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

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1 Your development as a peace educator

Cremin and Bevington stress the importance of valuing the wellbeing of educators both in society and educational communities. They remind us that peace educators need to take good care of themselves, recognising their achievements and remembering that peace building practice requires ‘care, dynamism and compassion’ (Cremin and Bevington, 2017, p. 113). Throughout the course you have encountered the professional practice of peace educators. In this section you’ll use the peace competencies to celebrate your current practice and identify areas where you might further develop as a peace educator.

Activity 1 The qualities of a peace educator

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes for this activity

Being a peace educator can be challenging, so you will need to develop competencies that help you take care of your own wellbeing. In this activity, you will think about the competencies you might need as a peace educator.

Described image
Figure 1 Qualities of a peace practitioner activity

Part 1

Begin by returning to the peace competencies that you have studied throughout this course. Read them through again, this time with yourself as a peace educator in mind.

  • Which competencies are especially relevant to peace educators?
  • What other competencies do you think might be needed?
Peace education competencies
Knowledge Attitudes Skills
Direct, structural and cultural violence Open-mindedness and inclusiveness Constructive cooperation
Causes and dynamics of violent conflict Respect for self, others and the environment Dialogue
Peaceful alternatives to violence Empathy Mediation
International human rights / gender / racial standards etc. Solidarity Non-violent communication (including inquisitive, assertive communication)
Current affairs Social connectedness Understanding, managing, and expressing emotions
Environment and sustainability Self-awareness Active listening
Civic processes Tolerance Intercultural cooperation
Positive peace and negative peace Desire to promote justice Teamwork
Inclusion and exclusion Social responsibility Analytical skills
Conflict management, prevention, resolution, and transformation Curiosity Critical thinking
Interfaith and intercultural learning Gender sensitivity Negotiation
Cooperativeness Reflection
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Discussion

Peace educators need many competencies, some specific to peace education but others that align with the general competencies of a committed educator, such as an ability to research and plan engaging lessons, build good relationships with teams (children and young people as well as adults) or manage challenging discussions. Professional competencies displayed by the adults in the videos you have watched throughout this course include a commitment to hearing the voices of children and young people, to understanding the local community or taking creative approaches in daily practice. Additional competencies for peace educators might also include values such as a commitment to equality, to non-violence and engaging positively with conflict.

Part 2: My wellbeing as a peace educator

Here are the definitions of wellbeing given by Cremin and Bevington, which you first encountered in Session 2 of the course. Read through the definitions of wellbeing again before attempting the next stage of this activity.

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Now consider: what additional competencies will help you look after yourself as a peace educator? (For example, knowing when to seek support from your colleagues.)

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Discussion

Competencies for wellbeing might include being able to manage emotions, especially when teaching topics that could be considered challenging, or when dealing with conflicts that might arise amongst children or adults in the school. Peace educators might develop strategies to safeguard their own happiness and security as a teacher, including making sure they have enough leisure time outside school, or that they eat lunch every day. Another useful strategy can be to find quiet spaces in busy days to sit and think for a while, with or without other members of the school community.

Part 3

Now take a look at all the competencies you have thought of and think about the following questions:

  • Which am I strongest at?
  • What is most supported in my setting?
  • What do I need to develop?
  • What can I realistically achieve?
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Discussion

You will have identified many strengths in your existing educational practice that you can draw on in your work as a peace educator. Don’t forget the competencies you will have developed by doing this course, such as knowledge about the different forms of violence and an understanding of peaceful alternatives to violence. You could say that your desire to promote justice is evident in having reached the final session!

You might like to note your existing competencies down somewhere and use them for self-affirmations when you’ve had a tough day. Then turn your attention to the other questions which will help you to think about where you might develop, what you could prioritise and what help might be available.

CPD sessions

If doing this activity with a group, in Part 1 of this activity, you might draw round one of the participants or have a pre-prepared silhouette of a person on paper that everyone can annotate with sticky notes to gather ideas (see Figure 1). Make sure you leave time for discussion about the kinds of competencies that people feel that peace educators might need.

For Part 2, you might think about how you will look after each other on your peace journey together.