[hre-asiapacific] Re: Pedagogy/methodology of HRE

Dear all,

My name is Theresa Limpin and I am the Regional Coordinator of the Asia
Pacific Regional Resource Center for Human Rights Education (ARRC). I have
been a practitioner and an avid endorser of participatory methodology in
human rights education for many years now.

I have just finished a brief presentation of understanding what is
participatory methodology in human rights education to a group of NGO
workers, M.A. students, and human rights advocates at an annual regional
human rights study forum being held here in Thailand in recent days.

My observation remains, that there is a broad range of perceptions on what
is participatory methodology in human rights education depending on
practice and context. Some believe that facilitating a question and answer
process in a learning session is participatory methodology in human rights
education. Others who are attached to this term goes beyond this practice.
It is the process of animating, using games, activities to get people's
attention, sharing of experiences on the different concepts being shared.
In addition, other would even say it must involve and lead to concrete
human rights action.

The experiences of many NGOs on human rights education methodologies are
largely unwritten. The richness of the experiences are not well
documented. At the same time, the methodologies being employed are
misunderstood in many cases. Many people would considered participatory,
creative methodologies as: only good for fun, time consuming, shallow,
insensitive, dangerous lacking in follow-up.

These comments consider participatory, creative methodologies as important
for the initial introduction of the participants, to break the ice, or
keep participants awake. But beyond these, there is no other role for
these methodologies. Still many see participatory, creative methodologies
as unnecessary because they only take time and can offend the
sensitivities of the participants.

These comments are not giving participatory, creative methodologies a
positive image. They limit them to a minor role in the educational process
or judge them as hardly useful. This shows that participatory, creative
methodologies are hardly understood. I find these impressions detrimental
to participatory methodology in human rights education especially if we
wanted to influence the formal education to be practicing participatory
methodology in teaching human rights.

We need to prove that participatory methodology in human rights education
makes a difference. More and more critical and in depth studies and
researches pertaining to participatory methodologies in human rights
education are needed to be studied carefully and given importance.

At a practical recommendation I would say, we need instructional videos on
participatory methodologies in human rights education be produced and
effectively distributed to target users for us to be able to enriched the
pedagogy in human rights education.

To end, please visit the ARRC website for the electronic copy of the
following research work we did on human rights education participatory
methodologies in Asia and the Pacific in the past and in recent year:

1. Report on the Asia Human Rights Education Trainers Colloquium, 2003.
2. Reclaiming Voices: A Study on Participatory Methodologies in the
Asia-Pacific, 2004.

http://www.arrc-hre.com

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Theresa Limpin
Regional Coordinator
ARRC
10/3Soi Ladphrao 14
Chatujak, Ladyao
Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Tel/fax: 662 9384698



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