Democracy, human rights and the role of teachers

Mapping the future, mapping education: an analysis of the 2011 State of the Union Address

“…Here, international perspectives remain crucial. Investigations into the prospects for moving the Obama administration and other administrations in more democratic directions might draw, for instance, from studies of: community organizing in the USA (Anyon 2005); popular education in Brazil (Gandin and Apple 2003); and the political projects of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (Kang 2007). By studying these and other efforts, educators and activists might develop alternate maps of and routes into a more just and peaceful world.…”

Control and agency in student–teacher relations: a cross–cultural perspective on Finnish and Korean comprehensive schools

“…Despite these different sociocultural contexts, an authoritarian ethos is historically found in both Finnish and Korean schooling. Because Korean modern schooling grew from the legacy of Japanese colonisation and existed during three decades of military regimes, the authoritative and totalitarian flavour remains in the organisation of schools and in the day-to-day school culture (Kang, 2007). Similarly, an Eastern authoritarian ethos permeates Finnish society and its schooling; many teachers prefer teacher-centred pedagogy in practice and endorse a professional distance from students, which distinguishes Finnish teachers somewhat from their Nordic counterparts (Simola et al, 2017).…”

Studying Global Human Rights Education. Theoretical and Empirical Approaches

“…The importance of the role of teachers and their attitudes towards the curriculum policy is often cited as a reason for limited success in the implementation of HRE (Bajaj 2011b;Bron, Thijs 2011;Froese-Germain et al 2013;Gerber 2008;Kang 2007;Lapayese 2005;Leung, Lo 2012;Messina, Jacott 2013;Rinchin 2000;Zembylas et al 2014). 6 Evidence is found of teachers facing pressure to spend time developing student competencies in examination subjects, particularly Math, Reading and Science, at the expense of time that could be spent on HRE.…”

“…Historical analysis of the changes in national education systems at policy level reveal that many nations are over time incorporating the global discourse of human rights into the curriculum (Al-Nakib 2014;Chandrasiri 2001;Froese-Germain, Riel, Theoret 2013;Kang 2002Kang , 2007Kelly 2013;Leung 2008;Shuji 2012;Smith 2003;Suárez 2007;Zembylas, Charalambous, Lesta, Charalambous 2014). Some studies, in particular, focus on how national policy-making has happened in response to UN initiatives and highlight the development of a national plan of action for HRE as part of this response (Lapayese 2005;Suwansathit 1999;Xia 2013).…”