PROGRAMACIÓN DE CULTURA CIENTÍFICA DE 1º DE BACHILLERATO

6.2.1.1 WMQPEP’s Understanding of Peace Education in General

Several project workers described peace education in relation to the understanding and management of conflicts:

‘What I understand by peace education is the concept of giving people the awareness of how conflict arises and the potential tools and skills either to try to avoid conflict developing or to try to defuse it as it escalates or to try to give ways of dealing with it if it actually reaches an impossible situation, if it reaches an impasse where nothing is moving.’

‘Peace education is about being able to handle conflicts without hurting anyone else.’

In terms of different contexts for peace education, one project worker commented that:

‘Conflict areas like Northern Ireland have certain issues and problems to be taught in peace education so that the content can be different from non-conflict areas, but the kind of message which children learn through activities is similar in both areas.’

One project worker quoted a Chinese poem, which expresses her idea of peace:

No peace in the world without peace in the nation;

No peace in the nation without peace in the town;

No peace in the town without peace in the home;

No peace in the home without peace in the heart;

Tao Te Ching

Overall, there are two main aspects found in WMQPEP’s understanding of peace education in general, as pointed out by one project worker:

‘There are two main things. One is to improve or develop peaceful relations within an educational setting, and secondly it is education about peace and conflict, not necessarily in a school but more to do with more general examples of peace and conflict in the world.’

6.2.1.2 WMQPEP’s Own Understanding of Peace Education

WMQPEP’s own understanding of peace education coincides with their idea of peace education in general: education for peaceful relationships, and education about peace and conflict. WMQPEP emphasises these two aspects of peace education officially: ‘Peace education is both education for peace and education about peace’ (www.peacemakers.org.uk).

In particular, WMQPEP focuses more on the first aspect, as one project worker said that:

‘WMQPEP’s understanding of peace education is developing peaceful relationships within educational institutions, and also educating, to some extent, about peace and conflict around the world. But it has developed more into the former.’

The importance of building peaceful relationships is emphasised in WMQPEP’s statement:

‘As Quakers, we believe that it is possible and vitally important for the future that peaceful relationships should be achieved in all areas of life, for example: family, school, workplace, community and international relations.’ (WMQPEP Annual Report 2005)

Another project worker explained peaceful relationships with a particular emphasis on peace arising from people’s daily life experience:

‘I believe peace education is something that needs to be tackled in a very concentrated, focused way on a small scale, rather than as a large scale concept. Hopefully, it arises as people’s own experiences… It arises out of something that they can relate to.’

A starting point of building peace may be on a small scale, but WMQPEP hopes that peace will spread further from a school to a wider community, as noted by one project worker:

‘QPEP believes that peace grows inside people, and from the community they live in. So if we can make schools peaceful communities, children will learn more about peace from their community and from their school. And hopefully, that will spill over into their families and into their home.’

Another project worker described learning for peaceful relationships in practice as follows:

‘Peace education is about people getting on with each other, learning about each other, being tolerant of different people and trying to understand other people, where they come from, not only as different culture but the different sorts of backgrounds like different ethnic or religious backgrounds and experiences they are brought up with. Different people have different ways of looking at things. And understanding what is common to everybody, like everybody wanting friends and wanting to play with them at the playtime.’

The learning also involves skills and the understanding of other people’s feelings, as several project workers mentioned:

‘Peace education also includes developing emotional literacy.’

‘Peace education involves learning and practising skills for good communication, co-operation and affirmation as a basis of problem-solving.’

In regard to the second aspect (education about peace and conflict), one project worker thought that this aspect coincides with some general aims of peace education:

‘I think that WMQPEP’s understanding of peace education work fits in with the international aims for peace education, particularly for young people - giving people the awareness of how conflict comes about, watching for the signs, and defusing conflict. It actually enables people to deal with things before they get out of hand.’

Another project worker explained necessary knowledge about the nature of conflict:

‘The knowledge involves understanding conflict theory in terms of causes, processes and effects of conflicts, what makes conflicts escalate such as blaming or negative language, what makes them de-escalate such as techniques for managing anger or assertive communication, and what is our personal involvement in conflict.’

Their views of conflict are not negative, as expressed by some project workers as follows:

‘I think conflict is a normal part of everyone’s life, so it’s about handling it creatively rather than violently, and teaching children that it’s possible to do that.’

‘We think that conflict can be good and helpful, but also it can get terribly wrong.’

These views of conflict are also stated in the statement of WMQPEP:

‘Conflict is part of everyday life, so it is really important that children should understand its causes, both in social conditions and in personal relationships. We all need to learn ways of creatively resolving conflict without resorting to aggression.’ (WMQPEP, 2006)

6.2.1.3 The Origin of WMQPEP’s Understanding of Peace Education

Many project workers pointed out that WMQPEP’s work is underpinned by religious and philosophical elements of Quakerism to a certain degree:

‘Although we never mention a religion or Quakerism in our work in a school, because many of those who do the work are committed Quakers, we actually underpin what we are doing with our feelings and our strength of belief.’

‘My understanding of where this idea was from is, historically, Quakers’ work, part of their witness to peace and Quaker philosophy.’

Quakerism is based on a strong belief in people, and the belief is reflected in WMQPEP’s attitude towards children. As one project worker said:

‘As Quakers believe there is God in every person, and to respect each individual and value their contribution, each has to make the learning process. I think that we’re trying to do that in a Circle Time to value every child.’

Moreover, another project worker described Quaker philosophy as follows:

‘In Quaker philosophy, it’s believed that each person has value, so it’s important in a group, in a class or in a school to value individuals and to develop a child as the whole person. It also puts value on groups, as the focus is often on what can emerge from a group in terms of the understanding of values. On the other hand, it’s believed that each person has a spiritual journey for their own path. That’s why it emphasises experiential learning rather than a didactic way of teaching.’

It seems that part of WMQPEP’s understanding of peace education comes particularly from the Quaker Peace Testimony, as one project worker said:

‘WMQPEP’s understanding of peace education comes from the Quaker Peace Testimony, and the way of conflict resolution.’

Some project workers introduced the following ideas expressed in Quaker Peace Testimony:

‘It’s Quakers’ experience of the world in which we live…..It basically says that you oppose all wars and all violent means of achieving ends. Everything is done through co-operation and though pacifist ways. It’s the pacifist approach but it’s a proactive approach. Pacifist approach doesn’t mean sitting back doing nothing. It means finding other peaceful ways of reaching solutions.’

‘In Quaker Peace Testimony, there are ideas of how we can live peacefully by finding peaceful and non-violent ways of dealing with problems. It also includes ideas of simplicity, counter-act and power relationship.’

(For the story of how the project originally started, see Appendix G)