provides a more meaningful and authentic placement experience. From an evaluation perspective, we have conducted surveys from PSTs for the past two years and have conducted Zoom interviews with a number of PSTs as well. This data has helped revise and improve aspects of the program to ensure its success and sustainability with the PSTs, participating schools and the university

Blurred vision : The divergence and intersection of illustrations in children's books

In the evolving world of children’s literature, lines get blurred as formats and genres shift and adapt to the demands of readers and society as a whole. Nowhere is this more the case than in illustrations found within children’s literature. Illustrations, and visuals, play an integral role in children’s literature. In this article, the authors describe an emerging trend that comes from the convergence of picture books, comics and graphic novels. They identify this new genre as blended narrative, in which visual and textual media equally share the burden of storytelling. Specific titles from children’s literature are highlighted to showcase examples of blended narratives