DISTANCE PEACE EDUCATION PROPOSAL

FAQs:

3. Is it viable?

The interesting thing (good news) is that we (and when I say "we", I mean collectively we peace educators network) have a relative monopoly on scarce resources (i.e. good peace information) - this should mean a market will emerge, and we should be able to make the economics work to create sustainable programs.

When you have read  Peace, Conflict and Violence: Peace Psychology for the 21st Century and David Adam's  Psychology for Peace Activists  (and I would suggest Doug Roche's book The Right to Peace), then we can talk more productively (currently, you will not get the whole picture of what I am talking about without this background).

5. Time Frame?

We have a choice of trying to bring in an Alberta institution with distance learning technology, or we can start by doing it ourselves simply using my web site and a new email listserver for dialogue.  I have not had the time to study the distance learning technology, but I understand it can run the spectrum from pretty simple and rudimentary (like my web site and an email listserver, plus telephone, fax, email, snail mail) to something very sophisticated which I would presume an Athabasca University might have (since they boast their capability).  I should also mention that I have been invited to meet with Robert Woodrow, Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Calgary who, following our Alberta PE Conference, is interested to learn about what we are doing and where we are going (I am going to try to get UofC to be a major peace resource centre).

7. What are the estimated course fees and costs?

8. What Pedagogy?

David Adams indicates, "In doing my thinking I have gone back to the text that I (and most progressive educators from the South) consider as the great text of our time on pedagogy: The Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freire.  It was written in 1970 from Chile where he was a leader in the great literacy movement of the Allende administration, later brutally crushed by the Chilean military with support from the CIA, ITT and Henry Kissinger.  Freire escaped ... Please read the attached  Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Chapter 2 - by Paolo Freire - a discussion of the "banking" concept of education compared to the "problem-posing" concept of education - the key chapter.  Also, I recommend looking at the following debate, http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/mceducationforall.htm .  The debate is being conducted by an Indian educator who is a good friend, and targeting the new Assistant Director General for Education at UNESCO and his defense of the  "McDonaldization of education."... I am very pleased that we agree on the need for a problem-solving rather than banking concept of pedagogy."

Larry Fisk, like David, has been profoundly moved by Paulo Freire: "His work, his understanding of education, human psychology, politics, revolution are part of my psyche.  In everything I have tried to do in the classroom, it has been inspired and shaped by Freire's life and work."

I think the document that I developed on modelling a Culture of Peace in schools and CPI at http://www.peace.ca/modellingpeaceeducation.htm tried to reflect this spirit (although I have not researched all the related writings).  I would think these distance education courses would be a good opportunity to work the philosophy, and I would defer to David and Larry's judgement.  I recognize doing it at a distance changes the dynamics versus in-person classes - something that we will have to live with and try to compensate for.  For those who are able (can afford) to travel, we should consider offering something like a two-week in-residence session - however, there are additional cost implications.

9. Problem-solving pedagogy - What are the consequences?

David Adams indicates, "The task of being a teacher in a problem-solving distance education system is that the work cannot be predicted.  It depends as much upon what the student brings (problems, questions, approaches) as on what the teacher brings to the "classroom."  We can put together a framework for problem-solving, but the hard work only starts once the classes begin.  I find this both challenging and frightening.  It's challenging because we will be learning as much as the students.  It's frightening because I don't know how much time it will consume and I cannot devote full time to it."

To the point on teacher's work level, I am thinking that it would be good if David and Larry could both find say 2 higher end teacher's assistants who can be trained to eventually take over classes as prime teacher.  This would keep their time involvement to a more reasonable (read "lesser") amount of time, which I suspect they will appreciate given all the other things in life to do.  I am thinking that there will likely be at least 2 peace educators who would enjoy working with David and Larry on this project (possibly people who are retired or semi-retired, or financially independent, but not necessarily).  It may be that they would do this without remuneration, in that they would be getting a free education (hopefully in future, with larger classes, the economics would be such to provide remuneration for TAs as well).  Further, since it is a problem solving approach, you can probably get away with placing the burden on the students to find their own truths, and to help each other - while the teacher is mentor.  I realize that how this works will only bear out with experience, but it is a suggestion.  Also, once the programs are developed it may be lower maintenance.

10. Might an Educational Cooperative by an answer to the teaching resource and remuneration issue? 

David Adams indicates, "On principle, I think it is a good idea to have more people involved in the process and sharing in the "problem-posing" approach.  I'd be a little worried about a hierarchical organization of remuneration, with a "master teacher" making all the money and the "teaching assistants" working for free or very very little. Perhaps there would be a way to set up something that is more of an educational cooperative with payment based on the amount of time that people put into it.

Larry Fisk clarifies, "this would mean, IMHO, no "ranks" of payment, an hour of quality time, is an hour of quality time, no matter who contributes it.  I also think that the entire process of working "somewhat more experienced, with somewhat less experienced", "younger with older"  "adult political culture with youth political culture", "web genius with web novice" and endless other
combinations are tremendously creative, fulfilling and productive. ... When it comes to a "TEACHER-LEARNER ASSOCIATE" (and a name of this kind is what I would prefer)--in other words David and I and anyone in addition--a university student or a  semi-retired world-renowned professor would all carry the same title.  We are teaching by our process!!!  We carry the same
descriptive title and we work for the same hourly wage."

11. What could be the relation of this project to distance education projects in the South (for example, India, Argentina, Brazil, etc.) that are already underway and have some experience?  Some of these are already explicitly or implicitly linked to the culture of peace, although I have not kept records about it and am only peripherally aware.  

To the point on existing similar projects in the South, I do not know what they are.  I continually try to scan for this type of thing, and have not noted any yet.  I am aware of what Transcend is doing ( www.transcend.org ) which we can learn from - and I think they are close to 'leading edge' in distance peace education.  When I was in San Francisco at the Futurists Conference, I talked to Fredric Litto, U. SaoPaulo, E-mail Address(es):   frmlitto@usp.br - he is the head of a major Distance Learning Department at U. Sao Paulo, and he wanted to work with us on the basis that they were not doing anything with respect to peace education of significance (and U. Sao Paulo is one of the largest organizations in Brazil).  I feel that we may not find a lot of existing similar projects in the South, but we can expand the scan for these and certainly our guiding principles should be to not duplicate what someone else is doing, and take advantage of partnerships or others' experiences if we can.

Larry Fisk agrees, "that we need to scour the planet for other on-line courses.  This might well be our first major task, i.e., putting together a master list of on-line peace courses.  I know you have done some of this Bob, but this might be enlarged, completed, not only to discover our own niche, but to make public the master list--a real contribution to peace education."

12. What about the considerations of on-line or Internet education?

Larry Fisk reports, "I read the interview with Ms. Williams (Cisco System's interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams at: http://business.cisco.com/prod/tree.taf%3Fpublic_view=true&kbns=1&asset_id=83409.html ) and my eyes were watering with
excitement and delight.  I was moved.  This is strong evidence that what we do on-line, and the great deal more that we can do, has a huge place in peace-building and peace education.  As an aside, but as a very important one, IMHO, I have always spent many hours in my classes engaging students re: on-line, email, website matters.  I urged them and helped them to climb on board.  I insisted that they learn civility in correspondence, good writing as their medium, and painstaking research as their assurance of one another's credibility in peace studies.  I believe we have an enormous responsibility to help peace labourers make the most responsible use of the internet.  The enormity of the challenge matches the enormity of the possibilities for peace which these new communication technologies bring to us.  In short, clear, efficient, honest, trusted, civil, decent, just, non-violent, compassionate communication which outmanoeuvres, out does in every regard, the slipshod, the lazy, the scam, the porno, the hate literature which will always threaten but never overcome this fabulous medium.