Abstrakt
This paper describes a pilot project that combined media education and multicultural education goals and strategies to encourage children (ages 10-11) to cooperate, connect, and civically engage in a diverse society. The intervention was a three hour long workshop that was implemented with three groups of 20 children each in two elementary schools in the Czech Republic.
The goals were based on theoretical frameworks and on previous research findings into children's ideas about diversity and their experience with media. The specific strategies were slightly modified during the study in response to children's participation and their comments on a reflective questionnaire administered at the end of each session.
Overall, children readily participated in the activities, and many wished that the sessions were longer or more frequent. They particularly appreciated the chance to talk about concerns that were important to them.
Their conversations and comments suggest that several of the children were engaged in, or at least thinking about, the three goals of the project. These findings support the idea that the synthesis of media and multicultural education has the potential to encourage children's cooperation, connection and civic engagement.
This article concludes with suggestions for how these activities could be enhanced and extended to further promote these goals.