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I also work in a DEIS school and have seen the amount of resources that goes into making sure every child is fed and happy in school. Like your school each child has access to hot food daily in the canteen and for some it is very necessary as there are some children hungry coming to school daily. I think world hunger is a huge issue and something the children arent as aware of as they could be. The 100 poeple in the world shows eye opening figures in relation to world hunger and is a great resource.
The Sustainable Development Goal 4 focuses on providing equal education learning opportunities for all. As an educator i think this is a really important goal.
I would introduce this in my class using some of the many resources provided in this module.
Firstly, the 100 people in the world activity is a fantastic resource to show the children, and adults, how the population of the world is so heavily unevenly distributed. It also shows very clearly the global inequality that exists.
The figures about education access show the inequality in the world. 86 people would be able to read and write leaving 14 who are illiterate as well as only 66 people would finish highschool is very clear to understand and show the children how big an issue this is.
The PLAN international lesson on inequality of education is brilliant and I think it would engage the children in purposeful learning about the differences of education throughout the world and why some children cannot access education. I found the global citizens’ video about education very thought provoking and especially the message that education is the key to ending poverty.
I would follow on from these lessons by engaging the children in project based learning to develop their knowledge and come up with suggestions and ways to help the situation. I have been involved in Comenius projects in the past and using these initiatives is a great way to show children how education differs from country to country.
Laura, I completely agree with you. I find children instinctively gravitate to gender stereotypical roles within role play and drama situations. It is something I am regularly trying to convey in my own classroom that you can take any role or responsibility regardless of your gender. The same applies for toys. I have a son and a daughter and I also find that my girl loves to play with the stereotypical boys toys and vice versa with my son. It is something I am trying to be more conscious of myself to ensure both my own children and the children i teach understand that your gender should not influence your way of life, toys, clothes, etc.
Gender stereotypes affect students from a very young age. As a society, I feel we are guilty of feeding into stereotypes from a very young age through the toys, clothes, etc we buy children. I am guilty of it myself with my own children but am making more of an effort to be more gender neutral with toys especially.
I found it very interesting when the facilitator for our recent Maths curriculum training told us that the strand of Shape and Space is the one area of the maths curriculum that there is a gender imbalance in that boys are more successful in this area. He put it down to the toys they play with from a young age.
I think it is still very prevalent in classrooms today. I teach in a senior school and when completing biographies last year each child was allowed to pick their own person to research. The majority of boys chose footballers or you-tubers where as the girls chose female pop stars, gymnasts, etc.
I think they PLANs Development Education resources are excellent and although the gender lessons are targeted to 1st/2nd class I think they would still be relevant in the older classes with some differentiation.
‘The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World’ by Ehigie (2021)shows how Development Education is very important, especially today as the world we live in grows and changes. I teach in a DEIS school and there are students from a range of different cultures and societies. It is so lovely to be able to celebrate each child’s uniqueness and learn from each other as we do so. I firmly believe every child has a right to the same education despite any factors that may influence that.
I think development education is an important part of every classroom and I think its something that most schools and staff are aware of now. I would continue to incorporate it into my own teaching throughout the curriculum subjects and using project work, investigation and reflective practices following learning. As I teach in a school with a diverse student body it its great to celebrate and learn about different holidays, cultures and traditions as the year progresses in an informal way also.
