The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education

Developing Compassion, Understanding, and Advocacy

Edited by Gloria T. Alter and William R. Fernekes

Human rights education (HRE) is a worldwide movement designed to place human rights at the center of K-university educational theory and practice, providing a critical foundation for global citizenship education, social justice and diversity educationand equity-based schooling reforms. Readers will learn how: (1) HRE content supports core values of U. S. education, including those focused on liberty, justice, and social equality for all educators and students, (2) HRE concepts and illustrative learning strategies support inclusive education and promote peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding, and (3) the theoretical foundations of HRE are compatible with recognized teacher preparation standards and program goals. Pre-service educators seeking teaching licenses and practicing classroom educators desiring to expand their focus into human rights education will find this book very helpful, as will professors teaching methods courses, courses dealing with social justice, multicultural education and diversity in education. The book blends theory and practice to help educators make human rights education a central focus of their daily practice, providing sample HRE units concerning the rights of global migrants, indigenous peoples and LGBT+ communities. Readers can not only apply what they learn, but also become part of a non-partisan movement supporting human rights across the globe.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 336 • Trim: 7 x 10

978-1-5381-6192-0 • Hardback • November 2022 • $110.00 • (£85.00)

978-1-5381-6193-7 • Paperback • November 2022 • $39.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-6194-4 • eBook • November 2022 • $37.00 • (£28.00) (coming soon)

Series: Global Teacher Education

Subjects: Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Social Science, Education / Curricula, Political Science / Civil Rights, Political Science / Human Rights, Social Science / Discrimination & Race Relations

The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education

Developing Compassion, Understanding, and Advocacy

Hardback

Paperback

Summary

Human rights education (HRE) is a worldwide movement designed to place human rights at the center of K-university educational theory and practice, providing a critical foundation for global citizenship education, social justice and diversity educationand equity-based schooling reforms. Readers will learn how: (1) HRE content supports core values of U. S. education, including those focused on liberty, justice, and social equality for all educators and students, (2) HRE concepts and illustrative learning strategies support inclusive education and promote peace, tolerance, and cross-cultural understanding, and (3) the theoretical foundations of HRE are compatible with recognized teacher preparation standards and program goals. Pre-service educators seeking teaching licenses and practicing classroom educators desiring to expand their focus into human rights education will find this book very helpful, as will professors teaching methods courses, courses dealing with social justice, multicultural education and diversity in education. The book blends theory and practice to help educators make human rights education a central focus of their daily practice, providing sample HRE units concerning the rights of global migrants, indigenous peoples and LGBT+ communities. Readers can not only apply what they learn, but also become part of a non-partisan movement supporting human rights across the globe.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 336 • Trim: 7 x 10

978-1-5381-6192-0 • Hardback • November 2022 • $110.00 • (£85.00)

978-1-5381-6193-7 • Paperback • November 2022 • $39.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-6194-4 • eBook • November 2022 • $37.00 • (£28.00) (coming soon)

Series: Global Teacher Education

Subjects: Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Social Science, Education / Curricula, Political Science / Civil Rights, Political Science / Human Rights, Social Science / Discrimination & Race Relations

Author

Dr. Gloria T. Alter was a teacher educator for over 20 years—an Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University (NIU), a Visiting Associate Professor at DePaul University, and an Assistant Professor at Valparaiso University. She received education degrees from Valparaiso University (B.S.), the University of Denver (M.A.), and Northern Illinois University (Ed.D). She also completed an M.Div. in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and was a postdoctoral student and a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

Dr. Alter’s academic work includes numerous invited and refereed presentations at national and international conferences, and publications in journals such as, Educational Leadership, Multicultural Review,Social Education,Theory and Research in Social Education, and Urban Education. Her most recent publication, co-authored with Bill Fernekes, is “Human Rights Education and Issues-Centered Social Studies,” in the Handbook on Teaching Social Issues (2nd ed.) published by Information Age.
Dr. Alter’s research primarily addresses diversity and social justice issues in social studies curriculum and instruction. She taught a wide variety of courses in elementary and secondary education with an emphasis on social studies and developed courses in citizenship and social justice education.
Dr. Alter served as the Editor of Social Studies and the Young Learner, a national, refereed journal of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). And she was the guest editor of the first special issue of Social Education to focus on LGBTQ+ topics. In addition, she was the President of the International Assembly of NCSS and Associate Editor of its Journal of International Social Studies.
William R. Fernekes (B. A., M. A., Ed. D., Rutgers University) taught social studies and Spanish from 1974-1987 at Hunterdon Central Regional HS in Flemington NJ, and served as supervisor of social studies at Hunterdon Central from 1987 to his retirement in December 2010. He received his doctorate in social studies education and curriculum in 1985 under the tutelage of Jack L. Nelson, a leading scholar in social studies and issues-centered education. Co-author with Beverly C. Edmonds of Children's Rights: A Reference Handbook (Santa Barbara CA: ABC-CLIO: 1996), he has published widely in the fields of Holocaust and genocide studies, human rights education, and issues-centered social studies education. His 2002 publication for Greenwood Press, The Oryx Holocaust Sourcebook, was recognized as an outstanding reference book by Choice magazine. Most recently he authored two essays dealing with human rights education: “Global Citizenship Education and Human Rights Education: Are They Compatible With U. S. Civic Education?” Journal of International Social Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2016 and “On the Matter or Black Lives: Studying African-American History Using a Human Rights Perspective.” Teaching Social Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2017. With Gloria T. Alter, he has co-authored an essay on “Human Rights Education and Issues-Based Social Issues” for the forthcoming Handbook on Teaching Social Issues, 2^nd edition (Charlotte NC: Information Age Publishing, 2021, in press). He is currently completing a biography of US Senator from NJ Clifford P. Case II. He is a founding member of Human Rights Educators USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Gloria T. Alter, Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University (retired) and William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Foreword
David Shiman, Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Vermont
Editor’s Introduction
Gloria T. Alter and William R. Fernekes
SECTION I. HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND GLOBAL TEACHER EDUCATION
Chapter 1. Introduction: The Human Rights Imperative in Teacher Education
Felisa Tibbitts, Lecturer, Teachers College, Columbia University and UNESCO Chair in Human Rights in Higher Education at Utrecht University, The Netherlands and Sandra Sirota, Assistant Professor In Residence, Human Rights and Experiential Global Learning, University of Connecticut Human Rights Institute
Chapter 2. The Development and Practice of Human Rights Education in Historical and
Global Perspective
Nancy Flowers, Human Rights Education Consultant and Abraham Magendzo K., Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program in Education at the Academic University of Christian Humanism, Santiago, Chile
Chapter 3. Global Citizenship Education: Democracy, Children’s Rights, and the Role of the Teacher
Audrey Osler, Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom and Professor of Education at the University of South East Norway and Hugh Starkey, Professor of Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University College, London, United Kingdom
Chapter 4. Applying Human Rights Education Principles in Global Teacher Education, Focusing on Decolonialization and the Global South
Adaobiagu N. Obiagu, Lawyer and Lecturer, Department of Social Science Education, University of Nigeria
SECTION II. TEACHING ABOUT GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS: APPLYING PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
Chapter 5. How Human Rights Can Frame the Practice of Teaching and Learning (K-12)
Katherine Covell and R. Brian Howe, Emeritus Professors of Education, Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia, Canada
Chapter 6. Teaching about LGBTQ+ Rights: The Importance of Elementary Education
Gloria T. Alter, Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University (retired)
Chapter 7. Teaching Global Migration to Middle School Learners Using a Human Rights Education Perspective
Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, Human Rights Education Consultant and Ph.D. candidate, University of Minnesota and Page Hersey, School Director of Ross Valley Charter School, Fairfax, California
Contributing Author: Gloria T. Alter, “Middle School Unit on Global Migration,” and “Recommended Resources”
Chapter 8. The Integration of Global Human Rights Education in Secondary Schools
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
SECTION III. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Chapter 9. The Future of Human Rights Education in Global Teacher Education
Glenn Mitoma, Assistant Professor of Human Rights and Education and Director, Dodd Human Rights Institute, University of Connecticut and Sandra Sirota, Assistant Professor In Residence, Human Rights and Experiential Global Learning, University of Connecticut Human Rights Institute.
Chapter 10. Application Strategies and Activities for Advocacy
Gloria T. Alter, Associate Professor, Northern Illinois University (retired) and William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Contributing Author: William R. Fernekes, “Application Activities for Administrators and Non-Formal Human Rights Education”
Appendix A: List of Key United Nations Human Rights Declarations and Treaties
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Appendix B: United Nations: Human Rights Education Implementation Programs and Resources
United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, 2011
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Appendix C United Nations Human Rights Treaties Monitoring Processes
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Appendix D Regional Intergovernmental Human Rights Education Documents and Organizations
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Appendix E: Organizations and Educational Institutions Working in Human Rights Education
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
Appendix F: Selected Bibliography on Human Rights Education Theory and Practice
William R. Fernekes, Part-time Lecturer 2, Rutgers Graduate School of Education
About the Authors
Bibliography

Reviews

The important contribution of this book is that is combines the argument for human rights education (HRE), the foundation and context of HRE, and curricular materials that can be immediately implemented. The distinct sections of the book provide a thorough grounding in HRE and teacher education in a global context, pedagogical considerations when bringing HRE into the schools, and practical examples of human rights-focused curriculum for different age levels in K-12 schools.

— Isabel Nuñez, Purdue University, Fort Wayne

The United Nations declares education a human right, but what if human rights were themselves the complex subject matter of serious curricular and pedagogical attention in teacher education? I cannot imagine critical pedagogy for justice and planetary sustainability without such, and this volume is a major contribution to exactly this end. Needed now more than ever!

— Richard Kahn, Antioch University

This pioneering book is a major contribution to the burgeoning field of Human Rights Education around the globe. The editors have assembled a comprehensive and cutting-edge volume on human rights in relation to teacher education, bringing together prominent scholars from an impressively wide range of perspectives. This is an essential resource for teacher educators, teachers, researchers and students committed to the urgent task of human rights education.

— Michalinos Zembylas, Open University of Cyprus and Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

As teachers contend with a world marked by continued racialized and gendered violences, the proliferating climate crises, increasing totalitarianism, and stark, deepening wealth disparities, all amidst an ongoing global pandemic, this timely volume makes the case for integrating human rights education into teacher education. By unpacking the historical trajectories and theoretical orientations of HRE, and providing practical case studies of its application in teacher practice, this volume not only inspires, but also provides the critical tools to navigate this complex world with young people across all grade levels. This book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners concerned with dignity, justice, and human rights in schools and beyond.

— Maria Hantzopoulos, Vassar College, author of Restoring Dignity in Public Schools: Human Rights Education in Action and (with Monisha Bajaj) Education for Peace and Human Rights: An Introduction

This book offers insightful perspectives as well as a blueprint for further integrating human rights into education in the U.S. and globally. This book not only informs and inspires, but is also an essential resource for teachers and teacher educators to align their work with the principles of human rights.

— Monisha Bajaj, University of San Francisco

Features

--Editors’ Introduction describing the structure, conceptual framework and content focus
--Section One: Introduction with guiding questions for study of Section chapter contents. 4 Chapters by leaders in human rights education (HRE) and global teacher education (GTE) discussing the development of HRE and its potential to transform GTE in the U. S., Europe and the Global South
--Section Two: Introduction with guiding questions for study of Section chapter contents. 4 Chapters by scholar/practitioners in HRE and GTE presenting pathways for integrating HRE into classroom practice and GTE programs in higher education
--Section Three: Introduction with guiding questions for study of Section chapter contents. 1 Chapter synthesizing key ideas from chapters 1-8 and framing recommendations for the inclusion of HRE into teacher education programs and a concluding chapter presenting strategies for using the book in professional development at the K-12 and university levels
--Appendices: Detailed listings of intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and publications on human rights education