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Book reviews, resources and musings on peace education. A blog for teachers, child care providers and parents interested in developing a more peaceful world.
No Child Left Inside
Harvard Educational Review on Peace - Internet References
- Children's Defense Fund
- Civic Missionof Schools
- Global Peace Index
- Journal of Stellar Peacemaking
- Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Peace and Disarmament Education: Changing Mindsets to Reduce Violence and Sustain the Removal of Small Arms (Hague Appeal for Peace)
- Peace Games
- Standards for Peace Education (pdf)
- United Nations : Culture of Peace
Books for Teachers
- Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools For Empowering Young Children, by Louise Derman-Sparks (1989), Washington, DC: NAEYC - includes both philosophical and theoretical overview and specific activities to use in a preschool setting.
- Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (new edition in 2007) - a fabulous source book, although appropriate for the oldest children. includes both philosophical and theoretical overview and specific activities to use for adults and older children
- That's Not Fair : A Teacher's Guide to Activsim with Young Children (2000) by Ann Pelo and Fran Davidson. Redleaf Press.
- Writing for a Change : Boosting Literacy and Learning Through Social Action. This book is a collaboration between the National Writing Project (USA) and the Centre for Social Action (UK). The first half of the book describes a variety of experiences engaging in social action in the classroom. The second half provides specific models and activities to use. The book emphasizes creative and critical problem solving skills.
Interesting Reads
- Heart Politics by Fran Peavey
What is Peace Education?
There are many dimensions to peaceful parenting, educating and living. Ghandi's famous words "Be the Change you Seek in the World" implore us to balance our work for a peaceful world with efforts toward finding inner peace. Yoga, meditation, writing love letters (instead of hate mail), sitting in silence, looking for the best in others -- these are peaceful practices that occur in our everyday lives and promote a peaceful existance. These are important practices - and easy ones for me to overlook. Yet they are not the only pieces. We also need collective action, creative problem solving and smart conflict resolution.
There seem to be 5 basic elements to peace education with young children:
1) Teaching children to calm themselves and develop a sense of inner peace, including teaching kids how to "cool off" when they are angry.
2) Teaching children a more expansive vocabulary around emotions and group process. There are many resources to promote social and emotional intelligence, and this learning helps kids develop empathy and to care about community.
3) Teaching children about social justice and diversity -- promoting anti-bias education and providing kids with information about "isms" (both historical and current) and tactics for challenging and resisting the status quo.
4) Providing children/community members with clear strategies for solving conflicts that allow all community members to maintain thier integrity and inclusion in the group. These strategies are non-violent and focus on win-win solutions. Confict is understood as normal, healthy and providing opportunities for growth and learning.
5) Education about peacemakers, peace movements and the possibilities of non-violence in social change. This moves the arena out of "skill building" and into content -- learning about the world of peace and peacemaking in a historical and global context.
There seem to be 5 basic elements to peace education with young children:
1) Teaching children to calm themselves and develop a sense of inner peace, including teaching kids how to "cool off" when they are angry.
2) Teaching children a more expansive vocabulary around emotions and group process. There are many resources to promote social and emotional intelligence, and this learning helps kids develop empathy and to care about community.
3) Teaching children about social justice and diversity -- promoting anti-bias education and providing kids with information about "isms" (both historical and current) and tactics for challenging and resisting the status quo.
4) Providing children/community members with clear strategies for solving conflicts that allow all community members to maintain thier integrity and inclusion in the group. These strategies are non-violent and focus on win-win solutions. Confict is understood as normal, healthy and providing opportunities for growth and learning.
5) Education about peacemakers, peace movements and the possibilities of non-violence in social change. This moves the arena out of "skill building" and into content -- learning about the world of peace and peacemaking in a historical and global context.
Service, Leadership, Building Community
Social and Emotional Learning
Booklists and Bibliographies - Children's Books
- A bibliography of children's books from the Minnesota Center Against Violence And Abuse
- American Indians in Children's Literature
- Born to Read
- Cooperative Children's Book Center
- Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Peaceful Books)
- Lee and Low Multicultural Books for Children
- PeaceGames (includes ideas for older kids)
- The Amelia Bloomer Project - NonSexist Children's Books
Diversity and Social Justice
- Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence - School Bias Prevention Program
- Facing History and Ourselves -- opportunities for professional development and curriculum ideas
- Hardy Girls, Healthy Women
- Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine
- Safe Schools Coalition LGBTQ resources for elementary school
- Teaching Tolerance
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