IICBA is organizing this webinar (February 13) to present an overview of IICBA’s peace education programme as well as some of the good practices from the participating countries!
“The belief that all genuine education comes about through experience does not mean that all experiences are genuinely or equally educative.” – John Dewey
We must be committed to offering a wide-range of initiatives to enable our students to become globally proficient, so they may successfully fulfill their roles as Global Citizens with an appreciation of our common humanity. We must aim to foster habits of mind, and a sense of global responsibility. This includes stepping out of traditional learning zones and comfort zones, to build skills necessary for cultural empathy, interaction, and future cross collaboration.
Looking at home and abroad, one experiences a rising tide of conflict and tension that permeates our world; societies divided along political and ideological fault lines, massive humanitarian crises, mass global migration, violent extremism, climate change denial and progressive action, environmental degradation and species extinction, and faltering old and fluctuating new economies. In short, these are the challenges of our times–wicked problems without easy solutions. Some of us remain hopeful in the power of peace education to transform individuals and the world. In that spirit, the educators among the readership here may ask the following questions: How do we create deep learning experiences for our students that are rooted in placed-based, experiential learning and also connected to global vision and initiatives? How do we inspire future leaders to dedicate their work toward alleviating violence and suffering and building sustainable peace?
In order for learners to become empowered human rights activists, they must be equipped with relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes. Learner empowerment therefore forms a central element of international human rights education provisions. This article draws upon empirical research to gauge the nature and extent of empowerment in English primary schools, and seeks to better understand the reasons for any deficiencies in its practice. It argues that whilst empowerment-related concepts may be encouraged to a certain extent, learners are unlikely to be emerging from formal schooling with the means to contribute significantly to transformation of the broader human rights culture.