Felisa Tibbitts: A Primer for Selecting Democratic and Human Rights Education Teaching Materials
| It's Only
Right!: A Practical Guide to Learning About the Convention on the Rights of the Child was published by UNICEF and is written for
teachers working with populations thirteen years and older. The book was developed with
input from specialists from Latin America, Asia, Africa, Western Europe and North America
and is intended for different national settings. The guide is in use in several Central
and Eastern European countries, including Albania, and can be adapted for younger
students. It's Only Right! has three sections. "Activities for Learning About the Convention on the Rights of the Child," presents a range of activities for learning about the content of the Convention.The second section, "Planning for Action," suggests activities that can be used, either alone or in sequence, to help young people plan ways of taking realistic action on a rights issue. The third section identifies how the guide's activities may be used in different settings. The lessons can be used individually, or linked as a unit; they are best suited to be an insertion, or supplement, to an existing curriculum or for use in an informal educational setting.The activities are all interactive, and use a variety of engaging methods such as case studies, cards, simulations, and cartoons. The activities are well organized, with purpose, materials needed, procedures and even variations clearly presented. The guide is sensitive to the various physical conditions one can find in schools, and rely only on simple materials such as paper, pencil, 'cards,' scissors and glue.A core strength of this guide is it 's multicultural approach. Examples are drawn from many countries, encouraging students to use a comparative approach in understanding the situation of children. Another interesting feature of It's Only Right! is the section on taking action, which walks students through issue identification, research, and project planning.Two lessons are presented in this primer. "Wants and Needs" is a classic human rights activity, typically used at the primary school level, and intended to help students identify needs as the basis for human rights. The UNICEF model uses picture cards, a technique also used in other parts of It's Only Right!." Shifting Perspectives" takes up the children's rights issue of child labour, an important topic that does not always receive attention in national HRE texts. This activity requires participants to play out different roles in order to bring home the message that there may be different points of view on a single rights issue.
Title: It's Only Right! A Practical guide to Learning About the Convention on the Rights of the ChildAuthor: Susan Fountain Publisher: UNICEF Place and date of publication: New York, 1993 Languages: English Total pages: 77, plus the full text (18 pages) Convention on the Rights of the Child Form: book Address: UNICEF, Education for Development Section, 2 UN Plaza, H-9F, New York, NY 10017 USA or UNICEF, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, SWITZERLAND |