Childism in Education

overview & purpose

This course introduces educators to the new theory of childism, or, akin to feminism and anti-racism, empowering children by critiquing and transforming adultist norms and structures. Participants will explore how childism could be used to rethink teaching and education.

Presented and prepared by Drs. Tanu Biswas and John Wall for Conference to Restore Humanity! 2022.

educator notes

These lessons are designed for teacher professional development. However, they could easily be converted and used for classroom use, especially in the humanities.

lesson / activity

Part 1: What is Childism?

Materials

• Reading: Pamphlet, “Childism: An Introduction”

• Video: John Wall, “The Concept of Childism” (14 mins)

• Optional additional reading: Wall, John. 2019. “From Childhood Studies to Childism: Reconstructing the Scholarly and Social Imaginations,” Children’s Geographies, 17(6):1-15.

Consider

What do you understand childism to be? In what ways you find it a useful concept or not? What questions, if any, you have about it?

Part 2: Childism & Education

Materials

• Blog: Biswas, Tanu  “Children’s Civil Disobedience in the Minority World & its Potential for Re-imagining the Educational,” CCYSC Blog
• Blog: Biswas, Tanu. ‘Decolonial Childism’: Nurturing Diversity for Intergenerational Sustainability.
• Article: Biswas, Tanu, 2021. “Letting Teach: Gen Z as Socio-Political Educators in an Overheated World.” Frontiers in Political Science 3(641609): 1-11.
• Video: Tanu Biswas, “Childism: A Minor Dimension of Major Significance”

Consider

What is one way you think childism might usefully be applied to teaching or education?

Part 3: Combating Adultism

Materials

• Podcast: Biswas and Wall, “Combating Adultism to Create a Flourishing Democracy w/ Dr. Tanu Biswas & Dr. John Wall,” Human Restoration Project.
• Video: Barajas, Sebastian, Unearned advantages? Redefining privilege in light of childhood
• Optional Reading: Barajas, Sebastian, 2021. “Unearned Advantages? Redefining Privilege in Light of Childhood.” Children’s Geographies 19. “This article puts privilege theory in conversation with childhood studies in order to create a richer understanding of privilege.”

Consider

Reflect on the ways you do (or do not) see adultism taking place in teaching and education.

Part 4: Change Into Action

Materials

Choose one or more of the following:

• Abebe, Tatek and Tanu Biswas, 2021, “Rights in Education: Outlines for a Decolonial, Childist Reimagination of the Future.” Fennia - International Journal of Geography 199(1): 118-128). (https://www.childism.org/_files/ugd/8edd45_163d1472608f4a0d93d2d50fc8784faa.pdf)

• Biswas, Tanu, 2021. “Who Needs Sensory Education?” Studies in Philosophy and Education, 1-16. (https://8edd4583-272f-402d-a88f-f13f889bc034.usrfiles.com/ugd/8edd45_19ba1cd54fb0468ca18a7b24e2b01fbb.pdf)

• Franck, Olof. 2017. “Highlighting Ethics, Subjectivity and Democratic Participation in Sustainabiltity Education: Challenges and Contributions.” In Ethical Literacies and Education for Sustainable Development: Young People, Subjectivity and Democratic Participation, edited by Olof Franck and Christina Osbeck, 1-17. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. (https://www.childism.org/_files/ugd/8edd45_3dd70e69ce5e4e26bc5b194b5790ded1.pdf)

• Luna, Sara Michael, “Challenging Norms in Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum by Listening to Young Children: Pre-Service Teachers’ Lessons in Phonological Awareness.” International Critical Childhood Policy Studies (2021) 8(2):80-91. (https://journals.sfu.ca/iccps/index.php/childhoods/article/view/151)

• Saal, Britta, 2020. “The Children’s Polylogue - Doing Philosophy with Children in Intercultural Encounters,” Polylog - Journal for Intercultural Philosophizing (2020), 1(7):55-69. (https://www.childism.org/_files/ugd/8edd45_91282ebbaf034a3fbdfe322bb4b3156a.pdf).

• Wadsworth, Sarah. 2015. “The Year of the Child: Children’s Literature, Childhood Studies, and the Turn to Childism.” American Literary History 27(2):331-341. (https://academic.oup.com/alh/article-abstract/27/2/331/216590?redirectedFrom=fulltext)

• Warming, Hanne, 2020. “Childism.” In Dan Cook, ed., The SAGE Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood Studies. SAGE Publications. (https://www.childism.org/_files/ugd/8edd45_c99989c285e84a1fb3a3476b26c53e0c.pdf)Message #day-4-activities

Consider

Your concluding activity for this course is to write a carefully crafted 300-500-word blog, citing parenthetical references to our course readings (e.g. Wall 2019, p. 1), on any aspect of childism in relation to education that you would like to explore.