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Education for Peace

Page history last edited by Stephanie Knox 13 years, 7 months ago

Education for Peace Lesson Objectives

After this section, participants should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Distinguish between education for peace and education about peace 

 

Guiding Question

As you read this section, consider the following question:

 

  • What knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors are necessary for peace?

 

Education for and about peace

Education for peace and education about peace are two main approaches to peace education, and all peace education fields can be defined by one or both of these approaches.

 

Education for peace answers the question, "What skills, attitudes and knowledge do we need to develop to create peace?" According to Reardon (1999, p. 8), education for peace is "education to create some of the preconditions for the achievement of peace." Education for peace involves developing values, skills and attitudes that are conducive to building peace. Peace education fields that would be considered education for peace include: international education (or global education/world studies), multicultural education, and environmental education. For example, with multicultural education, part of that education involves developing attitudes, perspectives and knowledge that are necessary for people from different cultures to interact with each other on positive and constructive terms (Reardon, 1999). These attitudes and perceptions are prerequisites to having positive interactions. For example, if through multicultural education, a learner develops an attitude of openness and respect for other cultures, then later when learning about another culture, the learner is more likely to approach the culture with an attitude of respect and openness, rather than fear or discrimination.

 

Education about peace answers the question "What is peace?" According to Reardon (1999: 8), education about peace is "education for the development and practice of institutions and processes that comprise a peaceful social order." These approaches include conflict resolution education, human rights education, and traditional peace studies (which tends to deal with nonviolence and the abolition of war), all of which are concerned with avoiding, reducing, or eliminating violence. Education about peace emphasizes knowledge and skills of peacemaking, and for this reason Reardon calls it "essential peace education" (1999, p. 13). Without this knowledge, peace cannot be pursued or achieved. 

 

Let's use an analogy: If we think of peace education like farming, then education for peace would be like tilling the field, fertilizing it with rich organic nutrients, and watering it so that the seeds can grow. It is preparing the seed bed. Education about peace would be like the seeds, which can sprout and thrive on this well-prepared land. Education for peace is preparing the minds and hearts of learners through attitudes and perceptions, and education about peace is the knowledge that learners need to create a peaceful world.

 

However, any field can be education for and about peace, depending on how the field approached. Human rights education is education about peace when it deals with the knowledge field of human rights documents, instruments, and the legal system. However, part of human rights education is also developing the attitudes to cultivate a sense of universal human dignity, and this would be education for peace. In the subsequent sections in this unit, we will look at the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes for different fields of peace education. 

 

 

The following lesson is an example of educating for peace, as it promotes the values of sharing and cooperation in learners. As the lesson explains, cooperation and sharing are necessary elements for building peace. 

 

Sample Lesson

 

Unit 13: The Sharing Game (Reardon & Cabezudo, 2002)

 

“Let us all share our vision, open-mindedness, solidarity and willingness to learn in a truly inter-generational exchange based on mutual respect, trust and responsibility.”

—The Hague Agenda, Recommendation 35, p. 37

 

SHARING GAME

The following exercise is intended to help learners better understand each other and to build relationships of trust and appreciation for others. Conflicts often occur when people lack understanding of others’ perspectives. To avoid the escalation of conflict and to promote peace and nonviolence, cooperation is essential. Sharing and creating stories together is one way young children can begin to develop the skills and attitudes necessary for a culture of peace.

SOURCE: This learning unit was prepared by Meg Gardinier (2001) as part of the TC Peace

Education Team at Teachers College, Columbia University.

GRADE LEVEL: Elementary grades, 1 - 3

MATERIALS: Classroom

METHODS:  Sharing; storytelling; cooperative learning; active listening and discussion

CONCEPTS:  Sharing, peace, cooperation, nonviolence, appreciation of others

OBJECTIVES: Students will

✦ Share stories about something special to them;

✦ Practice active listening skills;

✦ Work together with others in a creative activity;

✦ Develop and discuss ideas about peace.

 

PROCEDURES: (TO BE CARRIED OUT OVER SEVERAL CLASS SESSIONS)

Step 1: Ask students to bring to class an object that is special to them such as a toy, a photo, a book, a piece of clothing, a food, or any other item that they would like to show friends and classmates.

Step 2:Explain the “rules” of the game to students:

✦ First, all students will have an opportunity to tell the class about their special objects.

✦ While a fellow student is sharing the story of his or her object, others in the class should be listening and giving full attention to that student. Everyone should listen very carefully, because they need to learn why the object is important to their classmate. Listening to each other is how people become friends.

✦ Next, students can be encouraged to ask questions to learn more about the special objects of others. The teacher can promote a discussion that enables students to learn about each other and the things that are special and important to each of their classmates.

✦ When the discussion indicates understanding of the importance their classmates attach to the objects, form groups of 3 students into “story teams.” Each story team will then use the objects they brought to create a story about peace.

✦ To end the game, all the peace stories will be shared with the whole class.

 

Step 3: After these “rules” are explained, the teacher and students gather in a circle to hear

the stories about students’ special objects. Make sure everyone has a place in the circle and that all students can hear the person speaking. All students should have an equal amount of time to share the story of their special object.

 

Step 4: When students have all shared, and their questions have been answered, the teacher

can introduce the next part of the game. In a circle, ask students to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the stories they heard.

The teacher can explain that when people share with and listen to one another, as the class has just done, they are helping to make the world a more peaceful place. Fighting often starts when people stop listening to one another. By hearing the stories of others and creating new stories together, students can practice activities that make peace possible.

 

Step 5: Next, ask students to form teams of 2 or 3 people to work together to create a story

about peace. These peace stories should include their special objects in some way. For instance, if one student brought a picture of her mother and another student brought a favorite toy, these two students could create a story about a family that lives in peace and has lots of time to play. Or if one student brought a picture he drew and another brought a favorite food, together they could create a story about a peaceful town where artists and cooks bring each other gifts of drawings and food. The possibilities for stories are endless, and students should be encouraged to be as creative as they can.

The only “rule” is that all students in the team should help create the story.

CONCLUSION:

Step 6: Once all the teams are ready to present their stories, form a circle with the whole class.

Make sure that everyone is included in the circle and that all students can hear the per- son speaking.

 

Step 7: The teacher should allow time for all the stories to be shared. When the activity is

complete, the class can talk about what they thought and felt about the stories. If stu- dents enjoyed listening to one another, sharing their stories, cooperating in teams, and being heard, encourage them to continue the “sharing game” at home and in other places. Remind them that sharing and cooperation are very important for creating a peaceful world.

 

Questions for Comprehension and Reflection

 

  • What are the differences between education for peace and education about peace? Think of an example for each one.
  • Why is the sample lesson education for peace? Could it also be considered education about peace? 

 

References

Reardon, B. A. (1999). Peace Euducation: A Review and Projection. Peace Education Reports: Department of Educational and Psychological Research.

     School of Education, Malmo University. August, No. 17.

 

Reardon, B. A. & Cabezudo, A. (2002). Book 2: Sample Learning Units.Learning to Abolish War: Teaching Toward a Culture of Peace. New York: Hague Appeal

     for Peace.

Comments (2)

Julia Smith said

at 4:56 pm on Aug 8, 2010

This is a really well done page. However, I think in including the lesson we need to give it a little bit of context. Is it a lesson for peace or about peace or both? Without a little bit of an introduction the lesson just seems a little out of place.
Do others agree?

Stephanie Knox said

at 9:00 pm on Aug 8, 2010

Hi Julia,
That's a great idea - also, if someone else has a more applicable lesson they'd like to share, please feel free to add/change. The lesson is supposed to be educating for peace, as it promotes the values and skills that are necessary for peace. If you'd like to add something, please feel free! (and that of course goes for any section I've been working on)
PS - the overall idea with this unit was to add one example lesson for each part, just so teachers could immediately see an example after they read the section. Also, we're adding the lesson objectives, guiding questions, and comprehension/reflection questions. The parts that I've written for these are just to get the ideas flowing. If anyone has more/better questions to add, or additional objectives, that'd be great!

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