Speaker
Description
Contemporary picturebooks provide a powerful medium for exploring students’ evolving identities in Japan’s increasingly diverse higher education classrooms. Drawing on Bland’s concept of deep reading, this presentation demonstrates how personal engagement with and discussion of picturebooks enable students to construct and reconstruct their understandings of cultural and gender identities while critically examining inclusion and belonging. Through examples of contemporary picturebooks and classroom practice, participants will explore collaborative strategies for fostering critical literacy, intercultural dialogue, and reflective learning. The session illustrates how picturebooks can create inclusive learning environments that promote empathy, respect for diversity, and meaningful engagement with multiple perspectives.