Participatory methods respect individual differences and assume that everyone has the right to an opinion. This makes them particularly effective for human rights education.

Education which delivers more than factual content, and which aims to develop skills, attitudes, values and action, requires an educational structure that is ‘horizontal’ rather than ‘hierarchical’. Democratic teaching methods engage each individual and empower children to think independently.

Such methods encourage the critical analysis of real-life situations and can lead to thoughtful and appropriate action to promote and protect human rights. To be really effective, human rights education must also provide children with a supportive framework where the rights of every individual child are respected.

The principles outlined below are common educational practices in many different subjects and across a wide variety of learning environments, both formal and non-formal. They are particularly appropriate for human rights education.

  • Respect for children’s experience, and recognition that a variety of points of view may exist
  • Promotion of personal enrichment, self-esteem, and respect for the individual child
  • Empowerment of children, enabling them to identify what they want to know and to seek information for themselves
  • Active engagement of children in their own learning, with a minimum of passive listening
  • Encouragement of non-hierarchical, democratic, collaborative learning environments
  • Encouragement of reflection, analysis, and critical thinking
  • Engagement of subjective and emotional responses, as well as cognitive learning
  • Encouragement of behavioural and attitudinal change
  • Emphasis on developing skills and competences, including the ability to apply learning in practical situations
  • Recognition of the importance of humour, fun, and creative play for learning.

The activities in Compasito incorporate these principles in a variety of methods and techniques. Facilitators should always be aware that methods may sometimes be inappropriate for groups of mixed cultural backgrounds or children with special needs (e.g. relating to physical contact, graphic arts),
or they may require unfamiliar or unavailable resources (e.g. access to Internet or library resources).

Each activity should be approached with the expectation that the methods may need to be adapted to meet the needs of a particular group or to suit a particular cultural or social environment.
 

What are the advantages of a participatory educational process?
What are the challenges?