Dissemination & Publications

Nature Agency. Teaching Children’s Literature through Dialogic Practices

(International Conference
New Directions in Children’s Literature Research, University of Padova)

Picturebook dialogues about environmental and social (in)justice

Climate aware curriculums and reading practices are urgently needed both in school and higher education. As part of a mobility project focusing on enhancing the quality of teacher education by strengthening student teachers’ and staff’s ecocritical thinking and collaboration competency, the students developed experience-based teaching plans for primary education on how to connect literature activities with reflections on and dialogues about environmental and social (in)justice. This curriculum article presents five of these teaching plans in the format of infographics and explains the educational context and relevance of them.

By Nina Goga, Maria Pujol-Valls, Rebecca Agostini, Debora Carolo, Giulia Nai, Giulia Silvestrini, and Ilaria Sardella

Keywords: Ecocritical dialogue, children’s literature, infographics, teacher education, UN Agenda 2030

Children’s rights and citizenship values in a book selection for young readers

This study is contextualised in the field of how children’s literature can help to spread awareness of children’s rights among its readers. It is intended to determine the ethical values most present in a specific corpus and their relationship with children’s rights and citizenship education. The results and discussion break new ground in the literary and social fields because they provide answers to help understand the role of children’s literature in a world that needs the engagement of young citizens. The method adopted is a convergent parallel mixed one, as it collects and merges quantitative data, obtained from reading 244 fiction and non-fiction books for 0–12-year-olds, and qualitative data by assigning 39 values to the books. The corpus belongs to the Children’s Rights Suitcase, a selection by the Rosa Sensat Teachers’ Association. This data is then interpreted using a validated data collection instrument. The introduction and the theoretical framework are based upon literary cognitive criticism and democratic education to encourage children to participate in society and become critical citizens.

By Maria Pujol Valls & Mariona Graell

Keywords: children’s rights; ethical values; citizenship education; children and young people’s literature

Book and object exhibition at HVL - February 2024

Children’s Literature, Ecocritical Dialogues and Social-Emotional Learning: Developing Integrated Teaching Practices

An innovative primary teacher education course at the University of Padova combines children’s literature, ecocritical dialogues, and social-emotional learning (SEL). It aims to enhance educational quality and prepare teachers for global environmental and social challenges. Developed through the Green Dialogues project, it fosters internationalization and interdisciplinarity. This article examines the course’s interdisciplinary teamwork, focusing on its design and teaching methods. A case study highlights the benefits of incorporating ecocritical and SEL approaches in climate action teacher education. The course illustrates how children’s stories can foster environmental and social consciousness and empathy among students. This approach not only enhances pedagogical practices but also prepares teachers to contribute meaningfully to climate literacy and social equity in European higher education.

By Marnie Campagnaro & Lea Ferrari

Keywords: children's literature, ecocritical thinking and social justice, social-emotional learning, interdisciplinary teamwork, teacher education.

 

Dialogue, Politics, and Activism in (and through) Children's Literature - With a Focus on Environmental Issues

by Nina Goga, May 2024, invited online lecture at the Centre for Research on Children's and Young Adult Literature, University of Wrocław.