IDPBC Imprimare

Title: Identity and Diversity Picture Book Collections [IDPBC]

Project type: Erasmus+ / Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices –

Strategic Partnerships for school education

Ref. no.: 2015-1-LT01-KA201-013492

Promoter /Coordinator: Diversity Development Group, Lithuania

Duration: September 2015 – September 2017

Total project cost: 138823 Euro

Total expenditure for the University of Pitesti: 18598 Euro

Local coordinator for the University of Piteşti: Assoc. Professor Dr. Georgeta CHIRLEŞAN

Summary:

IDPBC is a transnational effort to compile international picture book collections, approaches

and activities   that  address three   issues of great   importance  to contemporary  students and

teachers across the globe: Inclusion, Diversity and Identity. Picture books have been proved to

be extremely valuable educational tools, bringing multiple learning benefits to diverse groups

of learners. Educationalists have repeatedly shown how reading visual narratives can enhance

children’s understanding of their own identities and celebrating difference. IDPBC strives to

empower   children   from   disadvantaged   backgrounds   to   see   themselves   in   the  curriculum,

enable all  children   to  function  within diverse/multicultural   educational   environments,  and

prepare teachers to teach diverse learners. A total of 10,000 individuals are expected to be

directly or indirectly reached by the project,  including children and parents, teachers and

teacher trainers, curriculum developers and policy makers.

IDPBC   builds   on   the   approaches   developed   in   the   projects   that   preceded   it,   while   also

breaking new ground. Like the projects that have already been carried out, this new project

capitalizes   on   the   educational   affordances   of   powerful   visual   narratives,   by   compiling   a

collection of carefully selected picture books and designing relevant educational material. At

the same instance, IDPBC differs in that, unlike EPBC or EPBC II, the new project does not

collect   stories   that   represent  specific   EU   states,   cultures   or   languages.   While   these   early

projects   are   valuable,   and   are   still   being   utilized   by   educators,   the   IDPBC   project   is

innovative in the sense that it asks children and educators to be inspired by powerful visual

stories in order to reflect on their own experiences and ideas about identity, inclusion and

diversity. An additional innovation is that teachers will not be trained to merely utilize the

proposed picture books and activities; the IDPBC consortium will develop an international

network  of   educators  who will  continually  share   picture  book  recommendations  and   will

empower educators to keep creating and integrating new collections.

Children, teachers, student teachers and parents are educated and guided through activities

that value diversity, combat racism and xenophobia and enhance the child’s self-image and

self–efficacy. Diversity is also celebrated in the project’s languages, as some of the IDPBC

stories will be in each participating country’s lingua franca, some in migrants’ other/expert

languages, some will feature two languages (dual language picture books), others will have

been published/translated in multiple languages and others will be told exclusively through

images (wordless picture books). Migrant families and minority communities are invited to

participate in the effort of identifying relevant picture books in their languages.

  • As the IDPBC project aims to affect in a positive manner pre-primary and primary school

pupils who feel or are considered to be “different,” in addition to migrant children, other

categories of children will also benefit from IDPBC. These categories include: Romas and

children with minority backgrounds; children at risk; children in care; children with same sex

parents; adopted children; displaced children; and others. Finally, since learning to function in

diverse   environments   and   reflecting   on   one’s  identity   and   stances   towards   difference   is

essential for every child growing up in a contemporary society, all pre-primary and primary

school   pupils   in   Europe   and   elsewhere   can   potentially   benefit   from   the   IDPBC   stories,

activities and educational approaches.

Objectives:

The central objectives of IDPBC are:

1) To compile a collection of international picture books in a range of languages, which can

be used in classrooms for exploration and negotiation of identity, inclusion and diversity;

2) To develop, test and disseminate a series of picture-book-based approaches and activities

that   will   support   inclusion   and   diversity   and   ultimately   reduce   disparities   in   learning

outcomes of disadvantaged learners;

3) To publish and disseminate a guide that supports practitioners in integrating IDPBC picture

books   in   the   curriculum,   forming   their   own   picture   book   collections   and   activities   and

engaging diverse students, parents and the community;

4)   To   provide   training   and   professional   development   to   pre-   and   in-service   educators,

equipping  them   with the necessary  knowledge,   attitudes  and competences to   successfully

manage and support diversity through visual stories;

5) To provide an OER platform that enables pre- and in-service educators to develop networks

of practitioners who integrate picture books in the curriculum to make teaching and learning

more inclusive and accommodating.

Outcomes:

  • State of the Art Report on available know-how regarding the integration of children’s

literature in the curriculum to explore identity and diversity and promote inclusion;

  • Needs Assessment Report
  • IDPBC Picture Book Collection
  • Curriculum development (IDPBC Pool of Activities and Guide)
  • Online Open Access Platform
  • E-learning modules and OER
  • Implementation and Case Studies

Partnership:

1. Diversity Development Group (coordinator), Lithuania

2. Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology LTD

(CARDET), Cyprus

3. Universitatea din Pitesti (UPIT), Romania

4. Douka Ekpaideftiria AE - Palladion Lykeion Ekfpaideuthria (DOUKAS), Greece

5. INNOVADE LI LTD, Cyprus

6. Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, Portugal

 

Resources:

IDPBC poster

IDPB flyer

IDPBC Newsletter 1 - EN

IDPBC Newsletter 1 - RO

IDPBC_2nd Newsletter_EN

IDPBC_2nd Newsletter_RO

IDPBC_3rd Newsletter - EN

IDPBC_3rd Newsletter - RO