FINDING OUR PLACE AND PURPOSES IN HUMAN

RIGHTS EDUCATION

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From the UDHR

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL

DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common

standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to

the end that every individual and every organ of society,

keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by

teaching and education to promote respect for these

rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national

and international, to secure their universal and effective

recognition and observance, both among the peoples of

Member States themselves and among the peoples of

territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 26 from the UDHR

Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Definition (HRE Associates)

Human Rights Education is a lifelong process of teaching and learning that helps individuals develop the knowledge, skills, and values to fully

exercise and protect the human rights of themselves and others

to fulfill their responsibilities in the context of internationally agreed upon human rights principles

to achieve justice and peace in our world.

Human Rights Education

Comprehensive HRE attends to the formal and informal

curriculum--considering content, teaching/learning

strategies, organizational practices, behavior, language, and

symbols.

Promotes a sense of critical literacy, the ability to “read” the

word in light of human rights.

“The ultimate goal of creating citizens who enact human

rights, not just students who know that they have human

rights” (Suarez, 2007).Suárez, D. (2007). Education Professionals and the Construction of Human Rights Education. Comparative Education Review, 51, 48-70.

Uses of HRE

Provide learners a framework for political choices and participation

to guide interpersonal behavior

to navigate consumption and environmental stewardship

Bullying prevention and safety promotion in schools and

communities

Inoculate against passive victimization and exploitation

Promote intergroup cooperation and respect

Community organizing and the development of agency

among marginalized populations

Endorsement is rare, justification is easy.

Rather than an “add on,” HRE can become the “content” used to teach

computational, literacy, and critical thinking skills as required by education standards

HRE can help students relate standards and skills to their private and public lives in more meaningful ways

HRE can speak to the “generative themes” in students’ lives, increasing student motivation by increasing the perceived relevance of schools and curriculum

Background for Educators

Know the place of human rights relative to one’s own philosophy of education and the purpose of one’s work as a classroom or community educator

Have a growing knowledge of human rights as articulated in various instruments (civil, political, cultural, economic, and social)

Relevance

Connect learners’ prior knowledge, current life experiences, and personal interests to human rights principles and concepts (this can include identified needs within the school or community)

Conceptualize how learners’ developmental characteristics and needs might be related to human rights themes and concepts (identity for adolescents, fairness for primary grades, peer acceptance, self-esteem, etc.)

Work with learners to connect their specific ethnic, familial, racial, gender, sexual and other identity characteristics to human right principles and concepts, in both history and contemporary life

Relevance

Encourage students to use their understanding of human rights to interpret and critically analyze their own experiences in school, home, and community

Encourage students to use their understanding of human rights to interpret and seek understanding of people in various social groups, geographic regions, and times in history

Instruction

Establish and articulate specific human rights education goals for students (in light of curriculum endorsed by the school’s governing body, connected to the standards)

Suggested Strategy

1. Examine the standard or common core element you are required to teach

2. Ask: Regarding Content: What are the concepts or themes

within this standard that could be interpreted as human rights related?

Regarding Skills and Concepts: Can I teach this skill or concept using materials that simultaneously teach human rights concepts, content, or agency?

3. Use on-line resources to locate lessons or activities address either of the goals above.

Instruction

Use instructional or classroom organizational strategies that are consistent with human rights concepts and principles in respecting the dignity and rights of students/clients, their families, and their communities

Use adaptive materials, resources, and technologies to make human rights concepts and principles accessible to all

Learning Environment

Plan and implement--with students--classroom procedures, disciplinary plans, and management structures that explicitly embody human rights concepts

Thus supporting students’ learning about human right concepts and principles through lived classroom and school experience

Preparation for Action

Develop (instructional) activities that allow students to take positive action relative to their own human rights and their responsibilities to protect and promote the rights of others