Teaching about Poverty & Development
About Development Education
>WHY teach about development?
Development education is about understanding the development of the world and of its peoples. It is concerned with building the world community on principles of fairness, equality and human rights. It argues for sustainable development. It challenges us tolook at the global realities of development and underdevelopment, but also at the same issues in our own communities. It asks us to inform ourselves and others, to reflect on the issues, and to act towards their resolution.
>WHAT is it really about?
Learning about development issues should not frighten or distress young children with the harsh realities that can sometimes be involved. Neither should children be made to feel guilty about global issues outside of their control. However, they should learn that 'development begins at home' and understand that small actions at a local level can make a real difference. We should avoid burdening children with cold statistics and accounts of tragic situations. It will be more effective to focus on problems for which solutions are being found, on lives that are being made better, and on situations where real improvements are happening.
>HOW is it taught?
The nature of development education implies that its teaching and learning methodologies develop the learner himself or herself. Therefore, pupils are actively involved in their learning, work with others towards agreed understandings and become active and creative in proposing solutions to problems. 'Active learning' methodologies outlined in a number of subject areas of the Primary Curriculum (Ireland) and the National Curriculum (Northern Ireland) are very appropriate for this purpose.
The content and ideas of development education can be taught and integrated into virtually every subject area of the curriculum in primary schools. For more information on teaching Development Education please take a look at "Irish Aid and Development Education describing. understanding. challenging. the story of human development in today's world" (2006) available on www.irishaid.gov.ie and listed in the resources section of the Teacher's Booklet.
Some of the key teaching points concerning poverty and the MDGs are:
- The reasons for poverty are not simple whether in other countries or in Ireland. Some reasons may indeed lie within the country, for example in a weak government; others may lie in unfair world trade arrangements, in a colonial past, environmental degradation,climatic vagaries, etc.
- While short-term aid helps people to survive, especially in emergencies, the long-term solution to poverty lies in supporting a country's own development. This long-term strategy is the key feature of Irish Aid policy.
- Education - and in particular the education of girls and women- is the single most effective way of bringing people out of poverty.
When Teaching About Development:
DON'T...
- present the world as one where the poor are helpless and unable to help themselves
- generalise - for example, presenting developing countries as populated only by poor people
- stereotype people or countries, e.g. as old vs. modern, overfed vs. underfed, educated vs. ignorant, etc.
- give the impression that we in richer countries are 'the helpers', giving charitable aid to 'the helpless', who should be grateful for our kindness
- present development in terms of huge global issues, about which we can do little
INSTEAD...
- emphasise the capacity and ability of people even in extreme poverty to direct their own development
- give a balanced picture by showing that every country has problems, but also has many positive features
- show the broad range of life and characteristics of every country, regardless of where it stands in terms of development
- emphasise that development is about partnership between the people of the developing world and donor countries. Children will understand this best if shown examples of projects which have made a difference. For examples see the Irish Aid Annual Report on www.irishaid.gov.ie
- try to make links between the global and the local, emphasising that each person can contribute to development through their own decisions and actions
