Town Hall Meeting #2
“What is Peace Education?”
Prepared by Karl Shuve
Panelists:
Heather MacTaggart (Executive Director,
Classroom Connections), Gudrun Howard (B.C.
Teachers for Peace and Global Education), Seddika Abdelkader (student), Taj Saran (Teachers’
College Graduate), Joanna Santa Barbara (Professor of Psychology), Lori Adams (Principal)
Gudrun
Howard:
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classroom teacher in BC for 20 years
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working with teachers on Peace Education
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brings with her a “classroom” perspective
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drawn to looking for different approaches
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spent time studying/teaching in
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Program for Living Values:
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Celebrate UN 50th anniversary
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12 universal values: Peace, Respect, Love, Tolerance/Acceptance,
Happiness, Honesty, Humility, Co-operation, Simplicity, Unity, Freedom,
Responsibility
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3 books for teachers
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used in over 70 countries, translated into 30 languages
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cross-cultural approach
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heart-driven
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free training
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she acts as National Co-ordinator for the program
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child-centred; experiential
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use imagination to develop better world: what does the future look like?
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cannot teach peace if not striving to be peaceful ourselves
Seddika
Abdelkader:
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former career in accounting
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diagnosed with breast cancer
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anxiety caused by fear
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started volunteering with other cancer patients
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human connectedness (barriers of language, colour, religion fall away)
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fear is imposed upon us by “otherness” of those around us
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peace is feeling of security through connectedness to whole of humanity
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talk more about what we share in common
Taj
Saran:
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peace ed needs to be about life skills
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it used to include developing healthy self-regard so that respect will
flow to others
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this is neglected in current ed; now system of behaviour-reward
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society’s fascination with armed conflict evident in classroom
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each World War given 3 weeks of class time
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up to discretion of individual teacher how much time spent of pacifism
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need to develop critical thinking skills
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there exists the perpetuation of “us and them” mentality
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students not being encouraged to co-operate
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peace ed about shift in mentality
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style, climate, topics, discussion need to be re-evaluated
Lori
Adams:
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K-8 principal in
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African proverb: “it takes a whole village to a raise a child”
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Schools not isolated entities
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“World Class Schools” initiative
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create peaceful school community
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1. Character ed program – survey to prioritize top 10 character traits
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2. Terrific Kids program
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3. Conflict Resolution program
Heather
MacTaggart:
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“Classroom Connections”
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national independent non-profit organization
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encourage societal change through parenting and education
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develop free curriculum to schools and free parenting info
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corporate/federal government sponsorship
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work and school board level
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focus on: peace; empowerment; parents
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kids come out as great human beings, not robots
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Sept 11th raised awareness in schools for need for peace ed
Joanna
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part of centre for peace studies
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peace ed in
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peace as relationship of mutual benefits with non-violent resolution to
conflicts
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1. Peace ed needs to be an ongoing activity like teaching kids hygiene
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tendency to dominant hierarchies
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tendency to obedience
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tendency to identify with certain groups
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2. Not just teach about peace but live it
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re-examination of structure of education
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3. A lot more evaluation of efficacy of programs
Summary
by Sue McGregor:
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Peace ed is…
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value-laden; heart-driven; finding a definition for peace; mutual
respect; truth; human connectedness; critical aalysis; classroom management;
tied to community; about parenting; about producing great human beings;
understanding ourselves; happening all the time
Questions
and Comments from the floor:
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Peace ed is implemented at school in
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Parents foster competition in children by rewarding excellence heavily
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Need for teachers to be sensitive to cultural differences; more training
needed for this
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Need to engage in serious analysis (statistically) of the programs that
we run because this is seriously neglected
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Language can be a cultural barrier because words have different
connotations in different cultures
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Q: Are cultural sensitivity and inclusivity the same thing?
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A: Inclusivity comes from a dominant hierarchy that assumes all must be
included
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Art can be a bridge to cultural integration and understanding
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We need to build a moral foundation based on tolerance that fosters
respect for all before we start planning a Utopia
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Any list of values compiled must in essence be culturally biased; it
cannot be neutral
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If we are confident in our work and values, we can be confident to
dialogue with anyone and hope that anyone can change