BC Teachers for Peace and Global Education

Gregory Chan

#1

Professional Organization: PAGE BC (BC teachers for peace and global education).

Mandate: To promote global awareness and non-violent multilateral approaches to international conflict.

Projects:  The organization publishes a journal, hosts conferences, advocacy, and collaborates with national and local groups to further its goals awareness raising, professional development, and activism.  It also supports both local and international initiatives that are in accord with its objectives.

Funding source: BCTF, members, conference fees.

Link to teaching: PAGE BC is an organization that is very relevant to my future career in education because the issues the organization address are important for building socially responsible and well informed students.

Other organizations that Page BC works with: National and local groups such as the Sierra Club.

#2

The social issue at heart is the desensitization of children to violence and war.  

In today’s society, violence in the media, on children’s’ TV, and violent toys are prevalent throughout society.  Many studies have shown a link between TV violence and violent play and aggression in children.  By having violent toys such as guns readily available for children to play with leads to their desensitization to war and violence.  Playing war games disconnects children with the realities of war.  It is important for educators to have discussions about what war is and to show children that the consequences are very real and tragic.  I found this to be an issue of great pertinence to schools within Coquitlam which has a large refugee and immigrant population who have fled from war torn countries such Afghanistan.  For them, the violence is very real.  Students need to learn that war is not just a video game or something you watch on TV.  They should realise that war and violence can have deadly consequences and should be avoided.   The article in the PAGE BC journal summer 2009 edition discusses how a teacher incorporated a war toys for peace program into her curriculum. This program involved children turning their toys into works of art for peace.

The war toys for peace program addresses this social issue by first getting children to think about the toys they play with.  The article suggests that the war toys for peace project is an important step for children to consciously think about a culture of peace versus a culture of violence.  Having children choose on the toys they believe to be violent and then bringing them into school for the art project is a deliberate mindful act which is essential for children to begin self regulating their own play.  It makes them understand that war is in fact very real and that violence does have serious consequences.  The article also discussed that the project had a larger impact on the school community as a whole.  Other classes were able to see the art and begin to think about these issues.  The activity served as a springboard for follow on activities about peace. 

#3

The journal article references a document created by the BCTF as a curriculum guide of how to infuse peace education in the classroom.  Some of activities suggested by this guide were followed by the teacher in the journal article and were showed to be an effective way to tackle the social issue of the desensitization of children to violence and war.  As an aspiring intermediate grade 4-5 teacher, my pedagogical approach to this social issue would be through a variety of different methods that could be infused within the existing curriculum.  Incorporating meaningful literature such as the “bread winner” (a book about the experiences of an Afghan girl under Taliban rule) and the use of magazines and news articles about the effects of war/violence.  I would try to have pertinent reading materials that deal with this social issue in the class reading center so that students are able to explore and discover more information during reading periods.  By having “real” media available, students should be able connect more meaningfully with the topic.  Within the classroom, if there were any refugees or students who have experience with the effects of war, I would try to encourage them to tell their stories to the other students.  I believe that hearing the results of war and conflict from a peer would be very powerful.  I would also try to show a video which explores conflict and war and its effects so that children can see visually the effects of war (from a non Hollywood perspective).   The war toys for peace activity described in the PAGE BC journal would be an excellent ending or beginning activity.  Having it in the beginning would spark discussion and interest and having it at the end would allow children to reflect more on their toy choices.  I believe either method would work successfully.   Throughout the unit, I would continuously draw on some of my own personal experiences of war and conflict during my time as a soldier in Afghanistan.  I truly believe and agree with the statement made by the grade 5 teacher that “War is not a game; it is something that is real, and real people are involved in these conflicts. Although not always easy, and sometimes uncomfortable, these discussions are necessary to create a better world than the one we currently live in.” (Myriam Dumont grade 5 teacher page 15 PAGE BC Journal summer 2009)

In addition to the war toys for peace art project to cover tackle this social issue, I would use an entry activity before conducting any instruction such as a mind map exercise.  Students will map out their beliefs of war and violence.  After a few months of having this social issue infused within the curriculum, I would have the students complete another mind map followed by a reflection activity which contrasts their current beliefs with their original beliefs.  The goal would be for students to realise that they had in fact changed their views.  I want students to internalize peace in place of war.  I found PAGE BC to be a good resource to draw on and a pertinent organization based on today’s world events, I will seriously consider membership when I become a teacher.