Using Picture Books and Philosophy for Children to Develop Global Citizenship in the Primary Classroom

This presentation will present the findings of a multi-site case study investigating the effectiveness of picturebooks in developing global citizenship education; specifically focusing on the elements of empathy, self-awareness and social justice. At its core is the desire to develop children’s cultural understanding and challenge misconceptions around subjects such as refugeeism within an unstable political climate, where tensions between people on a local, national and international scale are reported daily.

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has been presented as a subject with multiple interpretations and this study uses Standish’s (2012:14) definition of GCE as one that enables children to see past the ‘limitations and cultural biases of one's homeland, to bridge cultural divides and comprehend our common humanity’, with the purpose to then affect change (Banks, 2009). Previous GCE studies have investigated the use of narrative to direct learning around social justice in multicultural school contexts. Such studies indicated that children bring with them a sound awareness of the global community due to the diverse nationalities and sharing of cultures within their schools (Osler, 2015). Therefore, schools selected for the study were situated in predominately white British heritage rural communities, comprising of families who have lived and worked in the same geographical location for multiple generations. If the majority of the school community is white British, it could be defined as a ‘mono-cultural school’, and, consciously or sub-consciously, conformity may be promoted through a lack of interaction with different aspects of culture (Gaine, 2005). As definitions of a person’s culture are often based upon assumptions of their ethnicity, their heritage, where they live, their place in society or their religious affiliation, Horst & Gitz-Johansen (2010) suggest that interconnectedness can be promoted through identification of commonalities. However, any activity facilitation must provide a range of multicultural perspectives that go beyond race and religion.

Within the realm of children’s literature, picture books in particular have been identified for their ability to address and raise awareness of important issues relating to society and culture. The visual literacy skills used when navigating picture books can, as Arizpe & Styles (2015) propose, develop children’s abilities to adjust to different cultures or beliefs and can facilitate an enhanced understanding of real people and life. Viewed as sociocultural tools with the potential to enable children to situate themselves in the wider global community, they can aid confidence development to actively shape their future and that of others (Crawford et al, 2019).

Children’s literature has the ability to open up multiple realities that interpreted in a way unique to the reader. The reader is able to learn more about themselves, as well as the subject matter of the text. It gives the reader, regardless of age, the opportunity to explore alternative worlds and thereby enhance their own experience. Using quality children’s literature that encompass global citizenship values can enable pupils to learn the value of questioning, rejection of, or support of, established relationships and societal norms (Cutter-Mackenzie, Payne & Reid, 2010). The texts used in the study were chosen for their ability to encourage rich discussion and met Sipe’s (2008) theory of three principal impulses that impact children’s responses:

1) Hermeneutic - which is the longing to know

2) Personal - the desire to connect your life to a story

3) Aesthetic - complete immersion into the text and therefore experiencing it as they are part of it

To provide the opportunity for children’s perspectives to be heard is a way to validate their marginalised voices which are not often given the opportunity to speak about their concerns on subjects encompassed in GCE. Taylor & Leung (2020), identify that children will have different notions of what narratives mean based upon their unique sociocultural backgrounds. It was therefore imperative to involve children in opportunities that offer the chance for discussion as to how a text’s contents relate to their own understanding, revealing a greater depth of understanding of their perceptions about the world. A philosophy for children community of enquiry approach was chosen as the main participatory method to explore each book. Previous research has shown that it supports the values of GCE democratic learning (Cassidy & Christie, 2013) and provides a uniform lesson structure. It can also be accommodated within teachers’ lesson time frames and routines.

Results concluded that teachers found the books invaluable and the philosophy format easy to use, also nurturing social cohesion in the primary classroom. Data analysis identified significant benefits to the children in terms of developing self-belief and empathy, empowering the children to recognise they could be agents for change.