Abstract:

The paper develops the thesis that it is important for learners regardless their age to confront contemporary social phenomena thoughtfully. One of them is the refugee-migration issue. The paper elaborates in detail a dual learning approach that leads to an awareness towards refugee-migration regardless of learners’age.

The learning approach is presented in two alternative forms:
(a) Learning approach for minors with emphasis on empathy and critical thinking
(b) Learning approach for adult population with emphasis on empathy and reflection

The common starting point for both learning approaches is representative works of art that reflect «the refugee experience». (WangPing: "Things We Carry in the Sea", poem, Jacob Lawrence: The Migration series, visual arts).

The differentiation between the two approaches is related to the concept of «thinking». In the 1st case, minors (10-11 years old) strengthen their critical thinking getting involved with the refugee issue by looking at art, by comparing informational data from the UN Refugee Agency and by drawing relevant conclusions, according to aesthetic experience and gained knowledge.

In the 2nd case, adult learners (18+) strengthen their reflective thinking by realizing why they think the way they think about the refugee issue and by recognizing their possible dysfunctional assumptions .

Theoretical background: The learning approach for minors is based on well known techniques for critical reading cultivation through aesthetic experience (artful thinking-Project Zero Harvard School of Education). The learning approach for adults is based on codification and decodification of words/icons arising from the works of art (Freire’s approach).

Although the intermediate didactic process between learning approaches differs in some activities the starting point and the ending point share the same idea:
Αrt sensitizes learners on important issues that are inquiry worthy regardless of the age. In addition, crusial contemporary social issues it is importuned to be raised from an early age so that the future adult population to became at least more aware of them. On the other hand various social issues should thoughfully concern every adult who experiences them on a daily bases.

Besides, underage students are tomorrow's citizens who are expected to demonstrate humanity and justice, whears adult learners need to redefine their assumptions so that a more humanistic society would not seem utopia, but a real place on earth.

Keywords:

Critical reflective thinking, arts, adult primary years education, refugee.