Children are Citizens

February 14, 2019; Speakers: Ben Mardell (PZ), Mara Krechevsky (PZ), Catalina Stirling (DC Bilinguil Public Charter School)

 

Speakers:
Ben Mardell (Project Zero)
Mara Krechevsky (Project Zero)
Catalina Stirling (DC Bilingual Public Charter School)

Abstract: Depending on the context, and how they are treated, young children can appear big or small—to adults and to themselves. In classrooms where children are seen as citizens, they appear big; they are asked for their opinions, they share and compare ideas, they generate theories of how the world works, and they feel like they are part of a shared community. This presentation focuses on how to create powerful learning environments that engage children in and across classrooms and schools, not as future or hypothetical, but current and active citizens capable of contributing to their communities in meaningful ways. We will look at examples of children participating in a recent initiative in Washington, DC, called “Children Are Citizens” (CAC) that expands children’s perceptions of their city and their roles as citizens, and the city’s understanding of children. CAC draws on the work of the Making Learning Visible (MLV) Project, a collaboration among Project Zero researchers, teachers in the U.S., and educators from the Reggio Emilia, Italy, preschools. The initiative also aims to create partnerships across civic institutions (schools, museums, city hall, etc.) that span cultural and socio-economic divides.

 

See also: 2018-2019