WSPA - First Concepts: for teachers

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Pedagogy: teaching animalwelfare to childrenIntroductionThe World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) wants animal welfare education (AWE), to becomean integral part of formal curricula around the world. AWE is the process through which learners developcompassion, a sense of justice and a respect for the value of life. Its effective delivery results in thedevelopment of empathy, morals, ethics and values in the children who experience it. Teaching the youngergenerations these values is essential in changing the lives of the millions of animals that suffer from crueltyacross the globe.AWE provides the knowledge and understanding for learners to behave according to these principles, andit fosters a sense of responsibility to act in an ethical manner. This in turn results in well-rounded studentswho are better informed about their consumer and lifestyle choices and how these can impact on animals’lives and help society shift to a more sustainable world.AWE is a sub-section of humane education (HE) which encompasses other subjects such as environmentaleducation (EE), social justice and citizenship. HE is a process that fosters compassion, respect andresponsibility towards people, animals and the environment and encourages an awareness of theinterdependence of all living things.*EE is a concept that was formalised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and NaturalResources (IUCN) in 1970. 11 EE has grown in strength and stature and is now an integral part of manyformal curricula and the target of many programmes developed by environmental organisations. WSPAbelieves that by following the same steps, we can make AWE as integral to curricula as EE currently is.Table 1 – the overlap in goals and methodologies between EE and AWEGoals for environmentaleducation (EE) programmes 3Foster clear awareness of and concern abouteconomic, social, political and ecologicalinterdependence in urban and rural areasProvide every person with opportunities to acquirethe knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment andskills needed to protect and improve the environmentCreate new patterns of behaviour of individuals,groups and society as a whole towards theenvironmentGoals for WSPA’s animalwelfare education (AWE) programmesDevelop an appreciation of the needs of all sentientbeings, and concern about the way we, as a society,treat the animals in our careProvide students with opportunities to acquire theknowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and skillsneeded to improve the lives of animalsChange the behaviour of individuals and groupsto result in a world where animals matter andcruelty ends* Text agreed in 2009 by the Humane Literacy Coalition (American Humane Association; American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals; Animal Learn, a division of the Anti-Vivisection Society; Association of Professional Humane Educators; Humane Society Youth,a division of the Humane Society of the United States; United Animal Nations and the World Society for the Protection of Animals).World Society for the Protection of Animals
This chapter outlines teaching tools that can be used to develop critical thinking, and encourage changes inattitudes and behaviour in the students that learn about animal welfare. Many of the methodologies outlinedhere are well known pedagogical techniques and can be utilised in all lessons, not just those coveringconcepts in animal welfare.The theory of cognitive developmentThe Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was one of the most influential researchers in the areaof developmental psychology during the 20th century. 7 His studies revealed that young children answeredquestions differently to older children not because they knew less, but because they thought differently. Heproposed the theory of cognitive development which suggests four stages of cognitive growth.• INFANCY: Sensorimotor stage – knowledge is based on physical interactions.• EARLY CHILDHOOD: Pre-operational stage – language matures and thinking occurs in a non-logicaland irreversible manner.• ADOLESCENCE: Concrete operational stage – intelligence is demonstrated through logical andsystematic manipulation of language and symbols. Thinking is reversible and becomes less and lessself-centred.• ADULTHOOD: Formal operational stage – intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use oflanguage and symbols in relation to abstract concepts. 7An understanding of these stages of cognition helps to formulate most pre-school and primaryprogrammes. This theory can also be applied to AWE delivery. Very young children inhabit a world thatis fairly close to home and topics that are covered should be linked to concrete home examples, such asresponsible pet ownership. As children grow and develop, they expand their frames of reference to includetheir local community and more abstract elements. Educational programmes can harness this by focusingon more complex, global or abstract content as the students develop. 10Take Care: Images or scenarios that may be upsetting to young children should be avoided, and careshould be taken when challenging older children to sensitive areas of discussion, so that facts can bediscussed without exposing them to distressing images.Older children should be able to cope with animal welfare scenarios that affect those beyond theircommunity and their country. The appreciation of, and concern for, wider global issues providesopportunities for children to become active global citizens.World Society for the Protection of Animals
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WSPA - First Concepts: for teachers

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