Equipping children to face transitions through a richer symbolic repertoire

Abstract

Human life consists of stable periods interspersed with ruptures. These include a person’s inner changes, changes in surroundings, loss, relocation in other surroundings or wider societal events. These ruptures which are followed by processes of transition, invite processes of repositioning, call for new acquisitions, understandings and personal redefinitions. These transitions can be seen as opportunities for development because they engage three interdependent processes; identity redefinition and repositioning, knowledge and skills acquisition and meaning making. The main objective of this research is to investigate how schools and educators may help children to build a symbolic repertoire from which they may be able to draw from during times of transition. Children find themselves within this rich cultural ground which furnishes them with the solutions different generations have provided to making sense of the world, to voice existential concerns and for managing their interactions with others. However, they are finding it difficult to access in our post-modern reality. This dissertation explores how an effective education system needs to develop ways of preparing young people to make their lives successful, in situations where levels of predictability may be low. Thus it will investigate how an education in symbol literacy can expand a person’s symbolic repertoire and ways in which schools, educators and parents can equip children with the skills to connect, make use and transform the wisdom of past generations through the use of their enriched symbolic repertoire is discussed.