24-page PDF report of a project whose primary aim, “was to document good practices in human rights education across the school sectors in Victoria, and to disseminate interesting and innovative ideas from which schools and teachers can draw, according to their local needs and issues. This resource has three sections entitled Lesson Sparks, Whole School Organisation and Activities and School and Community Partnerships. The activities in each section are not prescriptive, and this resource does not attempt to provide a full curriculum for human rights education. Rather, it is intended that the suggested activities will confirm many current practices in schools as contributing to a human rights agenda, and act as springboards for further ideas for human rights education for schools and their communities.”
Archive
Classrooms in peace: Preliminary results of a multi-component program
24-page PDF article from the “Ineramerican Journal of Education for Democracy,” vol. 1, no. 1, September, 2007. Abstract: “Classrooms in Peace is aimed at preventing aggressive behaviors and promoting peaceful coexistence through 1) a curriculum for the development of citizenship competencies in the classroom; 2) extracurricular reinforcement in groups of two initially aggressive and four prosocial children; 3) workshops for, visits and phone calls to family mothers/fathers. A first implementation of the complete program showed a drastic decrease in aggressive behaviors and indiscipline and a considerable increase in prosocial behaviors, adherence to rules, and friendship networks among classmates. The combination of universal components and targeted components for those most in need seems to be highly valuable, especially in violent contexts.”
Classrooms in peace: Teaching strategies
22-page PDF article from the “Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy, vol. 1, no. 2, June, 2008. Abstract: “In recent times citizenship competencies have arisen as a very valuable alternative for education for democracy and peace. The formative evaluation of the Aulas en Paz program has provided for analyzing various teaching strategies for the development of eight citizenship competencies which are essential for constructive conflict handling and the prevention of aggression – i.e. handling anger, empathy, distance-taking, creative generation of alternatives, considering consequences, active listening, assertiveness, and questioning beliefs. Preliminary results of the Aulas en Paz program were published in the previous issue of this Journal. This paper supplements the previous one by highlighting the teaching strategies that have been most successful in getting these citizenship competencies put into practice in an environment which is motivating and significant for the students.”
Teacher insights from an intercultural peace curricula development project
25-page PDF article from the Interamerican Journal of Education for Democracy, vol. 2, no. 2. September 2009. Abstract: “Data garnered from an eight month critical ethnographic action research project tells a story of prejudice and discrimination in a white, Euro-American dominant context at Junction High School in the U.S. Midwest. However, counter-normative efforts aimed at transforming the situation for newcomer students were conducted by both the researcher and a group of teachers who developed and implemented intercultural peace curricula. White, Euro-American constructions of “others†and teacher reflections on their engagement in the process are presented in this article. The article aims to provide a case study and to encourage deeper dialogue on intercultural peace education in schools for achieving an authentic democracy.”
Education for global citizenship: A guide for schools
12-page PDF guide which “gives children and young people the opportunity to develop critical thinking about complex global issues in the safe space of the classroom. This is something that children of all ages need, for even very young children come face to face with the controversial issues of our time through the media and modern communications technology. Far from promoting one set of answers, Education for Global Citizenship encourages children and young people to explore, develop and express their own values and opinions, whilst listening to and respecting other people’s points of view. This is an important step towards children and young people making informed choices as to how they exercise their own rights and their responsibilities to others.
Education for Global Citizenship uses a multitude of participatory teaching and learning methodologies, including discussion and debate, role-play, ranking exercises, and communities of enquiry. These methods are now established as best practice in education, and are not unique to Education for Global Citizenship. However, used in conjunction with a global perspective, they will help young people to learn how decisions made by people in other parts of the world affect our lives, just as our decisions affect the lives of others.”
What is good youth peace work?: A tool for evaluation
58-page PDF tool for young peacebuilders, to evaluate their work. It proposes questions for reflection on three levels: Personal, team and project in its social context.
Storytelling For Peace
In this 4-part series of web articles, Caren Neile outlines a case for the use of stories and storytelling in preventing conflict, reconciling differences and building peace. Included are 7 sample stories from different parts of the world, a select bibliography, and a directory of storytellers and story-educators for peace.
Values education, teacher professional learning and the United Nations
8-page PDF article which, “focuses on values education in teacher professional learning and in particular the innovative use of Model United Nations Conferences as a way of enhancing values-based approaches.”
Tips for developing peace education curriculum: Some lessons from Vietnam
4-page tips document, the abstract states, “Teachers and schools around Australia are being asked to take responsibility for ensuring safe schools and promoting citizenship among students. This is part of an international movement to use school-based education to promote a global culture of peace. The International Conflict Resolution Centre at the University of Melbourne recently co-developed a national peace education curriculum for primary schools in Vietnam with Vietnamese educators. This experience highlighted three important peace education tools that can also be used within an Australian context: The UNESCO “peace keys,” physical games and reflective material.”
Two faces of education in ethnic conflict, The: Towards a peacebuilding education for children
54-page PDF study which, “should be considered as a first attempt to explore a set of highly complex and controversial issues. Its potential contribution is twofold: a focused and critical examination of the peacebuilding and peace-destroying role of education; and the placement of children on the mainstream peacebuilding and reconstruction agenda in a way that goes beyond their necessary but narrow inclusion as child soldiers … The project began with the observation that formal education is often viewed as a neutral or technical process of information dissemination set within a given societal context. It found that this starting point inhibited consideration of the role of education in the creation of a “constructed†– rather than “given†– societal context. The broadening of the analytical focus reveals that implicitly and explicitly, intentionally and unintentionally, education inevitably has a societal impact – for good or for ill.”
Tolerance: the threshold of peace: A teaching/learning guide for education for peace, human rights
42-page PDF document which was “prepared to serve as an introductory resource material, to provide some understanding of what is involved in and required of education for tolerance. It provides a statement of the problems of intolerance, a rationale for teaching toward the goal of tolerance, and concepts and descriptions for identifying both the problems and the goals … Each chapter of the guide comprises material that can be used for study and discussion on issues of tolerance and peace. Organizations, groups and formal classes of secondary level and above can explore together the issues raised and problems identified…”
Collaboration across fields: Implementation and sustainability of SEL, CRE, PE and CE
73-page PDF conference reader from the two-day summit, “Collaboration across Fields: Implementation and Sustainability of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Conflict Resolution Education (CRE), Peace Education (PE), and Citizenship Education (CE), held in Cleveland, Ohio on June 19th and 20th, 2009. The conference “brought together government representatives from among the 50 states and invited countries (Ghana, Kenya, Montenegro, Philippines) and their non-governmental organization partners. Organizations were invited because of their interest in developing legislation and policy in peace education, social and emotional learning, conflict resolution education, and/or civics education and their interest in securing ways to strengthen implementation and achieve sustainability of these efforts … this capacity building summit offered a dynamic opportunity to develop a global infrastructure to advance the work in the fields of conflict resolution education, peace education, social and emotional learning, and citizenship education. The summit brought together policymakers, researchers and educators representing regions across the United States and select member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict GPPAC). These national and international guests exchanged successful macro
level policy design and implementation models at the state-wide or national level, and macro level evaluation methodology and tools for states and countries. Specific areas of focus included: Teacher education, research and evaluation, and policy implementation options for primary, elementary and secondary education at the national or state levels.”
Building bridges in conflict areas: Educational report
23-page PDF report in which, “the reader is invited for an overview of the methods, theories and tools that were offered to the participants. It shows how the process of theoretical presentation becomes “alive” when participants interact with trainers and share their opinions through brainstorming or reflecting on the concepts that were discussed for a better understanding of conflict resolution … Theoretical inputs, practical exercises, thematic energizers and interactive activities created suitable atmosphere to raise awareness among participants, deepen their knowledge and raise their skills and abilities in pro-active interventions in youth field of conflict zones. Mainly during the two last days of the training course, participants were involved in partnership building activities.”
Community-Based Institutes on Peace Education (CIPE) organizer’s manual: A peace education planning
78-page pdf manual “designed to assist formal, non-formal and grass-roots educators and educational planners by providing ideas and tools for the development of community-based peace education learning projects that might contribute to the reduction of violence at all levels of the global social order. More specifically, it has been developed to aid in the planning of “Community-Based Institutes on Peace Education (CIPE),” a special community-centered initiative of the International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE) … As you explore the contents you will see that this manual is arranged like a workbook. It is organized around inquiries into practical considerations for designing peace education initiatives in multiple and varying contexts. These inquiries are designed to engage you – the educator/planner – in reflections upon your own unique situation and possibilities for affecting change through education.”
Peer mediation training for schools: Best practice guidelines (UK)
8-page Word document which presents best practice guidelines developed by the Peer Mediation Network in the UK. Paper begins with a definition of peer mediation and then outlines best practices for many aspects of training.