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Child Labour

Description

Children's Rights and Global Citizenship's Unit 4: Child Labour discusses the links among accessibility of education and child labour, conditions for children who work in sweatshops, harmful child labour practices and major companies' child labour practices.

Lesson 1 - Child Labour and Education in India: Students read "Mohammed's Story" then divide into small groups for a discussion.
Lesson 2 - Sweatshop Fashion Show: Students organize and participate in a sweatshop fashion show to inform an audience on exploitative child labour. Students choose from a variety of tasks (research working conditions, modeling, writing a script, MC, etc.).
Lesson 3 - Child Labour Case Studies: Students divide into small groups and discuss five case studies.
Lesson 4 - Sweatshop Talk Show: Students conduct research to identify companies that operate sweatshops. Once a company is chosen, students are divided into five groups. Each group selects one of the following roles (host, former child labourer, parent, president and activist) and prepares to represent their character in the mock talk show. A representative from each group will be selected to role-play each of the characters. The remaining students will participate as members of the audience and be encouraged to ask questions.
Lesson 5 - International Labour Standards Hearing: Students will act out a hearing to identify harmful child labour practices and what protections must be in place for children who work. Students will be divided into four groups. Each group is assigned one of the roles, and are given the relevant role-card to assist with the preparation of their case.
Lesson 6 - Students conduct research to identify retailers and manufacturers that employ children as labourers. In small groups or individually, students write letters to those companies identified, in which they request information on their child labour policies and practices.

Unit 4: Child Labour will greatly increase a student's understanding and awareness of child labour, child rights and how under current personal, social and economic conditions many of these rights are not upheld.

General Assessment

Question	Response
How to develop attitudes?	The background information contains statistics that are shocking and will capture the interests of many students. Role playing (Lesson 4 - Sweatshop Talk Show & Lesson 5 - International Labor Standards Hearing) will challenge students to look at different perspectives or defend the one in which they believe. Students will relate to the youth in the case studies. When students are actively involved with creating solutions and planning activities that support child rights, they will take pride in their work and commitments. They will become more aware of child labour, child rights and violations against these rights.
What skills does this resource explicitly teach?	Students take part in taking effective action (e.g. letter writing, researching companies and consumer choices, etc.) but the unit does not explicitly teach these skills.
What important, related ideas/issues are not addressed in this resource?	Small things that students can do to support child labour rights (e.g. consumer choices). Students do not learn about working conditions in other countries that are supportive of human rights. By not giving positive case studies, students will not become aware of working conditions that put human rights first. Poor working conditions in Canada.
To enhance this resource the following changes are strongly recommended:	Students need to self-reflect after the lessons. Students should brainstorm other 'action' steps. For example: consumer choices, educating others, etc.
To enhance this resource the following changes would be beneficial:	Self-assessment and evaluation tools. Putting the discussion questions on an overhead for groups to make reference to during their discussions.

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle	Rating	Explanation
Bias Minimization	Good	Child labour is presented from the point of view of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, other International Agreements, children who are against and for child labour, and companies who use child labour. Students also explore the points of view of a company president, activist, parent of a child and talk show host.
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions	Good	The focus is on economical, ethical, political, health and justice components of the problem; however, some of the other dimensions (family and friends) are touched on and will be developed more in the group discussions.
Respects Complexity	Good	The background information, creating understanding and empathy for the issue, and educating others on the issue are well developed. The 'next step' is touched on in Lesson 2 when students educate others on companies who employ children as labourers and in Lesson 6 when students challenge corporations to improve working conditions for child labourers.
Action Experience	Good	Action experiences are integral to two lessons. Action experiences focus on educating others (Sweatshop Fashion Show) and challenging corporations (letter writing to companies).
Action Skills	Poor/Not considered	Students take part in taking effective action (e.g. letter writing, researching companies and consumer choices, etc.) but the unit does not explicitly teach these skills.
Empathy & Respect for Humans	Good	The variety of global case studies present numerous child labour issues that different ethnic and age groups must deal with. Gender issues within child labour are also addressed. Empathy will be fostered in students because they will identify to the child working in these harsh conditions.
Personal Affinity with Earth	Poor/Not considered
Locally-Focused	Mediocre	Background information includes 'Selected Canadian Initiatives'. Action experiences get the students involved with the school. Case studies and company research deal more with the global child labour issues.
Past, Present & Future	Mediocre	Students will develop a good understanding of current working conditions and child rights to prevent child labour. The unit does not present a positive vision of the future, but a vision in which more action and challenging (of the system) is required.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle	Rating	Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction	Very Good	All lessons have open-ended discussions or allow students to develop the action experiences and simulations based on their knowledge and awareness levels.
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Learning	Good	Social Studies Economics Civic Studies Law Political Science
Discovery Learning	Good	Lesson 2 (Sweatshop Fashion Show), Lesson 4 (Sweatshop Talk Show) and Lesson 6 (Taking Action) involve Internet research. Students will identify the companies who employ children as labourers, learn about the working conditions, and identify retailers and manufacturers that employ children as labourers, respectively. Students learn background information about child labour but then must build on that information through research.
Values Clarification	Good	Simulations (Talk Show & International Labor Standards Hearing), action experiences and group/class discussions give students an opportunity to express their own beliefs and values. Students will care about the issue because they will relate to the youth in the stories. Students will recognize that their consumer choices may create some of the work conditions.
Differentiated Instruction	Mediocre	The numerous activities in the lessons will appeal to a variety of intelligences but tend to appeal to the affective domain (especially the case studies).
Experiential Learning	Very Good	With two well-developed simulation lessons and two effective action experience lessons in the unit, these authentic experiences reinforce and relate well to the primary goal of the unit.
Cooperative Learning	Mediocre
Assessment & Evaluation	Poor/Not considered	Students demonstrate their knowledge and skills in all the lessons, but no formal evaluation is conducted. No self-reflection or self-assessment opportunities exist.
Peer Teaching	Good	Students are empowered in Lesson 2 (Sweatshop Fashion Show) because students organize and participate in a sweatshop fashion show to inform an audience about exploitative child labor. Audience should consist of students, teachers and the general public.
Case Studies	Good	The case studies are real events. The descriptions are concise but give enough detail to provoke good discussions.
Locus of Control	Good	The simulations and action experiences are student-driven. Research will allow them to go deeper into the chosen issue.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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Child Labour

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Description

General Assessment

Sustainability Education Principles

Pedagogical Approaches

Relevant Curriculum Units

A project of

with support from

Child Labour

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Description

General Assessment

Sustainability Education Principles

Pedagogical Approaches

Relevant Curriculum Units

A project of

with support from