Reflection Essay #4

For this essay, you will watch the documentary “The World According to Sesame Street.” You can stream it through the Rutgers library after you login with your credentials.
https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?qurl=https://video.alexanderstreet.com%2fwatch%2fthe-world-according-to-sesame-street
(You may have to login to watch the documentary. The NetID is st901 and the password is Derrick2020)

The program documents efforts being made by Sesame Workshop to use children’s educational television to address various issues in three main countries: Bangladesh, Kosovo, and South Africa. Watch the entire program, but choose ONE of the countries to focus on. In your essay, please identify the country you are focusing on and describe the educational objectives the producers are working to achieve with their version of Sesame Street. Then reflect on the follow question: how would the producers of that country’s version of Sesame know whether or not they have succeeded in their educational goals? For example, if you are writing about Takalani Sesame, what kind of research evidence would persuade you that the muppet Kami has successfully reduced the stigma of HIV/AIDS? In your conclusion, make an argument for why one should or should not invest in children’s educational television as a strategy for addressing the significant issues facing the world today.

To hear more about what Sesame Workshop is doing today, watch the story in the link provided about their work with refugee children.

To learn more about how to work at a place like Sesame Workshop, watch my interview with Kay Stallings, VP for Production at Sesame Workshop. She give practical suggestions for breaking into the children’s television industry.