A Review of “Compasito – Manual on human rights education for children”
By Bianca Grogan, Froebel College
Compasito – Manual on human rights education for children (2009) is extremely relevant to primary school teachers working with children aged 6-13 years on topics relating to Human Rights. According to research done by developmental psychologists on socio-moral development it is ‘Only when children have opportunities to be deeply involved in what they are concerned about now, they will discover the advantages and setbacks of their ways to deal with problems, which they achieve on the base of their evolving capacities’ (Krappmann, 2006). In light of this
Compasito views children as young members of society and is designed to facilitate their exploration of a variety of issues related not only to their own lives but the world that they live in.
The activities in Compasito are based upon thirteen different themes: Citizenship, Democracy,
Discrimination, Education and leisure, Environment, Family and alternative care, Gender Equality, Health and welfare, Media and Internet, Participation, Peace and conflict, Poverty and social exclusion and
Violence. Instead of focusing formally on the conventions themselves, the activities within these themes focus broadly on values and social issues. This approach helps the children to relate to human rights issues in their own lives and allows them to match their own personal experiences to the activities. There are forty activities in the manual which each include a guide on the level of complexity, the appropriate age, duration, group size and an overview. Each activity also includes a list of learning objectives, a list of materials required (including resources which can be photocopied from the book e.g. situation cards, handouts, role cards, etc.), suggestions for follow-up activities, tips for the teacher and variations on the activity. The manual also includes an appendix which includes child-friendly versions of the Universal Declarations of
Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), a human rights glossary and a list of useful resources making it all in all an ideal resource that would provide any teacher with ideas, inspiration and practical help to explore Human Rights issues with children.

Objectives which this resource addresses (categorised by the thirteen themes within Compasito )
Democracy
• ‘develop and enhance the social skills of communication, co-operation and conflict resolution’ (NCCA
1999, 10) - SPHE
• ‘become aware of some of the individual and community rights and responsibilities that come from living in a democracy’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
Discrimination
• ‘begin to identify, review and evaluate the values and attitudes that are held by individuals and society and to recognise that these affect thoughts and actions’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
Education and Leisure
• ‘learn to understand the conventions of oral language interaction and use oral language in a variety of social situations’ (NCCA 1999, 11) – English
• ‘develop some of the skills and abilities necessary for participating fully in groups and in society’ (NCCA
1999, 10) - SPHE
Environment
• ‘understand some of the natural, social or economic processes which create, sustain or change environments’ (NCCA 1999, 14) – Geography
• ‘respect the environment and develop a sense of responsibility for its long-term care’ (NCCA 1999, 10) -
SPHE
• ‘explore the environmental repercussions of human actions on physical, natural and human environments’
(NCCA 1999, 13) – Science
Poverty and Social Exclusion
• ‘appreciate and respect the diversity that exists in society and the positive contributions of various cultural, religious and social groups’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
• ‘learn of and come to value the diversity of peoples, cultures and societies in Ireland and throughout the world, acquire an awareness of human interdependence and develop empathy with others’ (NCCA 1999, 15)
- Geography

Health and Welfare
• ‘develop an understanding of healthy living, an ability to implement healthy behaviour and a willingness to participate in activities that promote and sustain health’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
Participation
• ‘create and maintain supportive relationships both now and in the future’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
• ‘make decisions, solve problems and take appropriate actions in various personal, social and health contexts’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
Peace
• ‘promote the values of a just and caring society in an age-appropriate manner and understand the importance of seeking truth and peace’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
Violence
• ‘develop a sense of safety and an ability to protect himself/herself from danger and abuse’ (NCCA 1999,
10) - SPHE
• ‘develop empathy with and understanding of others and the confidence needed to assume a role or character’ (NCCA 1999, 9) - Drama
Media and Internet
• ‘explore and develop ideas and concepts through talk, directed discussion and writing’ (NCCA 1999, 11) -
English
• ‘express ideas, feelings and experiences in visual form and with imagination, enjoyment and a sense of fulfilment’ (NCCA 1999, 10) – Visual Art
Family and Alternative Care
• ‘develop a sense of responsibility for, and a willingness to participate in, the preservation of heritage’
(NCCA 1999, 13) - History
Gender Equality
• ‘respect and value a range of opinions and acquire open, questioning attitudes to the beliefs, values and motivations of others’ (NCCA 1999, 13) – History

• ‘develop the ability to use drama to examine and explore unfamiliar material so as to reach an understanding of the patterns, meanings and concepts contained in it’ (NCCA 1999, 9) – Drama
Citizenship
• ‘be self-confident and have a positive sense of self-esteem’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
• ‘develop a sense of personal responsibility and come to understand his/her sexuality and the processes of growth, development and reproduction’ (NCCA 1999, 10) - SPHE
• ‘become aware of, and discerning about, the various influences on choices and decisions’ (NCCA 1999,
10) - SPHE
• ‘begin to understand the concepts of personal, local, national, European and global identity’ (NCCA 1999,
10) - SPHE
Values

Explore and discuss people’s values including but not limited to ethic/moral values, religious values, political values, social values, personal values and cultural values

Respect and show consideration for the values of others

Be aware of the importance of mutual respect and sensitivity towards the values of others

Identify your own values
Attitudes

Confidence to further develop the concept of rights and responsibilities

Develop the concept of justice, responsibility and empathy

Recognise the universality of rights

Explore sharing, fairness and respect

Create a sense of interdependence of people

To be curious and open minded about people who are the same or different

Create a want to contribute to society, a sense of purpose, self-worth and dignity
Knowledge

Exploring each theme (e.g. gender difference) in relation to rights

Distinguish between wants and needs

Identify and name basic rights and to develop familiarity with human rights

Realise that not all people have their rights respected

Explore stories about people who have made a difference

Connecting human needs with human rights

Skills

Critically thinking and evaluation of topics

Active listening & discussion (communication skills)

Turn taking

Cooperative work

Collaborative work

Problem Solving

Participating in group work

Expressing personal opinion

Decision making

Solution finding

Social skills

Leadership skills

Concentration

Reflection

Long and Short Term Memory

Technical

Artistic

Muscular Co-ordination

Sensitive Movement

Perseverance

Self-Discipline

Reading
Methodologies
Talk and Discussion - Look and Respond, Children make up questions to ask teacher or pupils, Talking about own work, Brainstorming – whole class (led by teacher), small groups (led by child), Circle Time,
Buzz Groups, Agree / Disagree – reason why, Interviews, Debates, Relevant Language, Positive reinforcement of language, Simulation, Structured interviews, Responding to Music.
Higher Order Thinking - Develop Oral Language, Express Ideas and Take Risks, Understand Problems,
Use Authentic Resources, Actively Participate in Learning.
Active Learning - Media & ICT – Computer Software, Visual Aids – Pictures, Photographs, Visual
Images, Hands on activities (working as a Human Rights Activist, Reporter), Cooperative Games, Physical
Activities, Drama, Material Based Approach, Non Directed Learning, Project Work, Written Activities.
Collaborative Learning - Pair Work, Small Groups, Learning from and with peers, Language skills and listening skills, Interpersonal Skills, Higher Order Thinking, Greater sense of ownership, Responsibility.
Use of the Environment - Authentic Learning, Something in the environment that they are likely to see rather then something they will never see, Real World Projects, Range of materials and resources, Posters
Individual: - Recording, Pre-group work thinking, Estimation, Correcting work

Problem Solving - Buzz Groups, Identifying essential info, Suggesting solutions, Trying out, Modifying,
Pausing and Thinking, Identifying important facts, Considering Solutions, Advantages and Disadvantages,
Reflecting on decision, Applying new knowledge, Related to real life / strand
Small Group (Task / Teaching / Seating / Collaborative Group) - Activities, Worksheets, Peer tutoring,
Correcting work
Whole Group - Direct instruction, Games , Discussion , Correcting work
Learning through Play - Structured, Unstructured, Parallel, Constructive, Dramatic, Functional, Solitary,
Symbolic, Co-operative Games
Guided Discovery - Teacher designs questions to lead to answer eventually