Group+11+Final+draft

=** CHILDREN'S LITERATURE: BUILDING A PATHWAY FROM FRIENDSHIP TO GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP **=

Exploring the issues
Life in our wealthy and diverse society provides challenges and opportunities for success. In addition to teaching academic subjects, teachers must teach social skills that include developing a sense of community locally and globally through friendship, compassion, and acceptance (Tasmanian Curriculum – Society and History, p. 6). Exploring the theme of friendship through literature with early childhood students will help them understand that rich rewarding friendships are possible even though vast differences exist. In middle school, the concept of friendship can be extended to a world-wide context. The prevalence of modern communications technology and the media exposes many children to controversial issues within their sociocultural environment and through the global environment (Oxfam, 2010). Acceptance, compromise and compassion towards those who are different due to culture, family or environment, enables students to accept those forced to seek asylum in our country. Rowan (2001) acknowledges the fundamental role of Australia’s educational system in preparing and encouraging this generation to effect their own rights and responsibilities for global citizenship (Oxfam, 2010). Exploring the theme of refugees through literature, will enable middle school students to develop empathy towards them, their circumstances, and embrace their differences in a spirit of friendship and cultural diversity.

** EARLY CHILDHOOD: FRIENDSHIP **
Friendship is one of the major issues facing children in an early childhood setting. Piaget (as cited by Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007) claimed that children in this age group are still generally in an egocentric phase and have difficulty considering other perspectives. The creation and maintenance of friendships are a vital ingredient in meeting social and emotional needs (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007). Literature and our own experience s tell us that children must learn how to form and nurture friendships and work with others in order to function, contribute and live in any society (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007). For young children in an unfamiliar environment, faced with a diverse group of individuals, this may be a difficult task. By using books that explore the issue of friendship despite individual differences, a teacher can provide a resource in which students can "find a point of contact and discover that they weren't the only person in the world with that special problem" (Walker, as cited by Fox, 1995, p. 2). The texts we have chosen are // Cat and Fish // by Joan Grant (2003) and // Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley // by Aaron Blabey (2007)  in the expectation that the child will come to appreciate and develop an understanding of others, their differences and how acceptance, kindness and understanding form the basis for any interpersonal relationship.

The Literature :
//Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley// - Aaron Blabey //Cat and Fish -// Neil Curtis and Joan Grant

//Cat and Fish// looks at the unlikely pairing of traditional enemies; a cat and a fish. After exploring each others worlds, the two realise they cannot maintain their friendship unless a compromise can be met. Compromise is an important part of any true friendship, and it is a skill that younger children often struggle with (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007). The second book, //Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley// moves the focus to two children who are the best of friends, despite major differences in their personalities. Indeed, this book demonstrates that differences can combine to strengthen a relationship. For example, when Charlie is scared, Pearl, who is fearless, will protect him. This book sends a powerful message that friends do not need to have identical likes and dislikes in order to get along. Young students need to learn to accept and embrace diversity, rather than be alienated by differences between people (Dept of Education, Tas, 2008). Both books contain illustrations that are aesthetically pleasing. The colourful, cartoonish images in //Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley// and the striking black and white, simplistic style of //Cat and Fish// equally succeed in engaging and entertaining the reader, whilst conveying the strong friendships between the characters (Anstey & Bull, 2000).

The Strategies:
The Tasmanian English-literacy curriculum (Dept of Education, Tasmania, 2008) states that students need to be engaged in a range of activities encompassing reading, writing/ representing, listening, speaking and thinking. The issue of friendship is one which engulfs the young child upon entering the school system and by engaging children with a variety of tasks, such as the strategies below , educators can explore the issue of friendship to its fullest. ==== Strategy 1: The "whole-part-whole" strategy, as recommended by Green and Campbell (2006), can be extended beyond the elements of semantics and graphophonics to consider aspects of a friendship. After the stories have been read to the class, various parts of the text and illustrations can be highlighted for discussion based on the diversity of the characters. The childrens comprehension of the text is judged by asking the children to share with the class any similar stories they may have about friends they have and the differences they have experienced. Children may be asked, "Do you like to play different games to your friend when you go out to lunch?" , "Does your friend have different things in their lunchbox?", "Can you still be friends?". ====

==== Strategy 2: The arts, including drama, are an effective method of exploring life skills and provoking thought (Tasmanian curriculum 2009). Through role play, children can explore scenarios from the books, such as Charlie Parsley being scared or Cat not liking the water and "step into another's shoes to consider the world and and issue from another perspective" (Sinclair et al, 2009, p. 69). The teacher may choose to act out the roles using puppets, or the students can take on the roles themselves. Children are asked possible ways of solving these problems. The role playing can be further enhanced to i nclude real-life scenarios and creation of a 'book of solutions' in which the successful compromises are written down and kept for future reference. ====

==== Strategy 3: The Tasmanian Health and Wellbeing curriculum (Department of Education, Tasmania, 2008) highlights the need for students to be aware of the factors influencing a relationship, including nurturing and management, and benefits gained. Construction of a "Friendship Wall", as recommended by Serenc (2001) can explore friendship and diversity on several levels. Images of friendship are added to the wall. These may be from the texts, drawn or painted by the children or cut out from magazines or other media. Using the texts as inspiration, children are then asked what qualities make a good friend, for example, kind and caring. Brainstorm responses are written onto card and posted onto the wall. Emphasis is placed on the fact that such qualities are unrelated to physical traits as the children are referred back to the texts in which the characters develop friendships despite obvious differences in appearance and personality. Reference can also be made to popular movie and television characters, such as Shrek and Donkey, whose close bond is unrelated to appearance. The completed wall will provide a strong visual prompt for any further discussions regarding friendship. ====

MIDDLE SCHOOL: REFUGEES
With maturation and a strong foundation based on learning about being and belonging (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009), students can move from issues of friendship and their immediate world to issues relating to the global environment. 21st century technologies ensure our environment is rich with information and interwoven into all facets of our lives (Morgan and Kennwell, 2005: Zevenbergen and Logan, 2008). As a consequence, children and adolescents are frequently exposed to controversial issues. A safe space is needed for young people to explore, develop and express their own values and opinions in relation to current issues enabling them to work towards Global Citizenship (Oxfam, 2006; Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009). In Australia teachers play a vital role providing learning opportunities to foster the development of communities of philosophical inquiry where students are able to acknowledge the viewpoint of others (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009). State curriculum details participatory teaching and learning methodologies teaching for resilience and connectedness, empathy increasing student’s chances of developing into productive and affirmed community members and cohesive global citizens (Oxfam, 2006; Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009). The plight of refugees is a highly publicised topic worthy of philosophical enquiry (Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009). Students need to undergo an active imaginary process to develop interpersonal skills necessary to be empathetic towards the predicament of others (Blatner, 2002) The literature **: Texts: //Home and Away -// John Marsden and Matt Ottley //My First Ever go at Bomb Dispos//al - Morris Gleitzman
 * 

Both texts embed the reader within the dilemma, confronting students with literature specifically written with participatory methods of placing student both inside and outside of another’s predicament (Blatner, 2006). //Home and Away // is a powerful picture book which places the reader inside the experience of a refugee. It details the disintegration of a once-happy Australian family. When war ravages their (our) once-safe country, they flee as refugees, to a safe, distant land. As in the real-life scenarios of many refugee boat people, there is no happy ending. The genre of problem realism makes it a poignant, confronting and disturbing story for pre-teen and older readers. Told in first person, through 15-year-old Toby, the protagonist, the reader personally experiences a suspenseful, despairing and tragic journey. Set in Australia, the story is no longer about someone else from somewhere else (Hachette). Author and illustrator create powerful visual and word images that draw the reader into feeling empathy.

//My First Ever go at Bomb Disposal // captures the dangers of racial profiling and stereotyping. Ned, on a train journey with his mother, becomes suspicious of a man of middle-eastern appearance and carrying a briefcase. Through dialogue with his mother, Ned expressesr increasing fears the man is a terrorist reaching a climax when the man leaves his briefcase on the train during a short stop. Convinced the briefcase contains a bomb, Ned clumsily grabs it, scattering its contents. The contents infer through photos and newspaper articles that he is a refugee who lost his family in a boat crisis. Ned’s shame and embarrassment at his misjudgement becomes acute when the man offers a gesture of friendship. Gleitzman brings to the forefront current issues about how society marginalises and stereotypes people of a certain race/background. Terrorist events portrayed in the media influence attitudes of judgement against specific ethnic and religious groups. Such stereotyping prevails within Australia and globally. Commonplace in today's media on the reporting of refugees, is the bias use of the denigrating term, illegal immigrants. The product of these conclusions is that we lose sight of important factual information such as the United Nations Charter which legitimises the right of refugees to seek asylum in another country.

** Teaching students to develop empathy and employ critical thinking skills about complex global issues requires strategies in which students actively participate in areas of philosophical inquiry (Oxfam, 2006; Tasmanian Curriculum, 2009 ). Emphasis is on developing interpersonal skills students require for global citizenship. Some suggested mediums for students to engage in these understandings would be strategies that use role-play, reading, writing, visual literacy and debate as activities to structure the issues of refugees, empathy and global citizenship. ** Strategy 1**:** Students use the //Compare/Contrast// learning strategy before and after reading both texts, then write a description of the characters at the end of //Home and Away.// Compare to the description at the beginning of the story. This writing activity will encourage students to analyse the effects of loss (home, belongings, country, family and reputation) on refugees, and clarify and inform their thinking in preparation for strategies 2, 3 and 4.

Strategy 2: "Spot the Refugee" lesson plans (sourced from the UN Refugee Agency - [] ) extend cognitive and affective thinking about refugees as presented in the texts, and use visual literacy to promote empathy for them. Humanising refugees, by encouraging students to understand the similarities they share with them, identifying situations where students have felt discomfort and alienation, and examining possible sources of prejudice and stereotyping, will help students respond to refugees with empathy. "Social Justice and Equity. Captions" (Controversial Issues, p. 10) also uses visual images as a stimulus to develop empathy and critical thinking skills. Students are encouraged to respond with questions and reflect on personal feelings.

Strategy 3: //Visual Refugee Debate,// ** based on "Imaginary Tension Hug" (ref.) ** ** unites ** ** drama and debate. Students ** prepare for/against arguments sourcing information in texts, and take on various roles (speaker, representative, adjudicator, refugee, tension indicators [teams]). As speakers present, and adjudicators rate the arguments for their strength of conviction, actors out the front dramatise by 'pulling' (acting) the refugees in either direction based on the adjudicator’s score. Involving the students in role play allows them to focus their imagination, and picture in their mind what it is like to be in the predicament of the refugee. ( p. 1).

Strategy 4: Investigate reasons (including those gleaned from texts) put forward by governments for putting refugees into prison. Use the //Four Corners// strategy to have students think about whether they agree or disagree with these, and justify the validity of these reasons. Used in conjunction with, or followed by 'Values Continuum. Exchanging Views' activity (T.C.I. p. 14), these strategies involve students in actively listening, reading and writing and through exchange with other students deepen and critique their own thinking on the issue of refugees.  Johnston (yr?) stated that "Children's literature gives pleasure to its readers; it is a carrier of ideologies in its themes and in its narrative structures; it provides a diverse assortment of maps of being; and it frequently addresses in different ways themes of growth and growing..." (p. 419). As literature is often part of a child’s first experience in a learning environment, it opens the door to an array of stories and perspectives they may not previously have encountered. In the examples above, children develop and explore important values of empathy, friendship and diversity and use these early skills to discover deeper issues later in their learning, such as dispossession, inequality and conflict. These are but a sample of the pathways that children may undertake using literature.
 * PHILOSOPHY **

__References__ Department of Education, Tasmania. (2008). //The Tasmanian curriculum: Society and history. Retrieved 25 September, 2009 from http://www.education.tas.gov.au/curriculum/standards/society

Department of Education, Tasmania. (2008). The Tasmanian curriculum: English-literacy. Retrieved 25 September, 2009 from http://www.education.tas.gov.au/curriculm/standards/english

Department of Education, Tasmania (2008). The Tasmanian curriculum: Health and wellbeing. Retrieved 7 October, 2008 from http://www.education.tas.gov.au/curriculum/standards/health//

Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2000). //Reading the visual: Written and illustrated children’s literature.// Marrickville, NSW: Harcourt Australia. Johnston, R.R. (2006). What is children’s literature? In Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., & Holliday, M. (Eds.), //Literacy: Reading, writing and children’s literature// (3rd ed.) (pp. 393-420). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, K. (2007). //Educational psychology.// Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Fox, J. (1995). //Books that help children.// Sydney, NSW: Medical Benefits Fund of Australia.

Green, D., & Campbell, R. (2006). Reading: Starting out. In Campbell, R., & Green, D. (Eds.), //Literacies and learners: Current perspectives (3rd ed.). (pp. 101-122).// Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Sinclair, C., Donelan, K., Bird, J., O'Toole, J., & Freebody, K. (2009). Drama: Social dreaming in the twenty-first century. In Sinclair, C., Jeanneret, N., & O'Toole, J. (Eds). //Education in the arts: Teaching and learning in the contemporary curriculum. (pp. 65-100).// South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

Serenc, M. (2001). Smart start: Life skills for early learners. Greenwood, WA: Ed Publications.

Morgan, A., & Kennewell, S. (2005). The role of play in the pedagogy of ICT. Education and Information Technologies. 10 (3), 177-188. accessed on 18/1/10 at []

Zevenbergen, R. & Logan, H. (2008). Computer use by preschool children: Rethinking practice as digital natives come to preschool. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 33 n1 p37-44

= =