Teachers Without Borders Module 2

Module Learning Objectives 

At the end of this module, the participants will:

• Understand the wide range of fields that peace education encompasses 
• Understand the knowledge, values and skills that each field seeks to promote 
• Understand concrete classroom applications for each field

Module Guiding Question
As you read this module, consider the following question:

How can I integrate these themes into the curriculum that I currently use? How can I find “spaces” for peace education?
Since I am not yet in a classroom, I feel that viewing the Teacher Standards (listed in the Module 3 post) is a great start into incorporating peace education into my classroom.  Many of these ideas stem along the Montessori philosophy, which I've had lots of experience with when I taught preschool for 2 years in San Diego.  Although my experience was with younger children, I think the foundation set upon these standards are universal amongst all children.  Two standards that I feel are very important in the Science classroom is Standard 16: Attend to and teach ecological care of the physical environment, including sustainable use of its resources and Standard 17: Teach about socially and environmentally responsible consumerism and the conflicts which result from exploitation of producers and laborers.  I feel that right now our students are learning about life on Earth and our environment, but if they don't know the importance of protecting our habitat, we will no longer have a sustainable future.

Global Citizen Education

"Global citizenship education incorporates elements such as environmental sustainability and social justice (Andrzejewski & Alessio, 1999), with skills such as nonviolent conflict resolution and critical awareness and respect, to shape students to be well-rounded and conscientious citizens of the world. This means that students will be able to understand the impacts of legislation and actions on populations around the world and want to work for change that promotes the greatest good for everyone, not simply for those of their nation" (Teachers Without Borders, Unit 2)

Key Theorists

John Dewey

• John Dewey designed a plan for Peace Education as a result of the deconstruction he experienced during World War I.
• Dewey wanted to teach people to be global citizens rather than citizens of their specific nation.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

• Makiguchi was a Japanese citizen who helped develop the philosophy of global citizenship alongside education
• Was a principal and teacher and later created his doctrine along with Jogai Toda
• Was a supporter of education that connected to the every day life of children and that teachers need to take the role of a guide rather than the one who lectures and knows all about a particular subject

What does Global Citizenship Encompass?

• Social Justice: EQUALITY!!!!
• Diversity: Our students forget to look at the similarities between other cultures across the world.
• Globalization and Interdependence: The main point of interdependence is looking at how we are connected to economics, culture, politics, technology, and linguistics
• Sustainable Development: What students are not learning in the classroom is how to preserve the environment to make sure that our future generations can prosper.  Students are learning about the basics of the environment and their surroundings, but are not really looking at what they can do to make a difference in their community and ultimately in the world.
• Peace and Conflict Studies: How do we incorporate past conflict and teach students how to resolve these conflicts in a peaceful manner.  For example, we often look at the issue of slavery as a horrible time that our people had to endure in the United States.  What our students are not learning is about the perseverance and the fight that many abolitionists risked their lives for to end slavery.  These people were not just those who were enslaved in the past or the Black community, but were people from all races and backgrounds that did not believe in human enslavement.

Sample Lessons (Taken from the Teachers Without Borders, Module 2: Global Citizenship)

Oxfam (2006)

Education for Global Citizenship can be integrated into all areas of the curriculum. The following activities develop some of the skills and values that are central to Global Citizenship. They can be adapted for use in many different curriculum areas with a wide range of age groups and ability levels. Although they are used here to examine particular issues, they could be used to extend pupils’ thinking about many other issues associated with Global Citizenship.

Using photographs (Foundation stage/Early years)

Visual representations are integral in how we form our attitudes towards other cultures.  Therefore, activities that use photographs can be important for teaching diversity, respect, challenging stereotypes and supporting empathy.  The following is a list of activities that can be done with photographs.

1) Changing situations: This activity asks children to say what they think is happening in a photograph as well as before and after the picture.  Teachers should encourage students to use evidence from the picture to justify what they say. 

2) Putting yourself in the picture: As its name says, children need to put themselves into the scene of the picture.  This can be done orally or by creating a visual representation.  In taking part of this process students should notice similarities between themselves and those in the photograph.   

3) Beyond the frame: In this activity students are asked to extend the photograph.  The photo is placed in the middle of a large peace of paper.  Students are then asked to, working together, determine and draw what is happening around the photo. 

4) Links and commonalities: Show the children a picture of someone in another country. Ask them to think of all the commonalities and links between their lives and the life of the person in the picture.

Water for all: from local to global thinking (age 7+)

The purpose of this activity is to promote the skills of communication and critical thinking as well as to make global issues real for students.  First students will be asked to think about how they use water in their daily lives and to then imagine that they no longer have water.  Students should think about how this would impact them.  Ensure that students are thinking broadly and see the relationships between the various areas, such as how the lack of water can lead to diseases.  Students can then, in groups, work through various consequence chains, based on not having water.   

Investigating Conflict, Interrogating the Media (Ages 11+)

This activity teaches students about conflict and the media while promoting critical thinking skills. To start students need to watch or listen to a news programme that shows a conflict.  All students can be exposed to the same program or find their own programs.  Students should think about how the conflict, heroism and neutrality are portrayed. When thinking about the program students should also determine which statements are facts vs. opinions, what is the point of the news piece, what is the language used and what messages does it portray and who has a voice and who does not.

Useful websites for news sources:

http://allafrica.com

http://www.newslink.org

http://www.newsdirectory.com

http://www.worldpress.org

Letter/Email Exchange

A great way to promote global citizenship is to get to know students from around the world. One way to do this is through a letter or email exchange. If you live in the US or a country where Peace Corps Volunteers serve, you can become involved in the World Wise Schools Program (http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws), which links schools in the US to schools where Peace Corps operates. There are also many internet portals that allow students from schools across the world to interact with one another. You can also seek to develop a relationship with a sister school on your own, and build a relationship between your classes. 

Get Global! (Price, 2003)

The following activities are from Get Global!, a global citizenship education curriculum for secondary students. The entire resource is available at: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/get_global/files/section_one_get_global_steps_english.pdf

Activity 1: Ideal futures - An activity for exploring perceptions of the world

Think about how you would like yourself/your school/local area/country/world to look in ten years’ time. Consider the characteristics of good citizens. What would there be in the world that there is not now? Present the ideas on posters or maps in writing or drawings.

Activity 2: Mapping our world - An activity for exploring perceptions of the world

Think of ways of representing school, and draw symbols to illustrate this, e.g., something that represents learning. Place the symbols on a space on the wall or floor. Each student draws a symbol to represent where they live and places it on the wall or floor in relation to the school. Draw symbols to represent places outside of the local area which students have connections with, e.g. places visited or other countries where friends or family live. Place these in relation to the school. When the map is complete explain each symbol and ask questions like:

• What did we talk about? What did we learn? What else can be added?
• How is the map useful? Who owns the map?

Activity 3: Influencing people - An activity for exploring and analyzing influence

Discuss what influence means, i.e. affecting the way someone thinks and behaves. Draw a spider diagram of the people who influence you, e.g. individuals such as parents or friends, and groups such as pop groups, organizations. Write their name in the middle of a piece of paper and draw lines linking their name to other people’s names. The length of the line represents how much the person influences them. A short line represents a lot of influence because it is nearer to them, and a long line represents less influence because it is further away from them. Write how each person influences you along each line, e.g. My mum influences me by telling me to eat properly. Draw a second spider diagram of people who you influence, with those you influence most nearest to the center, and those you influence least further away from the center. Compare the two spider diagrams considering the similarities and differences, e.g. whether the people who influence you are the same people you influence. Compare each other’s spider diagrams, e.g. whether everyone has the same amount of influence. Consider how the people on your spider diagrams may influence each other, and draw labeled lines showing how. It will begin to look like a spider’s web. It is also possible to act out this activity.

Activity 4: Local to global power - An activity for exploring and analyzing influence and power at local and global levels

Discuss the difference between influence and power. Think of people who influence you and people who have power over you at local, national and global levels. Present conclusions by drawing a Chappati (Venn) diagram or by sticking post-it notes on large circles on the wall or floor. Calculate the proportion of people who have influence, and the number who have power over you at local, national and global levels. Discuss the findings and whether or not it is what you expected. Are there any names in the overlapping circles? What does this mean? Repeat the activity focusing on people you have influence over and people you have power over. Add this to the Chappati diagram using a different color pen. Make a key.