As part of the centenary year of children's rights, teams from Learning Planet Institute and Mission des « Children's rights » of the City of Paris have joined forces to co-host a workshop Builders of Possibilities with a primary school class. Pupils in Ms. Perrin's CM1 class, from the Parmentier public school in Paris, took part in a workshop to raise awareness and discover children's rights, with the help of the Bâtisseurs de Possibles® approach. At the end of the workshop, the children put forward proposals for defending and extending these fundamental rights.
«The question we need to ask ourselves is: how do we give students a voice, without them being influenced by our own dreams, our own [adult] ideas?» Ms. Perrin, school teacher
In preparation for the workshop at the Learning Planet Institute, the teacher set aside time in class with her 4th graders to talk about fundamental texts (The Declaration of Geneva written by Eglantyne Jebb in 1924, the International Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted at the United Nations in 1989) and asked them what children's rights meant to them. Their first reaction was to think of the children who didn't have the same access to schooling as they did. With this in mind, the primary school children identified the issues that affected them most (see step 1 of the approach) and problematized it: «How can we reduce unequal access to education for young people?»
FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION
On arrival at the Learning Planet Institute, the CM1s were supervised by our teams, in conjunction with the Mission des Droits de l'Enfant (Children's Rights Mission) of the French Ministry of Education. City of Paris, to continue their discussions and come up with solutions to improve access to education.
The first stage of the workshop was to help them gain a better understanding of the problem that affects them, by tracing with them the history of this right, its key players, and its differences from one country to another. The second stage of the workshop saw the students, in small groups, formulate an issue on which they wished to take action, and why. The students then imagined all the possible solutions, and finally chose the one they felt was the most effective, the boldest and the most sustainable.
I was touched by their words, their silence that spoke volumes, their ability to think for themselves, to come up with ideas. Now, the question is: what is the role of the teacher when faced with these ideas - which are sometimes utopian - and how can we make them concrete?
THE BUILDERS OF POSSIBILITIES METHOD: WHAT IS IT?
The "Bâtisseurs de Possibles" pedagogical approach is a framework of freedom and a set of tools that enable teachers to support their students in their questioning and help them invent solutions for the classroom, the school, the region or the world.
His method is based on 4 steps:
- Step 1. IDENTIFY a problem that affects me
- Step 2. IMAGINE a solution to this problem.
- Step 3. ACHIEVE this solution.
- Step 4. SHARE our experience.
I'm going to try and implement the "Builders of Possibilities" approach [in my classroom]. To do that, I'll have to make it my own, step by step.
A LAW FOR THE EDUCATION OF STREET CHILDREN, A RIGHT TO REST, AND ACCESS TO THE TOOLS NEEDED TO STUDY
To respond to the issue of unequal access to education chosen by the CM1s, the students proposed the following actions:
- a «right to rest» so that every child who wants to can find a space zen in his school.
- a « right of access to school materials and supplies‘.» so that every child can be equally equipped for education
- a « law for the education of street children »
The workshop and its initial results demonstrate the value of listening to the voices of the main stakeholders - young people - and empowering them to take action.
Of the three proposals expressed during the morning session, which one(s) will become a reality? Here again, the Bâtisseurs de Possibles approach provides the support needed to equip teachers to guide their students towards a solution that they can implement, on their own scale, with the expert support of adult mentors.
«If I had to sum up my discovery of the Bâtisseurs de Possibles approach? A great discovery! This pedagogical approach and its tools can provide some answers to the question of how to set up student councils, and more specifically councils of delegates, in schools. It could provide teachers with a common methodological frame of reference for gathering students» views on issues specific to them. Conducting these councils would then be easier, and could federate the various players in the school", concludes the teacher.
This day was part of the LearningPlanet festival, on January 24 - International Education Day - was dedicated to the “Power to learn, power to act” of the younger generations.
THE BUILDERS OF POSSIBILITIES PROGRAM
From kindergarten to high school, the Bâtisseurs de Possibles turnkey approach guides the class through four key stages: identifying a problem, imagining a solution, carrying it out and sharing the experience. Thanks to a project-based teaching approach, students play an active role in the learning process, from the identification of a challenge - linked to the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the UN - to its resolution. The Bâtisseurs de Possibles team and network support projects, professionals and classes with resources, training and support. French adaptation of the international movement Design for Change, Builders of Possibilities is part of a global initiative in which children are actors of change for a sustainable world. In 68 countries, schoolchildren are asking questions, imagining solutions, tackling social and environmental challenges and sharing their experiences.
DISCOVER THE « B.A.R À BONHEUR », A PROJECT TO BUILD THE FUTURE
« During morning and afternoon recess, one or more students lead a workshop. Spaces vary according to the workshop: the closed courtyard for dance performances or sports activities; the music room for singing, musical instrument presentations, concerts; the library space for storytelling, debates, conferences on extraordinarily rich themes (the students are fantastic!), creative activities...»
DISCOVER LAST YEAR'S PROJECTS
Rencontre Bâtisseurs de Possibles: the students share their projects for a sustainable world.
Discover our Youth activities and programs !
