Foundation of Peace
Overview
We live in an age of crisis–a time of great opportunities for humanity and a time of great danger for the whole human race. The forces of construction and destruction are to be seen at work worldwide. Never in human history has there been such a desperate need to develop and improve the various approaches for creating a unified, harmonious, peaceful and just world within which the nations develop internal cohesion and tranquility. This worldwide crisis comes right down to the local community, the family, and the individual, as we must deal with violence at all levels in all its forms. The survival of a large portion of the human race is at stake.
One of the most vital approaches toward achieving the ultimate aim of a new, different, and better world for all peoples is Peace Education; an innovative approach to teaching and learning that is strongly linked with values and morality. Peace education has been promoted internationally for years by UNESCO and is supported by the NCERT.
In response to this pressing need, AMHARTA Educare has tied up with Animator Publications, the developers of ‘The Foundation of Peace’ , a new and unique program of peace and value education for implementation in schools.
This program has been developed for primary schools throughout India and includes Teachers’ Guides containing lesson-plans and the matching Student Activity Books 1 to 5 for use by students of classes Lower K.G. to Std. 5. Together they provide a powerful and effective program for educating school children that can be used throughout the whole school year seeking to transform children over the years as they move through the program. Testing and practice of all aspects of the content has taken place in Indian schools and has been found that it can easily take up the moral education periods in schools, preferably of 35 to 40 minutes each.
Salient Features of the Peace Education Program
The Foundation of Peace program has many unique features that make it a very effective program of moral and value education.
Content
- Easy to use teacher guides help teachers plan and conduct peace classes efficiently and effectively.
- Lessons use simple language, yet are profound in their insights, principles and concepts.
- Is stimulating and inspiring and focus on the development of special virtues among children.
- The Golden Rule is an important part of the content which stresses the universality of values.
- Focuses on developing meditation, mediation, consultation, bringing one’s self to account, and many other skills necessary for peace.
- Relates to the practical lives of children and thus creates acute awareness among them about contemporary problems that disrupt peace.
- Incorporates the use of arts–visualization and sketching, drawing and coloring–activities that are highly peace inducing.
- Trains children to recognize and become aware of different emotions in others and also to become aware of words and actions that result in change of emotions in others.
- Special and carefully designed activities ensure participation of families and local communities in the peace-building process.
- Use of Activity Books contribute to better associations among children.
Content
- Delivery of lessons incorporates Cooperative Learning and Cooperative Games.
- Over 900 studies worldwide confirm the superiority of cooperative learning over other learning methods.
- Children actively work in heterogeneous groups where they learn better and enjoy learning, break down differences and learn to cooperate and work harmoniously together.
- Results in high levels of participation among students; no student is a passive learner.
- Cooperative learning and cooperative games help train children develop peaceful abilities– cooperation, coordination, consultation, consideration, humility, harmony, empathy, patience, etc.
- Cooperative learning can be very effective in teaching students other subjects as well–language, Science, Social Studies, and even
- Mathematics. Children learn better with longer retention with cooperative learning and enjoy the learning process as well.
- Cooperative games are not only meant for fun. They are of great educational value.
Parental involvement
The Foundation of Peace has a strong component of parental involvement. By involving parents an endeavor is made to appropriately influence the home environment where children develop and reflect the desired values and attitudes better and faster. The program involves parents by having children carry out certain activities at home with their parents and family members, and through special peace-events at school that require participation of parents.
Benefits beyond Peace and Values:
While this program has a strong influence on shaping children’s attitudes and values, it also contributes to a number of secondary benefits. These are:
- Over the long term, positive changes in behavior of the students are noted.
- Students further develop communication and linguistic skills as they work in groups.
- The use of cooperative learning has shown acceleration in students’ academic achievement.
- Students begin to apply what they have learned, such as higher order thinking, problem solving and conflict resolution to everyday life. Children thus learn to become thinkers and social problem solvers.
- Teachers who have received in-service or pre-service training in this program and have used it over time have expressed how they themselves are changed by it for the better.
- As part of the program, students carry out activities at home with their family members. This ensures that the benefits of the program also reach the homes of children.
- Through this program, children come to appreciate the fundamental unity of the whole human race and develop a keen awareness of social problems that often lead to conflict.
- Through the use of cooperative learning and cooperative games, the ill-effects of excessive competition at school is lessened to a great extent by increasing the instances of cooperation
In-Service Training and Follow-up
Teachers of schools that wish to implement The Foundation of Peace will be provided in-service trainings in classroom management, cooperative learning and cooperative games free of charge. In addition to focus on delivery of the peace education program, teachers will also be trained in the use of cooperative learning for teaching other primary school academic subjects. Thus, the in-service training offered in relation to this peace education program serves a curriculum-wide purpose and will be of immense value to schools and teachers.
Schools that adopt this program will benefit from follow-up activities involving qualified and experienced experts who will assist participating schools to constantly improve the quality of the program by observing teachers in class, providing necessary feedback, and by web-based resources and discussion forums.
Training of teachers
Teachers designated to teach the Foundation of Peace curriculum will be offered training free of charge. Arrangement for the visiting trainer’s travel, stay and food for the duration of the training would need to be made by the school in case of outstation travel.
Teachers who are not directly involved in teaching the Foundation for Peace curriculum but who wish to participate in the training will be required to pay the training charges. These teachers will be trained to use cooperative learning, cooperative games and related classroom management tools and techniques which will be of great benefit to them in teaching their assigned academic subjects.
Structuring the Foundation of Peace Program in a School
Implementing and structuring of the Foundation of Peace program in a school follows the steps mentioned below:
- Once a decision is made by the school concerned, a written order (through letter or email) is to be placed with AMHARTA
- Educare providing the following information:
- Classes in which the program is to be introduced
- Number of students in each class
- Names of teachers designated to teach peace education along with basic information related to their qualification and teaching experience.
- Tentative date on which peace education classes are expected to formally begin at the school. (Order for the Student Activity Books and preparation for implementing the program must precede this date by at least two months.)
- Full payment against total cost of the Student Activity books will need to be made within 15 days of confirmation of order.
- One free set of Teachers Guides, and requisite number of Student Activity Books will be dispatched to the school within 15 days of receiving payment.
- A complementary set of Teacher Guides will be provided to the school once along with their first order of Student Activity Books. Additional copies of Teacher Guides will need to be purchased as required.
- Peace education periods are to be included in the school timetable. It is recommended that minimum two periods be allotted for peace education per week.
- Dates for training of designated teachers will be decided with the school but not later than a week before scheduled date of start of the program. For best results, a 3-day training of teachers in classroom management, cooperative learning and cooperative games, along with familiarization with the Foundation of Peace curriculum is recommended.
- Training will be delivered to designated teachers based on agreed dates and schedule.
- Follow up activities including observation of peace education classes by experts will be arranged twice during the year on request.
- Arrangement for travel and stay of visiting expert will need to be made by the host school in case of outstation travel.
- Detailed report of the progress of the peace education program, including recommendations for its further improvement, will be shared with the head of school.
The following additional but optional services will be provided on request and on payment of applicable charges:
- Training of teachers of the school other than those designated to teach the Foundation of Peace, in classroom management, cooperative learning and cooperative games.
- Conducting an impact assessment of the peace education program on request, after completion of one year.
- Re-training of teachers, additional on-site orientation, and classroom observation of peace classes on request.
- Interacting with parents during parent-teacher meetings or other special events at the school for informing them about the peace education program.
