D@dalos education server - Human Rights: Notes for teachers

Human Rights

Teaching human rights in schools

This page addresses the fundamental questions involved in the teaching of human rights. How can this subject be best taught in schools? What are the challenges faced by teachers? We will be addressing the following aspects:

Praktischer Teil für LehrerInnen

The fundamental problem faced when teaching human rights

Basic questions concerning human-rights education

The aim of human-rights education

Appreciating human rights

Methods of approaching the subject of human rights

Firm ideas, suggestions for school activities, tips and stimulus for dealing with the subject of human rights in the classroom are provided on the tips page.

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The fundamental problem faced in teaching human rights

The contradiction between claim and reality forms a fundamental difficulty for teachers wanting to teach human rights. The following text highlights the problem:

Claim and reality

"The General Assembly of the United Nations described the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a joint ideal to be met by all peoples and nations (preamble), which in the future (post World War Two) should become universally valid. It is quite obvious that the world has not made a great deal of progress in achieving this ideal from 1948: The gap between rich and poor is growing; the right to education for all has not been achieved worldwide; the fight for the equality of women continues; unemployment and poverty are increasing even in the richer nations; people are dying of hunger and illness everyday, thousands of whom are children and the right to asylum is being questioned. Moreover, this is not happening in a far away place, but right here in our own world, on our own doorstep and even in our own country. We are not spectators, but are - directly or indirectly - involved. In other words: While the ideal set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains, the reality is very different. (...) And it is this reality - directly or through the media - that is being seen by children and juveniles. Does it make sense to deal with a moral or ethical "ideal", which is clearly not based on what is happening in reality? (...) How can pupils learn to distinguish between ideal and reality, how can they come to understand human rights as a basis for their own actions, the actions of others and the basis on which to create a more humane reality (in the future)?"

[Taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Basic questions concerning human-rights education

We have reduced the various problems involved in teaching human rights down to three fundamental questions, which we will address in this section of the D@dalos education server:

1.	What are the aims of human-rights education?
2.	What subject-based approaches are available? How can a relationship to reality be developed among pupils?
3.	Which approaches ease appreciation of this abstract and complicated subject?

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The aims of human-rights education

Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child addresses the aims of education:

States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:

"The education of the child shall be directed to, (...) the development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms (...) as well as civilizations different from his or her own. The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin. And education should also be directed at developing respect for the natural environment.

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also contains the following relevant passages:

"Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

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Human-rights teaching should provide knowledge and understanding about:

	"The meaning of basic rights and human rights for both the rights of the individual and for the objective principles for structuring a community;
	the mutual dependency of personal rights of freedom, basic social rights and personal rights of participation;
	the differing understanding and way in which human rights are fulfilled across a range of different political systems and societies;
	the historical development and enforcement of human rights;
	the possible connection between disputes surrounding human rights with legitimization interests of those in power;
	the fundamental importance of human rights in the creation of a modern constitutional state;
	the necessity of incorporating protection of an individual's human rights into civil law;
	the importance of human rights for easing world tension and creating peace in the world;
	the importance of human rights for exchanging interests between the world's north and south;
	the importance of international cooperation in the realization of human rights and the securing of peace;
	the actual circumstances, the extent, as well as the social, economic and political reasons behind the violations of human rights across the world;
	the options open to nations and international organizations, but also to individuals, to secure and reinstate the validity of human rights and to reduce the frequency of their violation."

[A circular from the Ministry of Schools and Further Education in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia dated 14.02.1997; taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Indeed, human-rights education - like political education in general - serves in encouraging the ability of pupils to make judgments and to criticize. It should serve in "awakening and strengthening their readiness to stand up for human rights and to resist their disregard and violation. Included in this is the readiness to stand up for the rights of others. They should be prepared to use the question as to the realization of human rights as the most important measure in judging the political situation in their own and in other countries (...) Therefore, a human-rights education in this vain also fits in well with education of social tolerance, rejection of racism and hostility toward foreigners. The teaching of human rights has to be linked with the aim of enabling pupils to tolerate the differences of others."

[A circular from the Ministry of Schools and Further Education in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia dated; taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Appreciating the subject of human rights

Within the context of the 2nd worldwide solidarity project day (UNESCO ASP school project), four didactic categories were created to help ease appreciation during the teaching of human rights:

"Perceiving: Pupils and teachers take a look at their own town or village from a Universal-Declaration-of-Human-Rights perspective: What is the situation as far as the right to education is concerned? How high is youth unemployment on a regional, national and international level? Does everyone have a roof over their head?...

Understanding: Lessons (across all subjects) can be created that address the causes of human rights violations and look at attempts being made by societies and nations worldwide to solve the problems. Are poverty and illness the fault of individuals or do they have their roots in structures and systems? (...) What can be learned from the history of human rights? How do human-rights activists and human-rights organizations work and who are they? Do rights to equality, the freedom to practice religion and the freedom of speech have an impact on everyday life (in school and with family)?

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Action: Using music, dance, theatre and art, pupils learn to share in the vitality and creativity of different cultures and how to express their own thoughts and feelings on human-rights issues. Human-rights education can contribute towards schools themselves becoming places where human rights and democracy are lived out. (...) During action-based education, human-rights activists and self-help groups are supported in their efforts to provide relief to people in need, such as war orphans, street children, oppressed women, the unemployed, refugees, illiterate people and old people forgotten about. Projects committed to fair and permanent development across the entire world are supported. (...) Project-based lessons enable pupils to put their knowledge to practical use and experiment in everyday political life. The opening up of schools in cooperation with human-rights organizations could, for example, mean that pupils and teachers are asked to participate in a letter campaign to help political prisoners, or they might want to raise money from fetes, benefit concerts or sponsored runs.

Deriving energy: All countries in the world have self-help groups and democracy movements. These groups are not resigned to their fate, but are committed to upholding of human rights: Such groups form the nuclei of a global 'culture of peace'. What can be learned from the life histories of people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King (...), who dedicated their entire lives to human rights? Are there any outstanding human examples in our town and in our region?"

[Taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Giving pupils the chance actually to experience human rights in lessons is of key importance. It is also essential to emphasize that the idea of human rights isn't merely an abstract one that only touches them in an indirect way, but a incredibly important and current problem that concerns everyone. Indeed, the challenge is to make clear that human rights represent a call for everyone to accept responsibility for their observance. The following points are suggestions as to how this claim might be realized in the classroom. Lessons should:

	Discover relationships to pupils' own life experiences;
	Establish links to personal values;
	Use encounters with other people;
	Establish relationships to pupils' own region;
	Discover relationships to the current political situation and history;
	Question the reporting found in newspapers and media.

[Taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Methods for approaching the subject of human rights

To complement the categories mentioned above, we would like to outline several methods which might be used to ease appreciation of human rights:

Perceiving: "Perceiving uses approaches that include observation, description and research: Reading books, interviewing witnesses of the time, carrying out photo reportages, searching archives, carrying out interviews, conducting talks, challenging differing observations, watching or creating film documentaries, working through memories"; make personal experiences a subject of discussion, include events personally experienced in a subject etc.

Understanding: "Understanding uses approaches that analyze and systemize, that create relationships between different pieces of information, that collect data, that interpret and discuss. To this end, the following activities may be of use: Round-table discussions, group discussions, lectures from experts in the field and studying important related literature" (for example establishing associations to individual articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights during a brainstorming session).

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Action: "Action includes methods for preparing to act, as well as trying out and simulating actual action such as entering the public arena and carrying out a real initiative. Included in this is role playing (changing roles and role reversal), experimental games, approaches to learning that include reality outside of school ('opening up of the school', excursions, fetes, informative events), public presentation of work done (presentations, exhibitions, concerts), fund-raising activities, solidarity events and attempting to take action and have an impact as young people and children, i.e. the creation of a 'child and youth policy'.

Deriving energy: "Deriving energy includes approaches aimed at getting feedback ('What have we achieved?'), self-ascertainment and communication, interaction and cooperation with other people, schools and initiatives in the same region, same country or in other nations: Writing letters and organizing traveling exhibitions, organizing 'relay races', acknowledging and supporting the strengths of others, working together with initiatives already in action, planning joint action with neighboring schools or schools in other countries."

[All four sections taken from: „50 Jahre Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte, 2. Weltweiter Projekttag der Solidarität", Aktionsmappe ´98, Projektbüro Minden]

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Ideen und Anregungen

You will find firm ideas and stimuli for lessons on the tips page.

[Back to top of page] [Human Rights start page] [Illustrated overview]

Subjects: Human Rights I Democracy  I Parties I Examples I Europe I Globalisation I United Nations I Sustainability

Methods:    Teaching Politics    II    Peace Education    II    Methods

This online service on the subject of political education was developed by agora-wissen, the Stuttgart-based Gesellschaft für Wissensvermittlung über neue Medien und politische Bildung (GbR) (Partnership for the Exchange of Information Using New Media and Political Education). Please contact us with your questions or comments. Translation from German into English by twigg's Übersetzung deutsch-englisch.