0.2 Part two: special topics  (Page 26/39)

In this module, we explore practical lessons for the classroom (Peace Diaries and Peace Doves); introduce you to the ResolvingConflict Creatively Program (RCCP), and other resources in Conflict Mediation - all with the ultimate purpose of applying what you learn to alocal, national, or global need.

Assignment 1: conflict mediation activities

To do this assignment, click on the Word icon below. When it appears, press "Save" so that you can work on this assignment"off-line."

Assignment 1: Conflict Mediation Activities

Two examples of conflict mediation activities - Peace Diaries and Giant Peace Doves - are presented next.

• Choose 1 of the two you would like to use in a one or two-week unit.
• Read the instructions in the following pages and do the lesson plan (adding or deleting to the instructions).
• After you have completed the activity, write a 3-4 paragraph reflection on the experience of doing this lesson with your students.

Introduction to peace diaries

"We must be the change we wish to see" are the words of Gandhi; they are also the Peace Diaries axiom or "self-evident truth."Every action we take, no matter how small it may seem, has an impact on our self and someone else in the world. Think of a pebble dropped into a pond, a fistraised in anger and a smile. Energy creates a ripple effect that can destroy or heal. Have no doubt that we can change our own lives and the lives of others.It's up to us to decide what we will do and by what means.

We have chosen Peace Diaries as an example of good teaching in the field of Conflict Mediation. The Peace Diaries is a place where teachers andstudents come together to collaborate on projects to learn about each other and effect change in our lives, communities, and the globe.

In this lesson, students examine effective and ineffective ways to handle prejudice-related conflicts. A theme toemphasize during this lesson is that positive and constructive action can be taken to deal with these conflicts.

To begin, you must first establish the following vocabulary:

Stereotype - A mental image of a group based on opinion without regard to individual differences.

Prejudice - A negative judgment or opinion formed about a group without knowledge of the facts.

Assumptions - Conclusions based on limited knowledge of the facts.

Discrimination - Treating people in a less favorable way because they are members of a particular group.Discrimination is prejudice in action.

Scapegoating - Holding one person or group responsible for all of the community's problems. Isolating or rejecting aperson or group.

Peace diaries lesson

Step One

Vocabulary Review - Introduce any vocabulary in the lesson that you think will be unfamiliar to your students.

Step Two

Discuss How Stereotyping, Prejudice, Discrimination, and Scapegoating Are Harmful

• Divide students into groups of three or four. Give each student a blank card or piece of paper on which they can describe a time when theywere involved in a big conflict with another student. (They should just tell about the conflict, not about how it was resolved, if, in fact, itwas resolved.)
• Have the students place their cards or paper in the center of their group face down.
• Ask a student in the group to draw one of the cards and read it to their group. Each student then writes on individual paper about how theywould resolve or mediate the conflict.
• Have each person in the group share their response as to how they would resolve the conflict.
• When the group is satisfied with its responses to the first situation, a second student draws another card and the process isrepeated. The group keeps drawing cards until all of the students original cards are acknowledged.
• Begin a discussion by having each group share with the class its responses to one of the situations. Ask the students what they havenoticed in the conflicts? What did they notice in the responses to the conflicts?