Peace Education
Written by John Borst on December 8, 2008 – 4:53 am
Editor’s Note: When I was in London, England this past October I met Anne Baker deputy-director of the Catholic Institute of Education (CIE) in south Africa. She told me about the magazine they produce. The following article is from the April 2008 issue of Catholic Education: One Vision, One Future, One Voice, the journal of the Catholic Institute of Education in South Africa. Their website is at www.cie.org.za
By Gloria Marsay
News headlines in South African papers are a daily reminder that we live in a culture of violence and the longer we do so, the more complacent we become and the more we accept it as “normal”. Our children are learning that the only way to solve disputes is through physical, verbal and emotional violence.
Violent behaviour in schools is definitely on the increase and many schools are reeling from the effects of bullying which often ends in tragedy. Social realities and challenges are often the cause of discipline issues and need to be acknowledged. The question which may be posed is: How can these challenges be faced more effectively?
In the past, traditional education has all too often perpetuated a culture of violence both through the content taught (glamorising the history of war and war “heroes”) and through authoritarian approaches to education.
Teachers find it difficult to teach, learners find it difficult to learn and methods of discipline, which were successful in the past, are no longer effective. Have we forgotten the power of non-violent action?
A long time ago, Albert Einstein said, “Whether we find the way of peace or continue along the road of brute force, so unworthy of our civilization, depends on ourselves“. Since his time, many other people have given their life’s work to developing peace – Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Pope John Paul ll, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu to mention only a few, have advocated the need for developing alternate ways to violence. Since the devastating world wars in the last century, many people have been trying to introduce Peace Education as a global practice.
What is Peace Education?
Peace Education is both about peace and for peace. It attempts to resurrect a person’s natural inclination to live in peace and attempts to transform society by creating a peaceful consciousness that condemns violent behaviour. Peace Education provides not only a way of promoting a desire for peace but also knowledge about peace-making skills, so that we can all use non-violent ways of being with each other.
The intention of Peace Education is to help learners understand the technologies of peace and to prepare them to contribute towards achieving peace. Conflict is all around us and it cannot be avoided, so it needs to be acknowledged and addressed in ways that promote understanding and transformation.
Essentially, teachers and learners together, explore peaceful solutions to violent social realities.
Concerned teachers at all levels, from Grade R right through to university, aim to find ways to incorporate Peace Education into what and how they teach.
It takes courage and energy to introduce Peace Education into the school setting. After all, teachers have a daily routine which is already overloaded, and new curricula they need to follow. It seems almost impossible to add anything new. Peace Education can contribute to healing some of the hurts of learners and assists in making their learning meaningful and relevant in a world wracked by violence. So, maybe it is something worth considering.
How can teachers go about incorporating Peace Education into daily activities?
- Become informed – learn about alternative non-violent behaviour.
- Build a network of like-minded people who share the same concerns.
- Collect peace material in the form of poems, pictures, articles, books, stories and movies. There are some ideas at the end of this article.
- Make use of ‘ready made’ courses and programmes and/or adapt these approaches which are relevant to your communities.
Creating Non-Violent Classrooms
The microcosm of the classroom presents a platform to rehearse future behaviour, whilst at the same time providing a background for history. Teachers who are committed to creating and maintaining a culture of nonviolence in their classrooms may consider some of the following suggestions.
1. Teachers accept that being committed to Peace Education influences the way in which every learning area and every activity of the day is approached.
2. Teachers in non-violent classrooms know themselves and their learners well. In nonviolent classrooms, everyone is respectful to all members and self-esteem is enhanced.
Inner peace allows for creating peaceful relations with others. If I am at peace with myself, I can be at peace with you.
3. Teachers dedicated to Peace Education work towards developing moral sensitivity.
We start by caring about others and the environment and then we’re able to care for others and our environment.
4. Teachers learn about mediation and conflict resolution skills as well as critical thinking skills. They model and teach these skills to their learners.
5. Teachers use discipline techniques which demonstrate care and concern for the person who has transgressed boundaries.
Rather than diminishing and humiliating learners, teachers allow them to explore the consequences of their behaviour and take responsibility.
6. The well being of all learners remains the fundamental intention and outcome of every classroom activity.
7. Teachers construct a learning environment which acknowledges the dignity of each person and develops peaceful people.
How they teach is as important as what they teach.
8. Teachers model and teach co-operation. Competition is reduced.
9. Teachers seek to build partnerships where possible – between parents and teachers, between teachers themselves, and between learners themselves.
10. Teachers aim to build a democratic environment in their classrooms. A democratic classroom does not mean that learners are free to do whatever they please. The well-being of oneself and others can be used to gauge whether behaviour is socially acceptable or not.
And so to conclude, learning to be peaceful is a lifelong task and Peace Education is a life giving response which provides a platform to rehearse non-violent ways of being and doing, by weaving the golden threads of co-operation, consideration and care into the harsh tapestry of life. These golden threads are the essence of man’s survival. What teachers say and do has a profound effect on the lives and learning experiences of children and adolescents. So, using the words of St Francis – “Brothers (and sisters), let us begin again for until now we have done nothing.”
Resources
Conflict Busters Handbook Developed by The Independent Projects Trust. Download it FREE from www.ipt.co.za
Peace begins with Me Training Aid available through The Independent Projects Trust Tel 031
305 8422 or www.ipt.co.za
Educators 4 Social Responsibility
Books
Biographies of Peace Heroes e.g. Mahatma
Ghandi, Desmond Tutu, Oscar Romero.
Look up peace hero on the internet to get a list of people and some quotes from them.
Thich Nat Hahn Being Peace
Nelson Mandela Long walk to Freedom
Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela A human being died
that night
Videos
Pay it forward
Coach Carter
