• Home
    • About Us >
      • Blog
      • The Team
      • Advisory Panel
      • Contact Us
      • Press
      • From the PM
      • UNESCO UK Approved
      • UNESCO Patronage
  • Resources
    • 2022: CONFLICT
    • By Subject
    • By Key Stage
    • Tolerance Day Reading List
    • History of the World in 42 Moments
    • CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Political Systems
    • Media Literacy >
      • English
      • History
      • Maths
    • Assemblies
  • UNESCO
  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Blog
      • The Team
      • Advisory Panel
      • Contact Us
      • Press
      • From the PM
      • UNESCO UK Approved
      • UNESCO Patronage
  • Resources
    • 2022: CONFLICT
    • By Subject
    • By Key Stage
    • Tolerance Day Reading List
    • History of the World in 42 Moments
    • CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Political Systems
    • Media Literacy >
      • English
      • History
      • Maths
    • Assemblies
  • UNESCO
TOLERANCE DAY

read the latest from the today team

Peace Matters for Pupils

22/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Conflict is a normal part of human relationships. Today however it is being amplified everywhere, stoked for political ends and fuelled by self-interested motivations. How can we foster the habits and skills to help children resolve conflict and build a positive future?
 
The challenge lies in recognising that real progress is only achieved under peaceful conditions. When we can see that we are better off cooperating and communicating than fighting and tearing down; situations can become win-win.  By learning and practicing crucial interpersonal skills we can help children manage their new reality and succeed.
 
Children today are returning to school unnerved, often in new groups they don’t know well, with uncertainty and confusion at the heart of their learning experience. What they need is reassurance and support for learning in new ways, with new people, under strange circumstances. They need to build on their social, emotional and thinking skills in order to be able to effectively meet the challenges they face.
 
One of the ways in which they can do this is by learning the difference between debate and dialogue, how questions create empathy with others, how important it is to control emotions, and how creativity and communication can drive positive change. At Learn2Think we have built a relevant and accessible programme which helps children do this, under the patronage of UNESCO UK.
 
For Tolerance Day November 16, 2020, we’ve developed a workshop called Red v Blues that has pupils role-play a ‘battle’ scenario and then listen, question, communicate, and problem-solve their way out of it. This builds on years of work on religious tolerance, understanding history and challenging false information.
 
Another avenue enabling pupils to explore their thinking is the returning Learn2Think Young Journalist Prize. This provides a wonderful opportunity for Key-stage 2 pupils ages 8-11 to engage in non-fiction writing, practice asking questions, learn the importance of hearing both sides of an argument, and communicate about issues that are important to them.
 
To ensure that our 2020 competition fits in seamlessly with the school curriculum we'll be launching the competition in September and running it through National Non-fiction November. Entries can be submitted up until 30th November 2020, with the winners announced the week beginning the 18th January 2021.
 
Once again the focus is on interviewing, with this year’s theme being the resolution of conflict. We want children to interview two people with opposing views on the same subject, or one person with whom they themselves disagree.  The aim is to promote better understanding of both the causes and resolution of conflict through listening, building empathy, controlling emotions and problem solving. Once again, the 2020 competition offers entrants the option of doing either a podcast or a written piece.
 
Combining new workshops, lesson plans and the Learn2Think Young Journalism competition, we offer a range of ways to bring these issues into the curriculum. This not only highlights their importance but supports pupils in learning the necessary skills to underpin their education and development. With the challenges of 2020 continuing to affect us all, it’s increasingly important that we learn these skills across every element of society. By starting with our children we can be most effective in the longer term.

This article first appeared in the September issue of Education Today.
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    November 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016

    Categories

    All
    Citizenship Foundation
    Cultural Diversity
    Empathy Lab
    Media Partners
    MEND
    NLCS
    P4C
    Philosophy For Children
    Questionnaire
    Rights Respecting Schools
    SAPERE
    The Week Junior
    UNICEF
    Values Based Education
    VbE

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly