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Principles and practices of peace education
Principles and practices of peace education

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5 Teaching for peace in the wider world

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London works hard to maintain a positive, anti-racist learning environment. Headteacher Sarah Beagley explained to Quakers in Britain the importance of teaching about issues which might be regarded as challenging. She says of her pupils:

They do live in communities where they deal with violence, they deal with racism. Whilst the school can’t necessarily change what’s outside its gates, we very clearly set out to say that in this school, in this place, in this community, something will be different.

(Beagley, 2022)

In this section, you’ll look at how students at the secondary school explore concepts and information that help them understand the effects of injustice and discrimination, and their role in countering them.

Activity 4 Learning about injustice

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes for this activity

Watch the following video of a workshop tackling issues of class, race and sexuality in Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School.

As you watch, think about:

  • How do school staff act as role models for the young people?
  • What peace competencies are the young people developing?
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Comment

Class teacher Niquelle Latouche’s work with her students was supported by the deeper ethos of the whole school community, including its strong anti-racist policies. In the video, you saw Latouche introducing vocabulary to talk about identity. She was open about the choice of language for the session, creating space for students to think deeply about the meanings of the terms used. The carefully planned session allowed Latouche to pay close attention to and build from the young people’s responses. There was an atmosphere of mutual respect, and the openness and willingness of the teacher to listen contributed to this.

Latouche modelled several peace competencies, demonstrating self-awareness and pride in her identity, as well as respect for herself and others in her engagement with her students. Students were invited to think critically as they explored their assumptions. Latouche talked about the vulnerability of the educator opening up to their students in this way, however the students’ comments on the session demonstrated how her approach facilitated their engagement.

The video showed the students reflecting on their own assumptions and why they might hold them. These reflections had led some of the young people to think about privilege, creating a greater understanding of experiences that differed from their own.