Publication:
Becoming agents of change: Dr. Seuss' books through the eyes of Freire, Illich, and Dewey

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Authors
Hernández Giovannetti, Emily Y.
Embargoed Until
Advisor
Román Pérez, Rosa I.
College
College of Arts and Sciences - Art
Department
Department of English
Degree Level
M.A.E.E.
Publisher
Date
2022-05-04
Abstract
This thesis examined how children’s literature can promote critical thinking at any age. In order to identify examples of this, many of Dr. Seuss’ children’s books were evaluated. Ultimately, the selected books were Bartholomew and the Oobleck, The Sneetches, and The Butter Battle Book. All three books were analyzed through the lens of Paulo Freire’s Critical Pedagogy, Ivan Illich’s Deschooling, and John Dewey’s Learn by Doing. Each theory was founded on different tenets, guidelines, or principles. It was concluded that these three books by Dr. Seuss have the potential to spark critical thinking, which could prompt learners to become agents of change in their communities. As an example, a detailed lesson plan on how to incorporate The Sneetches to promote critical thinking in a tenth grade ESL classroom is also included in this thesis.

Esta tesis examinó cómo la literatura infantil puede promover el pensamiento crítico a cualquier edad. Para identificar ejemplos de esto, se evaluaron muchos de los libros infantiles de Dr. Seuss. Finalmente, los libros seleccionados fueron Bartholomew and the Oobleck, The Sneetches y The Butter Battle Book. Estos tres libros fueron analizados a través del lente de la Pedagogía Crítica de Paulo Freire, Desescolarización de Ivan Illich y Aprender Haciendo de John Dewey. Cada una de estas teorías se basó en diferentes principios, pautas o fundamentos. Como resultado de este análisis, se concluyó que estos tres libros del Dr. Seuss tienen el potencial de despertar el pensamiento crítico, lo que podría impulsar a los alumnos a convertirse en agentes de cambio en sus comunidades. También se incluye como parte de esta tesis un plan detallado sobre cómo incorporar The Sneetches para promover el pensamiento crítico en un salón de clases de ESL de décimo grado.
Keywords
Dr. Seuss,
ESL education,
Paulo Freire,
Ivan Illich,
John Dewey
Usage Rights
Except where otherwise noted, this item’s license is described as Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Cite
Hernández Giovannetti, E. Y. (2022). Becoming agents of change: Dr. Seuss’ books through the eyes of Freire, Illich, and Dewey [Thesis]. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11801/2881