(2019). 'C√≥rdoba, through Children's Eyes'. Assessing Citizenship Literacy in Early Childhood Education and Special Education Classes. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, v27 n1 p28-39. This dissertation assesses an innovation experience carried out by the RIECU network (Early Childhood Education Schools -Teachers' Centre- University). The aim is to enable children to investigate the wealth of their city's heritage through an inclusive proposal, due to the value of a paradigm of peaceful intercultural coexistence. 234 people participated: Early Childhood Education and Special Education teachers, advisers and children, as well as students and professors. The experience focused primarily on development of project to learn more about the monuments and main features of the three cultures that coexisted peacefully in the city of C√≥rdoba. This project was assessed with the help of a mixed focus group in which all the parties involved participated. The data analyzed reveal that: (1) Children explored the main features of the monument assigned and the culture to which it belongs; (2) The innovation experiences positively impacted educational inclusion processes; and (3)… [Direct]
(2016). Biodiversity and Peace: Where Technology and Montessori Come Together in the Children's Eternal Rainforest, Costa Rica. NAMTA Journal, v41 n2 p63-80 Spr. Jeff Norris, initially shocked by the Montessorians who are calling technology into question, states that technology can offer a means of development for the child who is concurrently supporting and learning from the rich and overpowering biodiversity of the rainforest. He speaks for the Children's Eternal Rainforest citizen's science as well as the combined visit to the United Nations' University for Peace offered by the Montessori Institute for the Science of Peace. He extols the three-period lesson and independent group research as useful, interpretive-learning approaches that awaken the interest of each student. A bibliography is included. [This paper was presented at the NAMTA conference titled "A Montessori Integrated Approach to Science, Mathematics, Technology, and the Environment" in Portland, OR, Mar 31-Apr 3, 2016.]… [PDF]
(2016). The Praxis of Gandhi's "Satyagraha": The Scholar-Practitioner Educational Leader as Moral "Truth Holder". International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, v11 n2 p71-86 Dec. Through contemplation of a drastic divergence in thought from a paradigm of physical discipline and retaliation in learning environments to one of a peaceful demonstration of reflection and respect the authors construct a framework of spiritual leadership. From this framework a metaphor of satyagraha emerges as a means of leading schools and modeling meditative behavior for all–students, staff, and stakeholders. This alternative metaphor of educational leadership is based on the truthful speech of Gandhi, MLK, and Nelson Mandela–each with their own radical take on creating counternarratives to violence through non-violence and peaceful resistance. These counternarratives form four principal themes that require some degree of contemplation: truthful speech and teaching, authenticity of leadership, reality of experience as education, and goodness as advocacy and activism for social justice, equity and care. In conclusion, the authors explore how this connects the scholar-practitioner… [PDF]
(2018). Meanings of Education under Occupation: The Shifting Motivations for Education in Palestinian Refugee Camps in the West Bank. British Journal of Sociology of Education, v39 n4 p567-589. Despite being a protracted refugee crisis that entails international debates and controversies, discussions about Palestinian education have frequently sidelined the perspectives, needs and priorities of the Palestinian refugee population. Drawing upon a qualitative study in the West Bank and engaging with theoretical ideas of Johan Galtung, Paulo Freire and Pierre Bourdieu, we argue that the nexus between educational motivation and motivation for Palestinian liberation, which was particularly significant during the periods of 'Palestinian uprising', seems to be declining today in the present day context of oppression and structural violence. The growing disassociation among young refugees with Palestinian liberation, and with education as a means to this liberation, can be seen as a process of symbolic violence. Building upon these findings, we propose a new analytical framework for understanding the interrelationship between education, violence and struggle for social and political… [Direct]
(2017). How the Catholic Schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina Are Helping to Build Inter-Faith Harmony and Understanding after Years of Conflict. International Studies in Catholic Education, v9 n2 p192-205. From a modest beginning in 1994 with a single school and a little more than 500 pupils, the system of Catholic schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed to its 7 currently functioning Catholic School Centres, with 14 schools and 4683 enrolled pupils. From the beginning these Catholic schools were open equally to Catholic and non-Catholic children. This intentional and strategic choice emphasised, once again, that the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina stands on the side of those who oppose separation and segregation across the lines of national or religious affiliations. In committing itself to the education of all the country's youth, the Catholic Church saw a way to promote and reinstall into the body of Bosnia and Herzegovina's crippled society values of a peaceful and a harmonious coexistence of different people based on the respect for sanctity of each person and importance of its religious, cultural, and national identity…. [Direct]
(2019). Comparison of Seventh-Grade Turkish and Iranian Social Studies Textbooks in Terms of Value Education. Educational Research and Reviews, v14 n17 p595-607 Nov. One of the objectives of comparative education research is to compare within a certain period of time educational systems that have developed in similar or different environments and processes. The aim of this qualitative study is to compare the value education in Turkish and Iranian seventh-grade social studies textbooks. Data were collected using document analysis. Results show that both books underscore the values of scientificity, sensitivity and responsibility. Unlike the Turkish social studies textbook, the Iranian social studies textbook addresses the religious aspects of those values as well. The Iranian social studies textbook also highlights the values 30% more than its Turkish counterpart. This article examining textbooks is limited to determining the placement of values; it is not intended to measure the effectiveness of textbooks in the formation of attitudes…. [PDF]
(2020). Religious Literacy of Australia's Gen Z Teens: Diversity and Social Inclusion. Journal of Beliefs & Values, v41 n2 p195-213. Australia is a culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse country, however, learning about the religious dimensions of this superdiversity is inadequately reflected in the national school curriculum, notwithstanding recent attempts to address this at the state level in Victoria. Debates regarding the role of religion in school have raged across the country for decades and have impeded the introduction of learning about diverse worldviews and religions, and even research on this topic. Competing views of Australia's national identity, as a multifaith and/or secular and/or Christian nation, continue to affect both policy and curriculum in Australia, and thereby the level of religious literacy of its citizens. Using data from a national study of young Australians and their worldviews, this research investigates levels of religious literacy and appreciation of religious diversity of 'Generation Z' Australians, for whom superdiversity is the norm. In doing so, it concludes that… [Direct]
(2020). English Language Student-Teachers Developing Agency through Community-Based Pedagogy Projects. PROFILE: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, v22 n1 p109-122 Jan-Jun. This paper presents a narrative inquiry study on agency development in student-teachers of an English language teacher program at a public university in the south of Colombia. Our goal was to understand how student-teachers develop agency when narratively inquiring their community by planning and conducting community-based pedagogy projects on issues they found pertinent to investigate. The data were gathered through semi-structured focus group interviews, individual journal entries, and video-recorded talks about their inquiries. As a conclusion, we acknowledge that certain social and narrative practices such as interacting within their inquiry groups, interacting with their communities, voicing their communities' necessities, and acting upon the inquired necessities facilitated developing agency and contributed to rethinking their roles as transformative members of their communities…. [PDF]
(2017). The Role of the Arts in Education for Peacebuilding, Diversity and Intercultural Understanding: A Comparative Study of Educational Policies in Australia and Spain. International Journal of Education & the Arts, v18 n11 Mar. This article reviews and analyses educational policies and curricula for general education in Australian and Spanish systems, in relation to their concerns for arts education to contribute to values education and the acquisition of peaceful, social and civic competences in schools. The use of the arts to shape individual and community identities, to enhance relationships between people, to promote positive conflict transformation, development and, in general, contribute to peacebuilding, has been acknowledged worldwide. Curriculum helps to legitimise what is considered to be important to learn within a society and therefore determines what is included to be understood as good artistic knowledge and practices. The documentary analysis of both Australian and Spanish educational documents in relation to teaching and learning of the arts gives responses on the extent the arts are expected to contribute to build peaceful and sustainable societies, and faces some current challenges of the… [PDF]
(2017). The Connotations of "Botho Philosophy" and Its Potential Contribution towards Environmental Conservation: The Case of Tlokoeng Community in Lesotho. Environmental Education Research, v23 n9 p1230-1248. This paper explores innovative environmental education strategies to conserve biodiversity in a rural-based context, in Lesotho. A case study approach was employed to investigate the community's conception of botho philosophy and how it might promote nature conservation. Focus Group Interviews were conducted with 105 participants. The responses were analyzed to determine the community's emerging definition and conception of botho. The findings indicate features of botho that parallel the ones that are found in the literature. In addition, botho was described metaphysically as a holistic spiritualised worldview that is concerned with a harmonious co-existence with others, nature and the Creator and empirically, in terms of moral attributes that foster co-existence within the socio-economic and natural systems. It is illustrated that botho can contribute towards environmental education discourse and nature conservation and thus diversify the pre-dominantly Euro-centric knowledge… [Direct]
(2019). Study Abroad Opportunities for Community College Students and Strategies for Global Learning. Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development (AHEPD) Book Series. IGI Global Community colleges serve more students than any other institutional type in the United States, and internationalization is an inherent component of community colleges that advances student knowledge, facilitates student success, and serves the needs of local communities. As most community college students do not enroll in four-year institutions, their only opportunity for international experience is while they are in community college. "Study Abroad Opportunities for Community College Students and Strategies for Global Learning" provides innovative insights into international study and education abroad through community colleges, while discussing the value of adding study abroad programs to two-year institutions. This publication examines community colleges' contributions in a local society, study abroad opportunities, peacebuilding, international education, and risk management. Designed for administrative professionals, community college leaders, educators, academicians,… [Direct]
(2015). People of Faith: The Unrealized Asset in Creating Greater International Understanding and Peace. Religious Education, v110 n5 p534-544. There is no question that the 21st century has thus far been one of increased tensions between the West and the Middle East, former Soviet bloc nations, China, and various other nations. A number of these nations either are highly religious or are experiencing religious revivals. To the extent that clear secular trends are in place in the West, these developments could exacerbate these tensions. With these facts in mind, in this article it is asserted that people of faith in the West are well positioned to build bridges of mutual understanding between the West and these other nations, when perhaps secularists cannot…. [Direct]
(2018). International Education as a Novel Entity in a Public Education System: The Establishment of a New Public International School in Israel. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, v48 n6 p935-953. This study traces the founding process of Eastern Mediterranean International School (EMIS) by analysing the motivations and interests of different stakeholders involved in the establishment process. In this novel initiative students from Palestine, Israel, and other countries study within the Israeli public school system towards an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with founders, educators, Ministry of Education officials, a parents' survey, and content analysis of related documents, the authors show how the school was established and approved despite the supposedly contradicting hegemonic discourse of the official Israeli policy. They conclude by suggesting some implications for scholars and policy-makers…. [Direct]
(2005). Do We Make a Difference? Teaching and Researching Peace at Tertiary Level. Journal of Peace Education, v2 n1 p17-31 Mar. This article reflects upon the theories and methodologies that inform peace studies teaching and research practice. It explores the challenges faced by tertiary educators working within the narrowing confines of current university structures, and, by analysing the motives, process and methodologies that have shaped one particular program, suggests that a dynamic and adaptive approach to teaching is necessary to ensure relevance and currency. It promotes the idea of partnership between educators and students and between researchers and participants in order to ensure that activities contribute to constructive social change. It concludes that tertiary educators can and do contribute to promoting social justice by adopting emancipatory adaptive pedagogies and methodologies…. [Direct]
(2005). Symbolic and Institutional Violence and Critical Educational Spaces: In the Name of Education. Journal of Peace Education, v2 n1 p33-52 Mar. This article will explore how symbolic and institutional violence shaped students' understandings of themselves within the educational context, and will argue that the creation of critical educational spaces can enable students and teachers to explore and transgress the internal and external influences and violence that shape the learning experience. Bourdieu's construction of symbolic power, violence and the institution will be employed to illustrate the complex and contradictory ways in which schools and their representatives commit egregious acts against students under the guise of benevolence. The article will also illustrate how the development of a critical educational space in a magnet program entitled the \Becoming Teachers Program\ enabled students and teachers to transgress and combat the normative and oppressive relations of the institution as a result of and in response to school violence, and pose some considerations for how we approach teaching for peace and social… [Direct]