Pedagogy of Human Rights Education in the Elementary Schools of Taipei and New Delhi: Probing the Role of Social Science Teachers

• Main Authors: Anamika, 安尹若
• Other Authors: Cheng, Tung Liao
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/75399286882697189787

博士 === 國立政治大學 === 教育研究所 === 99 === Education is an important institution that shapes our society through continuous socialization of pupils. It prepares future generations to participate in social change and contributes to society’s development. Moreover, it makes pupils aware of their rights. Human rights education can be introduced at all levels of education. The elementary level Social Science education is crucial for the development of the concept of human rights among adolescents. For the pupils of this age group, the guidance of teacher and the pedagogy of human rights education are critical for a clear understanding of the concept. The pedagogy of human rights education can be a useful and effective way of inculcating deliberative methods, humane and judicious values, and rational and critical thinking among pupils. The present study is an attempt to assess social science teachers and explore their pedagogy in the context of human rights education. The issues that the present research intends to raise are: (1) How the pedagogy of human rights education is perceived by Social Science teachers of the elementary school of Taipei and New Delhi in the context of their values, beliefs, attitudes, and ideals of human rights education? (2) How is the pedagogy of human rights education of Social Science teachers of Taipei and Delhi put into practice? (3) What is taught in human rights education in the social science classrooms of Taipei and New Delhi intentionally and unintentionally? (4) What are the problems and obstacles faced by Social Science teachers during the process of teaching human rights? (5) Can there be a general pedagogy of human rights education, which can be applied across different educational settings? The issues are examined with two sets of three teachers of sixth grade and their classes in elementary schools of Taipei and New Delhi. The findings of this study suggest that the agency of the teacher is crucial for successful implementation of HRE; that a teacher has to have passion and commitment for HR; that the rights of students as individuals must be respected by the teacher; that HRE must be context specific; that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be used as a universal standard to teach HR; and, finally, that the role of UN and national government is crucial. These two institutions provide with the framework and funding for HRE. Last, but not the least, the role of NGOs and INGOs is gaining importance by the day and that they need to expand their network, both vertically and horizontally.