10 Summary of Session 3

This session has explored how narrative is a medium through which human beings come to understand the world; it plays a powerful and transformative role in the lives of individuals and societies. However, you have also read about the dangers of the ‘single story’ and the importance of ensuring children have access to multiple perspectives.

Contemporary children’s literature increasingly offers a way to help children identify and challenge racism, sexism, heteronormativity and ablism. These narrative texts can provide focal points for discussion about sensitive issues and foster children’s empathy and sense of agency. However, to do so, it is vital that educators develop their knowledge of individual children as readers and develop their knowledge of children’s literature to ensure that children have access to diverse texts and multiple perspectives. You will learn more about this in the next session.

You should now go to Session 4 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .