ERIC Number: ED237194
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982-Sep
Reference Count: 0
Act Locally; Think Globally: Some Comments on Pro-Social Behaviour, Information Processing and Development Education. Development Education Paper No. 24.
Van Oudenhoven, Nico
Many children who live in information-rich and eventful situations seem to know and to care relatively little about what is going on around them. Stimulating prosocial behavior and getting children involved in actual caring activities in their own environments may enhance children's interest in others, make them more open to relevant information, and thus form essential components of development education practice. Prosocial behavior is vital in the acquisition of a global outlook. Understanding of the education processes that lead to the growth of prosocial behavior is crucial for a correct development education approach. The traditional approach to counter children's perceived ignorance is to increase the level of information presented to them. Research findings suggest that this approach is often not effective and may even be counterproductive. Children become active information seekers and selectors when they can relate information to personally experienced events. It is the task of development educators to get their pupils involved in "human" or "development" issues (such as the elderly, minorities, pollution) in their own environment and to show how these issues relate to conditions in other countries, especially to those conditions affecting underserved children. Children enjoying this sort of education will probably evince a positive interest and also have a deeper understanding of what affects their own lives and those of others. (Author)
Publication Type: Guides - Non-Classroom; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Authoring Institution: United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY.
Identifiers: Caring; Development Education; UNICEF
Note: Paper presented at the UNICEF Development Education Seminar (Moscow, September 1982).