Risk literacy: Concepts and pedagogical implications for early childhood education

Abstract

Taking risks and enjoying challenges are fundamental to the lives of young children from a developmental and evolutionary point of view. However, in modern societies, increasing concern about dangers and injuries has led to the escalation in regulation and provisions for the safety of young children. This intent to establish secure and risk-free environments for young children reaches, in some cases, the other end of the spectrum – that of overprotection, constraining children’s drive to explore, dare and experiment. This article explores the relationship between children and risk by focusing on the processes of thinking and acting, drawing on positive and negative discourses around risk. The article proposes that more interest should be directed towards enabling children’s own knowledge and understanding of risk, through early childhood education and risk literacy. The use of graphical representations, children’s probabilistic and possibility thinking, the risk culture of the classroom and a cross-curricular approach are pedagogical implications that could inform policy and practice in early childhood education aiming at present and future agents who are risk literate.

Risk perception and interpersonal discussion on risk: A systematic literature review

“…Another moderator is risk literacy, that is, “the ability to deal with uncertainties in an informed way” (Nikiforidou, 2017, p. 323). Risk literacy includes skills such as numeracy, uncertainty tolerance, and critical thinking (Gigerenzer, 2012; Nikiforidou, 2017). Kusumi et al.…”

“…Another moderator is risk literacy, that is, "the ability to deal with uncertainties in an informed way" (Nikiforidou, 2017, p. 323). Risk literacy includes skills such as numeracy, uncertainty tolerance, and critical thinking (Gigerenzer, 2012;Nikiforidou, 2017). Kusumi et al (2017) show that risk literacy results in higher stability of both risk communication and risk perception, and subsequently in a weaker relationship between interpersonal discussion on risk and risk perception.…”

Children’s voices: Inclusive early childhood placemaking with children

“…The balance between safety and risk highlights the need for children’s voices (Allin et al, 2014; Kandemir and Sevimli-Celik, 2023). Advocacy for risky play in safe environments with intentional educators in Australia and in Europe points to the benefits to a child’s becoming identity, wellbeing, learning and self-esteem (Higginbottom et al, 2023; Nikifiridou, 2017).…”

Pedagogías del Riesgo: alfabetización científica en tiempos de pandemia

“…De acuerdo con Nikiforidou (2017), aprender a asumir y gestionar el riesgo a nivel individual, está interconectado con diferentes aspectos del desarrollo cognitivo, social, emocional y biológico. La competencia en riesgo, por consiguiente, está permeada por diferencias personales (edad, género y experiencias previas) y factores socioculturales, asociados al contexto y a las interacciones y prácticas de socialización (Nikiforidou 2017).…”

“…Alfabetizarse en riesgo, según Nikiforidou (2017), requiere la enseñanza de una triada de elementos interconectados por un enfoque curricular transversal, que no se limite solo a la estadística o las matemáticas, como sucede usualmente, sino que articule otras áreas humanísticas como la educación cívica y ética. La triada abarca la capacidad de usar representaciones gráficas (y que permite entender y comunicar ideas, relacionar información a través de mapas, diagramas, gráficas, símbolos, que pueden ser usados para fomentar el pensamiento estadístico necesario para describir, organizar, representar e interpretar datos para hacer inferencias sobre el mundo); el razonamiento probabilístico (que permite pensar, explicar y procesar posibilidades y probabilidades, eventos futuros, caminos alternativos, elecciones inciertas, opciones posibles y resultados probables), y; el desarrollo de una cultura del riesgo en el aula, que implica adoptar actitudes y comportamientos hacia la toma de riesgos, que superen su percepción mayormente negativa, para ser comprendidos positivamente como posibilidad, cambio, autonomía, novedad y creatividad (Nikiforidou 2017).…”