The realities of their world: Engaging Pre-service School - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“The realities of their world”: Engaging Pre-service School Librarians with International Literature Kasey Garrison, Charles Sturt University, AUS Danielle Forest, University of Southern Mississippi, USA Sue Kimmel, Old Dominion University, USA TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

International Literature • Books originally published outside the country • Translations (Montero & Robertson, 2006) • “a key role to play in developing our young people’s global understandings” (Morellion, 2013, p. 35) • Research supports international literature in: • Teaching youth about human rights and social justice issues (Grant & Gibson, 2013; Martin, Smolen, Oswald, & Milam,2012) • Promoting appreciation of others (Buck et al., 2011) • Developing empathy (Thein, Guise, & Sloan, 2012) • Supporting “the normality of diversity” (Bishop, 1997, p. 6) TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

The purpose of our study was to investigate the perceptions pre-service teachers and school librarians had about using an international children’s book to promote awareness, discussion, and activism related to international human rights with their students. TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Son of a Gun by Anne de Graaf (2012) • 2013 Batchelder Award Honour • Translated from Dutch by author (2006) • 1990s Liberian Civil War • Nopi and Lucky become child soldiers • Based on real experiences of child soldiers TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Declaration of the Rights of the Child ( DRC , UN, 1959) •“All children have the right to what follows, no matter what their race, colour sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, or where they were born or who they were born to.” •Mental, physical, and spiritual health and well being •A name, citizenship, physical protection, healthcare, shelter, food, disability services, education, work, exploitation, help •“love and understanding” •“You should be taught peace, understanding, tolerance and friendship among all people.” TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Research Questions What meanings do participants make after reading Son of a Gun ? • What are their overall perceptions of the quality and appeal of the book? • What are their perceptions of using the book with children? • What connections do they draw between this title and the DRC ? • What are their perceptions of using the book to understand and teach about international human rights with youth? TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Study Participants • 16 (Mostly) Pre-service TLs and Teachers • Enrolled in Masters of Education course • University in the United States • Online Children’s Literature Subject • Online Literature Circles (4-5 students) TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Study Progression • Students: • Read DRC and Son of a Gun (ebook gifted to students) • Choose roles and prepare for literature circle • Literature circles recorded • Post-discussion reflections • Data Sources • Online literature circle transcripts • Accompanying literature circle questions • Post-discussion reflections • Content analysis using Research Questions as codes TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Findings- Appeal & Quality • Inspirational, “a great story of not giving up” • “authentic” and “genuine” • “couldn’t put it down” • “heart-wrenching” TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Findings- Using the Book with Children • Difficult topics- war, violence, rape • Low reading level • “Sometimes we have to expose children to the realities of their world” • Especially “educationally privileged students in America” • “I think this would be a great book for students with disabilities to read to see [Nopi’s] courage and resilience” TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Findings- Connections with DRC •Lucy- What, if any, steps should be taken by the United Nations to ensure children are protected during civil wars? •Melanie- There are still children soldiers in more than 25 countries today. How is it that with stories like Nopi and Lucky and the laws of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child that countries are still employing children into war? •Courtney- How could Nopi’s and Lucky’s involvement in the war be different if the Declaration of the Rights of a Child were intact? •Katie- What are some examples of direct violation of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in Son of a Gun? TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Findings- International Human Rights • History of African nations and effects of slavery on current climates • Divergent perspectives on mature topics • UN Cyberschool Website TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Study Limitations • Emotion of the story distracted students? • 16 of potential 39 participants… • Lost some context within the transcripts. TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Significance • Timely issue • Discussions coupled with action • International literature gives a starting point. • Thank you to the International Association of School Librarianship for funding this study with the Takeshi Murofushi Research Award! TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Questions? References available upon request. TEACHER LIBRARIANSHIP – SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES – FACULTY OF EDUCATION