NEWSLETTER nº8
Contents:
Page 1
Case Studies in Estonia
Page 4
Case Studies from the UK
Page 2
Case Studies in Bulgaria
Page 5
Extra: Student Actions in
Page 3
Case Studies in Portugal
Slovenia
Education for Social Justice
Welcome to the eighth edition of Education for Social Justice. This edition brings together
information on how case studies have been used as teaching materials in each of the partner
countries. The project currently has 13 case-studies available on the moodle (4 from Nicaragua, 4
from Cape-Verde, 4 from Ghana, and 1 on Oil in the Nigerian Delta).
Case Studies in Estonia
One of our teachers is using Case Studies at the
beginning of every lesson. She is giving the case study
to 1-2 students 1 week before the lesson and students
must do a ten minute presentation about the case study
at the beginning of the lesson. After that, students in the
class ask them questions about the case study topic. If
they do not know the answers right away, they have to
find out for next time, like homework. After the
presentation the whole class does the questions and tasks
from the bottom of the case study.
For the ‘Child Labour in Gold Mining’ case study, students
have drawn up a list of recommendations to the owners
and managers of the mining company and to the children
and young people who work in the mining. This has been
done in an illustrative way, because many of the children
and young people who work in the mines are illiterate.
Coordinator
European Partners
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.
Case studies in Bulgaria
A description of a lesson connected with the case of study No 3 Children of
Nicaragua protect their right to play
Lesson: Geography and Economics:
Subject: Countries of Central America - The children of Nicaragua protect their right to play
The goals of the lesson were to provoke critical thinking of the students on the real reasons for
injustice and to encourage students to take actions. The lesson begins by acquainting students
with the Nicaragua case study: with children who are not able
to play because of extreme poverty, they must help their
parents. A practical activity is used to introduce the themes
and concepts: Students are put into groups of eight. Each one
of them has a different disability - someone with tied legs,
another is on one leg, the third carries a heavy bag, the
fourth is with tied eyes, etc. Only two of them are without any
disabilities. Opposite them there is a box with interesting
games/toys. At the start of the lesson the teacher asks the
students to go to the box of games. It is clear that those
who have some problems find it harder to access desiredbox games. The students share how they feel and the
teacher introduces the theme of inequality and how some
children have more social problems, have more difficult
access to different goods, and free time for games than
others.
The teacher then idenitifies the basic problem - Violating the right to play – and this is written in
the centre of a poster. Around this, the students attempt to answer a set of questions posed by
the teacher, such as:
1. What happened?
2. Where did it happen?
3. Have we studied about the other
countries of the world, which have the
same problems?
4. Where is the violation of human
rights?
5. Who is responsible for this injustice?
6. Which of the rights of children are
violated?
7. Which goals of the Millennium should
humanity make a concerted effort to
change?
8. How are they related to the problem?
9. Do you know any children in our school
denied the opportunity of their right to
play?
10. How can we help them to solve their
problems?
Results:
Coordinator
European Partners
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.
During a Sports day at our school, pupils who studied the continents of Africa, North and South
America from the sixth class prepared and organised various games in school and to took all
students to the Kenana Park. The leaders presented the right to play and the benefit of the
games for psycho-physical development of children. They also prepared posters for each class
with messages in order to protect the right of children to play.
*Prepared by Ivanka Stoyanova St. Cyril and Methodius Primary School of Haskovo*
Case Studies in Portugal
IMVF in partnership with Atelier Mar has already developed three case studies that focus on
Social Justice issues in Cape Verde. The following three case studies are now being developed
and will be published until the beginning of November.
The first case studies available in english and portuguese, can
be easily downloaded on the Moodle, and focus mainly on the
right to education and its importance. We also made available
two supporting documents: one on the Country itself and
another about Education in Cape Verde.
Each case study tells us the life story of one Cape Verdian
student, the feelings about education and the difficulties faced
to attend school. Then, IMVF developed some sugestions of
activities that students can do, and as the big aim of the last
year of the Education for Social Justice is students actions,
there is also a suggestion of an action that students can
develop.
Real Life Stories in the Case Studies:
Case Study 1: “Education is the best treasure”
The first case study tells us the story of Katia, a 22 years-old
Cape Verdian student that had to move to another city to
continue to study.
Case Study 2: “Make a comeback, take initiative, be an
example”
Paulo, 16 years-old Cape Verdian student, comes from a poor family, but he is an example of
dedication and determination. Together with Atelier Mar he managed to continue to study and
develop his skills.
Case Study 3: “Never Give Up”
Eunice, 39 years-old tells us her life story of not being able to attend school until she was an
adult: first the parents didn’t allow her and afterwards her husband wouldn’t let her.
Coordinator
European Partners
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.
Case Studies in the UK
Ideas for using Photos from the Case-Studies as a starter activity at the beginning of the lesson
have been used with UK teachers at a training event in September. In the UK we have used a
selection of 12 different photos from the case-studies which are available in a seperate folder on
the moodle. The development compass rose was developed by TIDE (Birmingham Development
Education Centre), as a way of looking at a lesson and thinking about the questions that could be
asked using the points of the compass as a template. Hence Natural, Social, Economic, and ‘Who
decides?’ replaces North, South, East, and West respectively.
Natural questions can vary from ‘What is the weather like?’ to ‘What is the vegetation like?’. An
economic question could be ‘What sort of jobs do people do?’.
Social questions could include ‘How is family life organised? Or
‘What is schooling like?’. ‘Who decides?’ could consider ‘What
sort of government does the country have? An extension activity
would
be to use
the 4
points of the compass to
look
at
between
the
relationship
them
(for
Teacher Training in Estonia:
using the Compass Rose
example, between natural and economic or social and
economic)
Teachers in the UK, Latvia and Estonia have found this a
Child Labour: issues relating to
the Compass Rose surrounding
a case study picture.
Coordinator
useful way of introducing a new topic. It is also a well-known
accelerated learning technique as it is connecting with the
European Partners
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.
learners existing knowledge and challenging perceptions. By placing any photo in the centre of
the compass rose students can then in pairs or groups think of all the questions they could ask
about each of the sections Natural, Economic, Social and Who Decides.
If you haven't yet used it as a teaching technique try it with your students or with other
colleagues at an inset; you might be surprised at the questions and thinking that develops!
Extra: Student Actions in Slovenia
In Slovenia, schools participating in the ESJ project have/are providing action oriented activities
to their students in different subjects. Below are given just two examples of activities the
students do in form of Poster and exhibition from partner schools Gimnazija Murska Sobota
/and Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija ‘on energy and energy saving’.
1. Gimnazija Murska Sobota /High School Murska Sobota/
Subject: English, Teacher/Mentor: Cvetka Jošar Matić, Students: Nejc Kozmič, Sabina Bedek,
Natalja Novak
The belief that change can come within oneself and everyone can/must be an agent of change is
rooted within the values of the leadership,
exhibition
that
individuals, and
included
inspiring
great
teachers and students. The school organised an
achievements
figures and
by
celebrities
across the globe. This exhibition made by the
students and supported by the principal of the school
and the profesor Cveta gave momentum and visibility
to the 'European year of the fight against poverty and
social exclusion in 2010'. To address poverty and
Coordinator
European Partners
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.
social exclusion, the students were given the task to find out what these individuals stand for and
call upon in addressing social justice and poverty, like inequality and poverty; these included,
Maria Montessori, Gandhi, Dalai Lama, W.E.D.De Bois, President Mandela, Aristotle, Martin Luther
King, John Lennon, Obama, J.F. Kennedy, etc.
2. Gimnazija Jurija Vege Idrija /High School Idrija/
Subject: Energy (Save energy)
Teacher/Mentor: Tanja Pirih
Student Aljaž Fekonja
These posters are a year long activity through out
the school – It is an action oriented activity and
raising awareness campaign
that everyone can
contribute to save energy as daily life and can
inform others to join that call.
Editors note: If you have comments on the opinions expressed in this article, you can
join the discussion on our Moodle platform www.educationforsocialjustice.org, or send a
mail to the editor: [email protected]
Useful Links:
Publishing Organisation:
www.educationforsocialjustice.org
http://www.leedsdec.org.uk/
http://www.imvf.org/
http://opened-bg.com/index_en.php
http://www.jti.ee/?s=1
http://www.glen.lv/?l=1516
Coordinator
European Partners
233-237 Roundhay Road
Leeds LS8 4HS
United Kingdom
Tel: 0113 380 5655
Fax: 0113 380 5656
Email: [email protected]
Funder
Esta publicação foi produzida com o apoio da União Europeia. O
conteúdo desta publicação é da exclusiva responsabilidade do IMVF
e não pode, em caso algum, ser considerada como expressão das
posições da União Europeia.