What Is This Module About? · Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and...
Transcript of What Is This Module About? · Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and...
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 1
What Is This Module About?
“Peace is… not a passive state, it is a process which needs time, attention
and participation from all of us…And peace begins with education. The
seeds of peace need to be planted in schools, in universities, in the new
generation.”
- Uwe Morawetz
International Peace Foundation (IPF)
“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a
real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Achieving peace is a very important goal for all. The General Assembly of
the United Nations proclaimed the years 2001-2010 as the “International
Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of
the World.” A Culture of Peace is defined by the United Nations as “all the
values, attitudes and forms of behaviour that reflect respect for life, for human
dignity and for all human rights, the rejection of violence in all its forms, and
commitment to the principles of freedom, justice, solidarity, tolerance and
understanding between people.” This culture of peace is what most educators
hope to nurture in the hearts and minds of the youth.
Indeed, peace and respect for cultural diversity are universal objectives
not only of individuals but also of social institutions such as schools.
Because of this, schools are expected to contribute towards the building
of a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity. It may be a
challenge to prevent disputes and conflicts from happening but these can
be addressed in non-violent ways. To prevent the continued cycles of
violence and prejudice, education must play an important role as a social
institution where peace is learned. Educating for peace is a vital step
towards achieving a culture of peace. Because of this, the United Nations
has called on every country to “ensure that children, from an early age,
benefit from education to enable them to resolve any dispute peacefully and in a
spirit of respect for human dignity and of tolerance.”
As school head, your role as an instructional leader in your school includes
providing education that promotes peace and respect for cultural diversity.
Your role as school leader is integral in helping young people learn how
2 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
to deal with conflict creatively and non-violently by providing them the
concepts, values, and skills needed to build a culture of peace.
Nevertheless, you may ask yourself, “How is this goal achieved? What
can I do to enable myself, my teachers, and the students in my school to
become peace champions?” These are important questions that the module
will enable you to answer so that you will effectively perform your role as
school head - someone who could make the school a haven of peace, a
school where your students and teachers could become peace champions.
As the school’s leader, you have the responsibility to make sure that
everyone is working towards achieving the goal of promoting peace and
respect for cultural diversity, starting locally, then moving towards the
rest of the world.
This is the second module in the PEACeXCELS flexible learning course
aimed at providing peace education through effective school leadership
among school heads. This module focuses on your expected role as an
institutional leader in promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity
in your school. As you may have learned in the first PEACeXCELS
Module, Cultivate Peace in Oneself and Champion the Cause of Peace in
Schools, an effective school head is someone who lives a life of peace and
is also a role model for peace. He or she actively supports instructional
and related activities that promote peace processes and respect for
differences among individuals. Module 2 will build on the ideas, concepts,
and competencies developed in Module 1 by providing guides for planning
examples of activities and other suggestions that may be adopted by school
heads in promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity in their schools
and communities.
Do you want to learn more about the principles and processes involved in
promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity in a school setting?
Would you like to be a key agent of peace at school and in your community?
If so, this module is for you. It aims to help you enhance your role as
school leader by being an essential part of the peace education process.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 3
What Will You Learn?
This module can be considered as a continuation of PEACeXCELS Module
1, Cultivate Peace in Oneself and Champion the Cause of Peace in Schools.
In that module, you learned where conflicts are rooted and how these
can be effectively addressed. You also learned basic concepts related to
peacebuilding and peace education. Based on the inputs on peace and
cultural diversity from that module, you will now learn how to apply the
peace-related concepts to actual school settings. This module is composed
of three lessons that will familiarize you with the strategies and activities
in making your school a zone of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
The lessons in this module are as follows:
Lesson 1. Promoting a Culture of Peace and Respect for Cultural
Diversity through Responsive School Policies
Lesson 2. Teaching and Learning a Culture of Peace and Respect for
Cultural Diversity
Lesson 3. Sustaining a Culture of Peace and Respect for Cultural
Diversity in School and Beyond
This module includes lessons that will help you lead the school towards
becoming an effective agent for the promotion of peace and cultural
understanding. By planning and conducting activities that empower
students, school personnel and even community members to become peace
advocates, your school can become a crucial part in the overall
peacebuilding process. The knowledge and skills you will acquire from
this module will help you guide your school towards achieving its peace
education goals.
In Lesson 1, you will study the importance of schools in promoting a
culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity. You will learn how to
review and revise your school’s policies to reflect peace as an educational
goal. Moreover, you will learn how to draft and communicate school
policies that not only support peace activities but also promote
appreciation for cultural diversity. You will also be familiarized with the
characteristics of peace-responsive school policies. Lastly, you will study
4 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
how to evaluate the implementation and operationalization of your school’s
peace policies as an integral part of your role as school leader.
Lesson 2 provides the rationale for teaching peace concepts in a classroom
setting. It also suggests ways on how you can help your teachers become
peace champions as well as active promoters of peace and respect for
cultural diversity in school. You will learn the different concepts, values,
and skills that should be integrated in the teaching-learning process. You
will study how to integrate instructional and curricular processes that
promote a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity. You will also
learn how to develop school-based activities and supplemental learning
materials that respond to local learning needs and contexts and promote a
culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity among stakeholders.
Moreover, you will be familiarized with sample peace promotion activities
which you can adapt for use in your own school.
In Lesson 3, you will learn strategies in providing a learning environment
that promotes respect and tolerance. This lesson will also give you tips on
how to plan and organize school activities that promote peaceful processes.
You will study ways on how to foster and sustain the development of your
students as peace advocates and champions of respect for cultural diversity.
Moreover, you will learn what peaceable schools are and how these can be
achieved. Lastly, you will study ways on how to collaborate with various
stakeholders to build a community of peace.
The lessons covered in this module will provide you with the important
knowledge and skills related to the promotion of the school as a crucial
agent in building peaceful communities that celebrate cultural diversity.
Each lesson can be completed in about four hours. With its three lessons,
the entire module could be completed in about twelve hours, if you really
take time to sit down and work on it continuously. You may take short 15-
minute breaks in between lessons to give yourself time to rest, ponder, and
reflect. Each lesson in this module has activities, tests, and assignments for
you to accomplish. Make sure you work on these activities and tests to
check on your progress and find out how well you learned.
At the end of this module, you should have acquired a good knowledge of
the various ways on how to promote your school as a zone for promoting
peace and cultural understanding. You will develop knowledge and skills
in conducting activities to help your teachers, students, staff, and even
community members to value peace and work towards achieving it.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 5
Specifically, you should be able to do the following after completing this
module:
• Discuss the importance of schools in building a culture of peace
and respect for cultural diversity.
• Describe the characteristics of peace-responsive school policies.
• Review the peace-responsiveness of existing school policies.
• Implement and operationalize school policies that promote peace
and respect for cultural diversity.
• Explain the concepts, values, and skills integral to peace education
and respect for cultural diversity.
• Develop the capability of teachers towards promoting peace and
respect for cultural diversity among students.
• Integrate peace education and respect for cultural diversity into
teaching and learning activities.
• Develop and implement peace-promoting school activities and
supplemental learning materials for students and faculty that will
promote a culture of peace and celebrate cultural diversity.
• Operationalize strategies in providing a learning environment that
promotes respect and appreciation for cultural diversity.
• Foster and sustain the development of students and teachers as
peace champions by providing peace-responsive school structures
and opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders in building a community of peace.
6 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Flow of Instruction
1. Promoting a
Culture of
Peace and
Respect for
Cultural
Diversity
through
Responsive
School
Policies
Provides the
rationale for building
a culture of peace
and respect for
cultural diversity in
schools;
Discusses how to
review and revise
existing school
policies to make
them more peace-
responsive.
Lesson Focus
• School Head’s Role in Peace
Education
• Understanding Peace Education
• Understanding CulturalDiversity
• Barriers to Respect for CulturalDiversity
• Promoting Respect for CulturalDiversity
• Policy as the Foundation ofPeace and Respect for CulturalDiversity in Schools - The PolicyContext of Peace Education
• The Characteristics of Peace-Responsive School Policies andPractices
• Conducting a Simple SchoolPolicy Analysis TowardsPromoting Peace and Respectfor Cultural Diversity
• Review, Draft andCommunicate School Policiesthat Reflect Peace and Respectfor Cultural Diversity
• Translating National Policiesinto School Activities
• Evaluating the Implementationof “Peace-Responsive” SchoolPolicies
Topics
2. Teaching
and
Learning a
Culture of
Peace and
Respect for
Cultural
Diversity
Discusses ways to
integrate and implement
school activities that
build a culture of peace
and respect for cultural
diversity in schools as
well as strategies to
develop the capability of
teachers towards
promoting peace and
respect for cultural
diversity among their
students.
• The Rationale for TeachingPeace and Respect for CulturalDiversity in the Classroom
• A Schema for Peace Education
• Integrating Peace Educationinto Teaching and LearningActivities
• Teaching-Learning Approachesand Strategies in PeaceEducation
• The Characteristics of Teachersof Peace
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 7
What Do You Already Know?
To find out how much you already know about the concepts discussed in
this module, try to answer the following questions:
1. Enumerate three characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive
school policies.
Lesson Focus Topics
3. Sustaining a
Culture of
Peace and
Respect for
Cultural
Diversity in
School and
Beyond
Provides ways to
operationalize and
sustain strategies in
providing a learning
environment that
promotes respect
and appreciation for
cultural diversity
within the school
and in the
community.
• Providing a Learning
Environment that Promotes
Peace and Respect for
Cultural Diversity
• Providing a Physical
Environment Conducive to
Teaching Peace and Respect
for Cultural Diversity
• Creating a Peaceable
Classroom
• Planning and Organizing
Peace-Promoting School
Activities
• Developing Students as
Peace Champions
• A Whole School Approach
• Schools Working Towards
Peaceable Communities
8 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
2. Name five factors that cause students to discriminate against other
students.
3. Give three examples of possible effects of prejudice/discrimination
on students.
4. Why is the school important in promoting a culture of peace and
respect for cultural diversity?
5. Provide three examples of school policies that promote peace and
respect for cultural diversity.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 9
6. Enumerate five characteristics of a teacher of peace.
7. Give five examples of peace-promoting activities that you can adapt
in your school.
8. Describe a peaceable classroom.
9. Explain why the community should be involved in the school’s peace
- promotion activities.
10. Give three examples of how community members can be involved in
the school’s peace-promotion activities.
10 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Feedback
Let us check how well you fared. Compare your answers with those on
pages 153-159. Give yourself one point for each number where your
answer is similar. For the essay part, your answers may not be expressed
in exactly the same words, but as long as the thoughts expressed are
similar, give yourself one point for each.
If you got eight or more correct answers, that’s great! It means that you
are already very familiar with the contents of this module. However, you
may still need to study the module to learn new concepts. If your score is
four to seven, you have an idea about the topics covered but need to learn
more to be competent in promoting a culture of peace and respect for
cultural diversity. If your score is less than three points, the more you
need to study this module to familiarize yourself with the topics to be
discussed.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 11
How Do You Rate Yourself?
SELF-RATING COMPETENCY CHECKLIST
Directions: The checklist below contains a list of competencies covered in
this module. For each competency, there are four possible levels of mastery
(Novice, Apprentice, Practitioner, Expert). You will use this matrix to rate
your level of mastery of each competency prior to studying the module
(PRE) and after you complete the module (POST). For each competency,
place a check mark (ü) under the appropriate “PRE” column which best
describes your level of mastery prior to studying the lessons of the module.
You will place a check mark (ü) under the appropriate “POST” column
when you have completed the module. Comparing your two self-ratings
on the PRE and POST columns later will tell you whether you have
improved your competency level or not.
COMPETENCY
1. Discuss theimportance ofschools in buildinga culture peaceand respect forcultural diversity.
2. Describe thecharacteristics ofpeace-responsiveschool policies.
3. Review the peace-responsiveness ofexisting schoolpolicies.
4. Implement andoperationalizeschool policies thatpromote peace andrespect for culturaldiversity.
I amlearninghow todo this.
(Apprentice)
I can dothis, butI needto learn
more andimprove.
(Practitioner)
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
I cannotdo this
yet.(Novice)
I can dothis very
well.(Expert)
12 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
COMPETENCY
5. Explain the concepts,values, and skillsintegral to peaceeducation and respectfor cultural diversity.
6. Develop thecapability of teacherstowards promotingpeace and respect forcultural diversityamong students.
7. Integrate peaceeducation andrespect for culturaldiversity intoteaching andlearning activities.
8. Develop andimplement peace-promoting schoolactivities andsupplementallearning materialsfor students andfaculty that willpromote a cultureof peace andcelebrate culturaldiversity.
I amlearninghow todo this.
(Apprentice)
I can dothis, butI needto learn
more andimprove.
(Practitioner)
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
I cannotdo this
yet.(Novice)
I can dothis very
well.(Expert)
9. Implement schoolactivities that willpromote a cultureof peace andcelebrate culturaldiversity.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 13
How did you fare? Which competencies do you need to develop further?
Keep them in mind as you study this module.
You may now proceed to Lesson 1.
COMPETENCY
10. Operationalizestrategies inproviding a learningenvironment thatpromotes respectand appreciation forcultural diversity.
I amlearninghow todo this.
(Apprentice)
I can dothis, butI needto learn
more andimprove.
(Practitioner)
Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post Pre Post
I cannotdo this
yet.(Novice)
I can dothis very
well.(Expert)
11. Foster and sustainthe development ofstudents andteachers as peacechampions.
12. Collaborate withstakeholders inbuilding acommunity of peace.
14 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
“The root of the interlocking crises of our times, including war, the
environment, the North-South gap, ethnic and other conflicts ... will
not be solved without a human transformation - a human revolution.
Education is our best hope.”
Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai International
What Is This Lesson About?
In 1945, the United Nations was established to “save succeeding generations
from the scourge of war,” “to reaffirm faith in the …dignity and worth of the
human person [and] in the equal rights of men and women,” “to establish
conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from
treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained,” and “to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom…” Peace
education has developed as a means to achieve these goals (United Nations,
2009). This passage highlights the importance of attaining world peace
and how education can be a vital tool towards achieving this end.
Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights describes peace
education as being “directed to the full development of the human personality
and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
It should promote “understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations,
racial or religious groups” (United Nations, 2009).
Promoting a Culture of PeacePromoting a Culture of PeacePromoting a Culture of PeacePromoting a Culture of PeacePromoting a Culture of Peaceand Respect for Culturaland Respect for Culturaland Respect for Culturaland Respect for Culturaland Respect for CulturalDiversity through ResponsiveDiversity through ResponsiveDiversity through ResponsiveDiversity through ResponsiveDiversity through ResponsiveSchool PoliciesSchool PoliciesSchool PoliciesSchool PoliciesSchool Policies
LESSON
1
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 15
As a school leader, do you know what your roles are in making your
school a provider of peace education? Are you familiar with the ways by
which you can direct your school towards producing students who are
peace-loving citizens and agents for the respect and appreciation of
cultural diversity?
In this lesson, you will study the steps on how to review your school’s
policies and make necessary revisions that reflect peace-promotion as an
important educational goal. You will also learn how to craft and
disseminate school policies that not only support peace activities but also
promote appreciation and respect for cultural diversity. Lastly, you will
study how to implement and evaluate your school’s peace policies to
ensure that in your own special way, you, your school personnel, and
students contribute to the overall building of a culture of peace and respect
for cultural diversity.
As an instructional leader in your school, you have an important role to
play in mainstreaming peace education. This process requires a solid
foundation in the form of school policies that reflect and promote peace
as an instructional and institutional goal. When a structure like a house is
built on weak ground, it has a tendency to crumble. Likewise, you need
to ensure that your school’s peace promotion activities are built on solid
ground. Having “peace-responsive” school policies provides this strong
foundation that will support and sustain future instructional and related
activities. Do you know how this “solid ground” can be built?
This lesson gives you a quick review of the concept of peace education
and the importance of having “peace-responsive” school policies. The
learnings on peace education, as a process, and cultural diversity, as a
concept, shall provide important contributions towards making your
school a haven of peace.
Do you want to know more about how to achieve these through “peace-
responsive” policies? Read on.
16 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What Will You Learn?
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
• Discuss the importance of schools in promoting a culture of peace
and respect for cultural diversity.
• Describe the characteristics of peace-responsive school policies.
• Review the peace-responsiveness of existing school policies.
• Implement school policies that promote peace and respect for
cultural diversity.
Let’s Think About This
Remember when you were still a student in primary or elementary school.
What were the reasons that have made you angry at a student or a teacher?
Try to identify instances that made you want to get mad at someone in
your school. Write down your insights on the spaces provided below.
Share and discuss your answer with your co-learners and Flexible
Learning Tutor. Read on to further validate your answers.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 17
Let’s Study
The School Head’s Role in Peace Education
Our world is currently bombarded by events that oftentimes can be
described as violent. In school settings, violence may also be manifested
in many forms. In fact, you yourself might have experienced some form
of violence that made you feel angry towards students or even your
teachers. Some examples of aggression in school include bullying of
students by their classmates as well as fights among students and even
members of the school staff. The actions and behaviors of some of the
youth in our schools do not seem to support peace. In fact, some of these
behaviors go against it. Great is the problem of maintaining peace within
schools in some countries or regions that the concept of “educating for
peace” seems to be a difficult task. Some would even say that it is an
overly simplified solution to a culture of violence that has characterized
some of our societies.
However, as you learned in PEACeXCELS Module 1: Cultivate Peace in
Oneself and Champion the Cause of Peace in Schools, peace education is
an important pathway in building a culture of peace. Peace and being
peaceful can be learned. As the previous quotation from Daisaku Ikeda
implies, educating for peace is our best solution in addressing the problems
of a violent culture. When children are taught to value peace, they will
more likely grow up to be peace-loving adults. Education can be a
pathway to promote peace. There is a strong recognition that educational
systems have the potential to promote peace by teaching young minds to
value social justice, respect human rights, and appreciate the differences
among peoples and cultures. In other words, education, too, can promote
a culture of peace.
Peace is more than the absence of war. It involves many other things
such as justice, freedom of expression, and cultural dignity. Peace thrives
when people have economic and environmental security. Because of this,
the study of peace requires some understanding not only of peace itself,
but also familiarity with other issues within its umbrella, including cultural
diversity, gender equality, human rights, social justice, war, nonviolence,
conflict resolution, caring for the earth, sustainable development, and
even economic or political inequalities. These are all considered to be part
of peace education.
18 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Aside from their homes, students acquire most of their knowledge, values,
attitudes, and skills from schools. Therefore, educators need to learn how
to translate their knowledge about peace, peace promotion processes,
and peace education into actual school activities that can guide students
to pursue peace as individuals and as part of the community. And being
the head of your school, you are expected to assume the role of a leader in
peace education – in short, a peace champion.
Let’s Think About This
Review the statement of Daisaku Ikeda (2009) at the beginning of this
lesson on page 14. Do you agree with the quotation? What do you think
did he mean when he said that “Education is our best hope”? Write down
your reflection on the space provided below.
Share and discuss your reflection with your co-learners and Flexible
Learning Tutor. Read on for more information and feedback.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 19
Let’s Study
Understanding Peace Education
I am sure that as school head, you fully agree with Daisaku Ikeda’s
statement, “Education is our best hope.” Educating for peace is truly our
best solution in addressing the problems of a violent culture. If children
will be taught to value peace, they will more likely grow up to be peace-
loving adults. Education can be a pathway to promote peace. It is at
schools where the seeds of a “culture of peace” take root and get nurtured
in the hearts and minds of young learners.
Peace education is education that promotes a culture of peace. According
to Betty Reardon, a known peace educator, peace education is defined as
one that seeks to transform the present human condition by “changing
social structures and patterns of thoughts that have created it. The main
purposes of peace education are the elimination of social injustice, the rejection
of violence, and the abolition of war “(Castro & Galace, 2008). UNICEF
further describes peace education as schooling and other educational
initiatives that aim to achieve the following:
• Function as “zones of peace” where children are safe from violent
conflict.
• Uphold children’s basic rights as outlined in the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC).
• Develop a school climate that models peaceful and respectful
behavior among all members of the learning community.
• Demonstrate the principles of equality and non-discrimination in
administrative policies and practices.
• Draw on the knowledge of peacebuilding that exists in the
community, including means of dealing with conflict that are
effective, non-violent, and rooted in the local culture.
• Handle conflicts in ways that respect the rights and dignity of all
involved.
• Integrate an understanding of peace, human rights, social justice
and global issues throughout the curriculum whenever possible.
20 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Provide a forum for the explicit discussion of values of peace and
social justice.
• Enable children to put peace-making into practice in the
educational setting as well as in the wider community.
• Generate opportunities for continuous reflection and professional
development of all educators in relation to issues of peace, justice
and human rights.
The challenge of peace education is of critical importance. As a school
head, have you done enough to ensure that your students have, in turn,
learned enough for them to value peace over violence, harmony over
discord? Answering these questions may not be easy. However, as school
head, you have a crucial role in ensuring that your school is a place where
peace is learned, appreciated, and sustained. Adopting the principles of
peace education in your own school setting is an important step towards
achieving that end.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.1)
Read the story below, then answer the questions that follow.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 21
Critical Incident
Amina is an eight-year-old student in a community elementary school.
Being a Muslim, she wears a “hijab” or a head scarf everyday when
she goes out of her house. One day, Amina came home crying. Her
mother, Mrs. Farah, asked her what happened. Amina replied that
some of her male classmates bullied her and made unkind remarks
about her hijab. They teased her that she was wearing one because
she had dirty hair. One of the boys even tried to pull the scarf off.
When she informed their teacher about what had happened, the teacher
just shrugged her shoulders and told Amina to just accept that as she
was the only one wearing a hijab in class.
Answer the following questions.
1. If you were Mrs. Farah, how would you have reacted?
2. Are the boys justified in doing what they did to Amina? Why/ Why
not?
3. Did the situation reflect a respect for other people’s cultures? Why/
Why not?
4. If you were the school head of Amina’s school, what would you do?
22 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
5. What would you tell Amina’s teacher?
Compare your answers with mine on page 160.
Let’s Read
Understanding Cultural Diversity
Creating a safe and comfortable learning environment in schools means
that students feel they are accepted, respected, heard, and have a right to
express themselves and be respected for their opinions, and for who and
what they are. In a changing world, more and more educators are seeing
classrooms that have a diverse profile of students. Because of migration
and social change, students in a single classroom may now come from
various backgrounds and culture. It is expectedly a challenge for teachers
to be able to respond to the various needs of their students. Teachers are
challenged to provide a safe and accepting learning environment for all
of them. On the other hand, the issue of diversity inside classrooms also
poses some difficulties to other students and school personnel. Students
may find it difficult to relate to classmates who come from another country
or cultural background. School staff may have concerns in adjusting to
the cultural differences of the students.
Let’s Think About This
Think about the community you belong to right now. Are all people similar
in terms of religion and ethnicity? Do people in your community dress
alike, or do they dress differently from each other? What about the way
they live? In what ways are their cultural or religious differences
manifested?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 23
In the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and other
ASEAN countries, the populations are multi-cultural — where people
coming from different cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds live
together in communities. This social phenomenon can also be observed in
almost all countries all over the world due to migration, immigration,
and cultural exchange. Being a citizen of an ASEAN country, chances
are, you live in a community where cultural diversity exists.
Cultural diversity refers to the existence of differences in characteristics
of individuals who belong to one group or one environment (e.g., a group
of students inside a classroom). It pertains to differences in culture, gender
and ethnicity, race, sex, socio-economic status, language, religion, ideology,
nationality, appearance and body structure, and other characteristics that
individuals may have difficulty in adjusting to when relating to others
around them.
The ideal behavior is to be able to respect, accept, and celebrate cultural
diversity. In this manner, all the needs of the individual learners are
addressed and a safe environment is assured. However, these are not
always easy to do. As an example, the teacher in the story on page 21 has
trouble understanding why students have to dress in certain ways because
of their religion. Some students may find it difficult to understand why
some of their classmates do not dress in the same manner that majority of
those in school do. This lack of understanding makes it difficult for them
to practice respect for cultural diversity.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.2)
Let’s examine your own concepts about persons based on their cultural,
religious or ethnic background. Complete the sentences below. You may
use an extra sheet as needed for your answers.
1. My idea of a Muslim person is someone who
2. My idea of an indigenous person is someone who
24 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
3. My idea of a person who believes in Communism is someone who
Feedback
After completing the sentences, examine your descriptions. Would you
describe them as positive views or negative views? Why/ Why not? Discuss
your answer with your co-learners and Flexible Learning Tutor.
This exercise illustrates that people, including you, may have existing
stereotypes or images of others belonging to particular groups based on
their religion, cultural, or other backgrounds. You need to be aware of
your own stereotypes as they may be incorrect and may lead you to behave
negatively against members of certain groups.
Let’s Read
Barriers to Respect for Cultural Diversity
According to the International Bureau of Education of UNESCO, one of
the main problems in the development of mutual understanding,
appreciation for cultural diversity, and tolerance is ethnocentrism. This
refers to the thinking of some individuals that the only “normal” way of
thinking and behaving is their own culture’s way. As such, they find it
difficult to accept other people’s cultures. In school settings, ethnocentrism
can be manifested, for example, when students make fun of classmates
from a cultural minority because of the way they speak. Another example
is when teachers do not allow students of Muslim faith to be excused
from class, even for a short while, when they need to pray. Some students
are also known to have bullied their peers who come from different ethnic
groups or impoverished socioeconomic backgrounds.
Educators are expected to be role models for the entire school body and
treat students with equal respect. This will encourage students to treat
each other with respect and dignity. Unfortunately, this is not always the
case. Ethnocentrism hinders us from accepting others as they are and
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 25
sometimes prods us to react to others in hostile or defensive ways. We
now live in a world where differences are sometimes feared, ridiculed,
discouraged, or even a cause for harm. Marginalized or minority groups
are often present in school settings; ignoring their needs may lead to
untapped potentials or even conflict.
What are other ways by which ethnocentrism may be manifested in
schools? Write your ideas on the lines below.
Read on to check your answers.
Challenges to Respecting Cultural Diversity in Schools
The International Bureau of Education of UNESCO provides some specific
examples of cultural diversity-related problems from actual school
experiences:
• A teacher is unaware of how cultural differences regarding
education influence students’ participation.
• A teacher allows certain students to dominate class discussions
and ignores other students.
• A student makes a sexist remark which alienates other
students.
• A student wears a t-shirt which bears a homophobic remark
or diagram.
• A teacher or student only addresses students of a particular
sex.
• A student denounces the gender, sexual preference, race,
ethnicity, or religion of a particular student.
26 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
In summary, the following are the possible areas of diversity-related
problems that you, as school head, have to be aware of and may need to
address in the future:
• Race
• Religion
• Ideology
• Nationality
• Ethnicity
• Appearance – body structure
• Socio-economic class
• Age
• Gender
Prejudices are often sources of problems related to cultural diversity.
Prejudices are negative feelings and attitudes towards members of a
certain group without adequate basis. Castro & Galace (2008) provide
the following list of prejudices and their corresponding definitions:
• Racism - the belief that one’s own cultural or racial heritage is
innately superior to others;
• Sexism - a system of attitudes, actions, and instructional structures
that subordinates girls and women on the basis of their sex;
• Heterosexism - negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men;
• Classism – distancing from and perceiving the poor as inferior;
• Linguicism - negative attitudes members of dominant language
groups hold against members of non-dominant language groups;
• Ageism - negative attitudes held against the young and the elderly;
• “Looksism” – prejudice against those who do not measure up to
set standards of beauty;
• Religious intolerance – prejudice against those who are followers of
religions other than one’s own.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 27
Let’s Think About This
Before moving on, review the examples of cultural diversity-related
problems that students and educators may experience at school. Which
of the above examples have you actually encountered? Can you recall
specific details about the event? Write your ideas on the lines below.
Discuss your answers with your Flexible Learning Tutor, co-learners and
colleagues. Also discuss with them the other possible ways in which
cultural diversity problems can be manifested.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.3)
Which of the following statements show a lack of respect for cultural
diversity? Identify the situations and underline them.
1. A teacher ignores female students in her class and responds only
to male students.
2. A student makes unkind remarks about what a classmate is
wearing.
3. A teacher provides equal consultation time to all students,
regardless of their personal characteristics.
4. A student hits another student because s/he thinks s/he acts weird.
5. A teacher calls a student’s parent to a meeting to understand why
she does not seem to be attentive in class.
6. A student writes anti-Muslim remarks on the school’s bathroom
walls.
7. A teacher makes remarks about a student having an unusual name.
28 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Compare your answers with mine on page 161. Discuss with your co-
learners and Flexible Learning Tutor how the statements that show non-
respect for diversity can be corrected or how these can be manifested in
more culturally sensitive ways.
Let’s Think About This
Educators have a responsibility toward their students. As school head,
you have the bigger responsibility of ensuring that your school is a haven
of peace and a place where students from culturally diverse backgrounds
feel safe and secure. How are you going to achieve this? Write your ideas
on the lines below.
Read on to see how your ideas compare with current researches and best
practices pertaining to promoting respect for cultural diversity.
Let’s Read
Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity
For your first step, you need to start with yourself. You need to develop
an awareness of your own biases and how these affect your role
as a school head. This was already discussed in PEACeXCELS
Module 1, Cultivate Peace in Oneself and Champion the Cause of Peace
in Schools.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 29
Some suggestions provided by the International Bureau of Education of
UNESCO for teachers or school heads in promoting the understanding,
acceptance, and appreciation of cultural diversity in schools include the
following:
• Initiate and attend regular discussions for educators that allow
diversity-related issues to be discussed and understood.
• Monitor conflicts that arise in the classroom. Pay attention to
the factors that lead to unwanted incidents.
• Create a venue for ongoing discussions where students and
teachers can participate to discuss diversity-related issues.
• Arrange and conduct training programs on the understanding
and appreciation of cultural diversity for students and teachers,
using actual cases from your school.
• Document and discuss specific complaints arising from
diversity-related issues.
• Initiate experiential workshops for teachers and students to
allow them to confront their own ethnocentrisms on certain
issues.
• Design curriculum and select reading materials and other
resources that reflect the different backgrounds and needs of
the students.
• Observe “power struggles” in class by identifying which
students seem to dominate discussions or activities more than
others and what causes these.
• Reach out to silent students.
• Make an issue of conflict a “teachable moment.”
• Treat each student as an individual deserving of respect and
not as a representative of a group.
30 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.4)
The table below contains a list of suggested activities for further promoting
respect for cultural diversity. Check the column that corresponds to your
possible status as far as implementing the activities is concerned.
1. Organize regulardiscussions ondiversity-relatedissues.
2. Participate in regulardiscussions ondiversity-relatedissues.
3. Arrange andconduct trainingprograms forstudents andteachers on theunderstanding andappreciation ofcultural diversity,using actual casesfrom your school.
4. Participate intraining programsthat promote theunderstanding ofcultural diversity.
5. Document anddiscuss specificstudent complaintsarising fromdiversity-relatedissues.
SUGGESTED
I can do this,but
I need tolearn
more andimprove.
I cannot dothisyet.
I can do thisvery well.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 31
Discuss your answers with your co-learners or Flexible Learning Tutor,
especially focusing on the activities that you cannot do to find out what
you can do about it.
SUGGESTEDACTIVITY
I can do this,but
I need tolearn
more andimprove.
(Practitioner)
I cannot dothisyet.
(Novice)
I can do thisvery well.(Expert)
6. Design curriculathat reflect thedifferentbackgrounds andneeds of thestudents.
7. Select learningmaterials thatreflect the differentbackgrounds andneeds of thestudents.
8. Monitor conflictsthat arise in theclassroom.
9. Reach out to silentor non-participativestudents.
10. Treat each studentas an individualdeserving of respectand not as arepresentative of a
group.
32 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Think About This
Remember the story on page 21? Mrs. Farah, the mother of Amina, felt
bad for her daughter. She felt that Amina’s cultural background of being
a Muslim was disrespected not only by Amina’s classmates but also by
her teacher. She asked for an appointment to discuss this matter with Mr.
Kunaporn, the school head of the community elementary school.
Mrs. Farah: Good morning, Mr. Kunaporn. Thank you for seeing me. I
came here to talk to you about what happened to my daughter
Amina yesterday.
Mr. Kunaporn: Good morning, Mrs Farah. It’s nice of you to drop by. Would
you like to tell me about it?
Mrs. Farah: She came home crying because her classmates had teased her
for wearing her hijab. In fact, one of them even tried to pull her
hijab. What makes me more concerned is that her teacher just
told her to ignore those boys and learn to accept such ridicules
as a consequence of her being the only one wearing a hijab.
Mr. Kunaporn: Is that so? This is the first time I am hearing of such
discriminatory behavior happening. I am sorry about this. Will
you let me discuss this first with Amina’s teacher to find out
what happened?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 33
Mrs. Farah: I hope you can do something about this. I hope that there is
something written in the school’s policy that such an act of
prejudice is unacceptable.
Mr. Kunaporn: You are right, Mrs. Farah. I assure you I will get to the bottom
of this and will update you tomorrow. (In his mind: “I know
what happened was wrong. Students should not be
discriminated against because of their cultural background. But
does our school have a written policy on this? I’d better check.”)
Answer the following questions:
1. If you were Mr. Kunaporn, what would you do to answer your own
question? Write your answer on the lines below.
2. Is it important to have written policies that support respect for cultural
diversity in a school setting? Why/Why not?
34 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
3. To support the promotion of respect for cultural diversity in the school,
what kind of written policies should be in place? Write your ideas on
the lines provided below.
Feedback
If you answered that you will check if your school’s policies reflect
intolerance for prejudice and discrimination, you are correct. Other
sections of this lesson will give you ideas on how this can be done.
It is important to have written policies that support respect for cultural
diversity in a school setting. A school that promotes this provides an
environment where students coming from varied backgrounds acquire
learning without fear of harm or prejudice.
Read on to check your answers.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 35
Let’s Read
Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools -The Policy Context of Peace Education
Some schools in the ASEAN region have already acknowledged the
importance of having written school policies that support respect for
cultural diversity. Some of these policies include reminders and sanctions
against teachers who ignore the needs of specific groups of students
because they come from different religious, cultural, or ethnic
backgrounds. These policies are essential especially in making guided
decisions when cases such as those of Amina’s occur.
A policy is defined as a document or issuance that serves as a guideline or
mandate on certain issues. Policies are issued by an authority (example is
the Ministry of Education) that directs the contents of the policy to be
observed within its governed units. In support of international peace
education efforts, policies have been issued by many Southeast Asian
governments which promote peace education, specifically the promotion
of human rights and cultural understanding. Examples of these are the
following: Thailand’s National Education Act of 1999 (B.E. 2542),
Cambodia’s National Education Policy and the Philippines’ Basic
Education Act of 2001 (RA 9155). You may refer to this module’s annexes
to learn more about these policies. Brief descriptions of these policies are
provided below.
Thailand National Education Act of 1999 ( B.E. 2542)
(Office of the National Education Commission, 2009)
• This Act prescribes a new national curriculum that emphasizes
learning about neighboring countries, the region, the world,
the UN, human rights, and universal values.
• The curriculum aims to promote independent thought, self-
reliance, and national and international cooperation. It stresses
learning about local and national values and culture.
• The schools have also been asked to include global-related
content in their curricula, such as environmental protection,
AIDS prevention, anti-drug abuse, human rights and
nonviolence in schools, etc.
36 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Cambodia’s National Education Policy (Chen, 2006)
• The Cambodian national education policy focuses on providing
skills to all students. One of the adopted general education
reform policies is the development of curriculum based on
concepts of humanization, localization, regionalization, and
universalization.
• The philosophy of the curriculum extends from the philosophy
of the National Goals and Aims of Education of Cambodia,
which seek to develop human resources holistically—
simultaneously with the mind, emotions, and body. This
approach ensures the development of knowledge, skills,
experience, morality, tolerance, cooperation, solidarity,
national unity, national consciousness, love of justice, respect
for law, respect for human rights, environmental preservation,
identity, and valuing of national culture and civilization, self-
reliance, self confidence, ability to solve daily problems,
creativity, industry, responsibility, ability to promote one’s
family’s well-being, and participation in national rehabilitation
and development based on democracy and pluralism
Republic of the Philippines’ Basic Education Act of 2001 or RepublicAct (RA) No. 9155 (Department of Education, 2009)
• This Act states that it is the policy of the country to ensure that
the values, needs, and aspirations of a school community are
reflected in the program of education for children, out-of-
school youth, and adult learners.
• In support of RA 9155, the Philippines’ Department of
Education issued (DepEd) Order No. 53, s. 2001. This is a policy
that supports the constitutional guarantee of the right of
citizens to freedom of religion and non-discrimination on the
basis of sex, religion, creed, or color.
• Specifically, the DepEd encourages all schools to re-evaluate
their policies to ensure that these are sensitive enough to respect
the plight of Muslim students who attend their schools. The
policy was very specific to allowing Muslim school children to
wear their veils or headdresses (hijabs) inside the school campus.
Furthermore, in physical education classes, Muslim girls will
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 37
not be required to wear shorts and instead wear appropriate
clothing in accordance with their religious beliefs. The policy
also indicates that Muslim students should not be required to
participate in non-Muslim religious activities.
You can read more about the three national policies cited in Annexes A,
B and C, respectively at the end of this module.
Let’s Think About This
As school head, you are expected to help implement national policies in
your own local setting. Are you familiar with similar national policy
issuances from your own country? The various policies that support peace
and human rights education from Thailand, Cambodia, and the
Philippines require that school heads like you play an active role in
implementing the nation’s educational goals. Aside from identifying and
implementing school-based activities that will translate these policies into
actual learnings, one of the crucial roles that you need to perform is to
ensure that your school’s own policies reflect national policies that promote
peace education. What school polices do you have that promote peace
and respect for cultural diversity? Write your answers on the lines
provided.
_________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Share and discuss your answers with your co-learners and Flexible
Learning Tutor.
38 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
Do you know how to assess the peace-responsiveness of school policies?
Do you have an idea about the characteristics of school policies that
promote peace and respect for cultural diversity? Read on to find out
more about this.
Characteristics of Peace-Responsive
School Policies and Practices
It is hoped that you, as school head, and like Mr. Kunaporn, will take the
initiative to review and revise your school policies and practices to ensure
the promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity. According to
Caldwell and Sprinks (1993), the following characteristics are inherent in
good school policy statements that promote peace and repect for cultural
diversity:
1. Are based on a clear statement of belief or purpose of building a
culture of peace in the school.
2. Contain guidelines on the promotion of peace and respect for
cultural diversity.
3. Explain what is wanted of sectors or individuals as agents of peace
in the school.
4. Provide reasons why units and individuals in a school are required
to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity.
5. Provide a clear basis for the preparation and implementation of
rules and procedures related to the building of a culture of peace.
6. Provide direction for teachers and administrators on how to build
a culture of peace.
7. Permit administrators and teachers to interpret directions in such
a way as to adjust for changing conditions without making any
basic change in the policy.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 39
8. Provide a standard for evaluating performance.
9. Are written in a style that is readily understood by all members of
the school community.
10. Must include statements that promote peace and respect for all
school members regardless of race, culture, religion, gender,
nationality, ethnicity, appearance, and other personal
characteristics.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.5)
Try to answer the questions that follow. Write your answers on the lines
below.
1. After reading the characteristics listed above, do you think your school
policies promote peace and respect for cultural diversity? Why/Why
not?
2. For school policies to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity,
why do they need to be based on a clear statement of belief or purpose?
3. Why is it important to have a clear description of the roles of various
sectors or individuals as peace agents in the school?
40 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Feedback
The characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive school policy
statements may or may not be reflected in your school’s policy documents.
Knowing these characteristics will help you review and revise them, when
necessary.
For school policies to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity,
they must be based on a clear statement of belief or purpose. This provides
specific directions that guide your school’s educational activities. It is also
important to have a clear description of the roles of various sectors or
individuals as peace agents in the school, for them to know exactly what
is expected of them in the process.
Do you have answers different from mine? You may discuss those with
your Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners.
Let’s Study
Conducting a Simple School Policy Analysis TowardsPromoting Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity
As mentioned earlier, if a school head is to promote peace and respect for
cultural diversity in his/her school, he or she needs to have a good
foundation to support this. This foundation refers to the school’s policies.
Do you remember what school policies are? School policies refer to
written documents that describe the school’s philosophy as well as
guidelines for operations. They also include documents referring to how
members of the school are to behave and consequences for inappropriate
behavior. Examples of these include the school’s mission, vision, and goal
statements. These policies are also reiterated in other school documents
such as student handbooks, faculty manuals, and the school curriculum,
which should reflect the system-wide policies issued by the country’s
Ministry of Education. If peace and cultural diversity are to be promoted
as part of the school’s efforts to provide peace education, these documents
and guidelines have to be reviewed to check if they support endeavors
towards peace-building and promoting cultural respect.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 41
To conduct a simple policy analysis in the context of peace education, a
school policy document needs to be evaluated if it supports peace efforts
and promotes respect for cultural diversity. This analysis starts with an
evaluation of the school’s statement of belief or purpose, often written as
the school’s Mission, Vision, and Goal statements. The rest of the steps
involved in the process will be discussed later.
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.6)
Review the story on page 21 about the incident in Mr. Kunaporn’s school
that prompted him to find out if his school’s policies promote respect for
cultural diversity.
In his research, Mr. Kunaporn discovered that his country’s Ministry of
Education has issued a national policy similar to the Philippines’ Executive
Order (EO) No. 570 “Institutionalizing Peace Education in Basic Education
and Teacher Education.” Because of its mandate to review existing local
school policies and ensure that these are respecting of the rights of
students, particularly those with different religious backgrounds, Mr.
Kunaporn decided to do a review of the Community Elementary School’s
(Mr. Kunaporn’s school’s) vision and mission statement, as well as the
school’s list of core values and institutional objectives. This policy document
is presented on the next page.
42 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What do you think of the Community Elementary School’s Mission, Vision,
and Goal Statements and its list of core values? Do you think they are
adequate in promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity? Why or
why not? Write down your answer on the spaces provided below.
Community Elementary School
VISION STATEMENT
We envision ourselves to be a community of learners that are
prepared for life challenges, embodying the spirit of excellence and
integrity.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Community Elementary School provides education to students
to make them productive and peaceful members of society.
CORE VALUES
The Community Elementary School upholds:
1. Excellence in education
2. Integrity and honesty
3. Preparedness for life’s challenges
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS
1. Develop the students’ knowledge and skills to prepare them for
work.
2. Help students become responsible persons in the future.
3. Instill among students respect for the environment.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 43
Feedback
If you answered that it is inadequate, you are correct. It is inadequate
because it lacks specific provisions that focus on the promotion of peace
and the respect for cultural diversity. A review of this school’s policy
document shows that there are insufficient statements that support the
development of a peace-oriented studentry respectful of cultural
differences. Specifically, there are no provisions or guidelines on how the
attainment of peace and respect for cultural diversity will be accomplished.
Let’s Study
To conduct a more organized way of reviewing the peace-responsiveness
of an existing school policy, you may use a simple policy analysis table
similar to the one below. Filling out this table may help you identify areas
that need to be revised or clarified.
To use this table, first select a specific policy document in your school, for
example, its vision statement. Read the document, and based on your
observation, write either Yes or No in the second and third columns. If the
answer is No or the policy could be further improved, write your proposed
revisions in the fourth column. These revisions may include adding lines
that specifically indicate support for peace efforts and the encouragement
of respect for social diversity in your school.
44 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
To help you learn how to use the simple policy analysis table, study the
sample that follows which depicts the vision-mission-goal statements of a
school in the Philippines (Makati Hope Christian School, 2009). Relevant
statements to peace and cultural diversity are underlined.
Simple School Policy Analysis Table
SpecificSchool Policy
Document
Does thedocument have
specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument have
specificprovisionspromoting
respect for cul-tural diversity?
Yes or No
ProposedRevisions
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 45
SAMPLE SCHOOL VISION-MISSION-GOAL
STATEMENTS
(Adapted from Makati Hope Christian School, 2009)
VISION
As a Filipino educational institution, we envision ourselves to be a
community of life-long learners that embodies peace, harmony,
respect, excellence, and integrity.
MISSION
XXX School exists to provide holistic education for students from
different cultures and backgrounds to be peace-loving, innovative
and responsive to the needs and challenges of the times.
CORE VALUES
To effectively carry out its goals , XXX School as a community
upholds:
RESPECT for people regardless of their culture, religion, and other
backgrounds; EXCELLENCE in body, mind, and spirit by
practicing healthy living, developing creative and critical thinking,
effective communication skills, technological proficiency, and
entrepreneurial skills; and INTEGRITY by demonstrating courage
to do what is right.
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS
1. To develop in the students respect for people of other faith,
race, and culture;
2. To help students develop an appreciation for the humanities
and the arts, their unique cultural heritage and social identity,
as well as those of others;
3. To instil in students civic and environmental responsibility;
4. To provide opportunities for students to develop creative and
critical thinking skills;
5. To develop students’ interpersonal skills towards being agents
of peace;
6. To provide opportunities for physical development;
7. To empower students to be responsible citizens, taking an
active part in nation-building.
46 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
A simple policy analysis table for the example given follows. Note that as
described earlier, the last column requires that proposed revisions to the
specific peace-promoting or cultural diversity provisions be provided when
necessary. The proposed revisions can be a product of discussions with
your teachers, community representatives, and even school district
representatives. The proposed revisions need to 1.) include specific
statements on peace-promotion and the promotion of cultural diversity;
and 2.) removal of statements that go against the latter.
Example of Simple School Policy Analysis Table
VisionStatement
Yes (Theword “peace”wasmentioned)
Yes (The word“respect” isindicated whichmay indicaterespect for culturaldiversity)
To put moreemphasis on respectspecific to culturaldiversity, it could berestated to indicatethe whole word“respect for culturaldiversity.”
MissionStatement
Yes (thewords “peace-loving” werementioned)
Yes ( Part of itmentions theprovision of holisticeducation forstudents fromdifferent culturesand backgrounds tobe peace-loving,innovative andresponsive to theneeds andchallenges of thetimes.)
NONE
SpecificSchoolPolicy
Document
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument have
specificprovisionspromoting
respect for cul-tural diversity?
Yes or No
Proposed Revisions
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 47
Core Values No Yes (i.e., RESPECTfor peopleregardless of theirculture, religionand otherbackgrounds)
May add the line:PEACE andHARMONY in thehome, school, andcountry byinstilling family-oriented values,responsiblecitizenship,loyalty,and appreciationfor the humanitiesand the arts.
InstitutionalGoals
Yes (i.e., 5. Todevelopstudents’interpersonalskills towardsbeing agentsof peace)
Yes (i.e., 1. Todevelop in thestudents respect forpeople of otherfaith, race, andculture; 2. To helpstudents develop anappreciation for thehumanities and thearts, their uniquecultural heritageand social identityas well as those ofothers)
NONE
Example of Simple School Policy Analysis Table (Continuation)
SpecificSchoolPolicy
Document
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument havespecific provi-
sions promotingrespect for
cultural diversity?Yes or No
ProposedRevisions
What do you think of the analysis above? Does the table reflect that the
school’s mission-vision-goal statements promote peace and respect for
cultural diversity? What other comments can you provide? Write your
answers on the lines below. Afterwards, discuss your answers with your
Flexible Learning Tutor and your co-learners.
48 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.7)
Study the policy document of Mr. Kunaporn’s school once again.
Now, based on the policy document from the Community Elementary
School, fill out the table below following the pattern described earlier.
You may re-copy the blank table on another sheet of paper to provide
you more spaces for your answers. The first row to be answered had been
done for you as an example.
Community Elementary School
VISION STATEMENT
We envision ourselves to be a community of learners who are
prepared for life challenges, embodying the spirit of excellence and
integrity.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Community Elementary School provides education to students
to make them productive and peaceful members of society.
CORE VALUES
The Community Elementary School upholds:
1. Excellence in education
2. Integrity and honesty
3. Preparedness for Life’s Challenges
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS
1. To develop in the students knowledge and skills to prepare
them for work
2. To help students become responsible persons in the future.
3. To instil in students respect for the environment.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 49
Were you able to accomplish the table correctly? Compare your answers
with mine on page 51. Discuss your answers with your Flexible Learning
Tutor and your co-learners.
No We envision ourselvesto be a community oflearners who areprepared for lifechallenges, embodyingthe spirit of excellence,integrity, peace, andrespect for culturaldiversity.
Core Values
InstitutionalGoals
Simple School Policy Analysis Table
VisionStatement
MissionStatement
SpecificSchoolPolicy
Document
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument havespecific provi-
sions promotingrespect for
culturaldiversity?Yes or No
Proposed Revisions
No
50 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
Steps in Analyzing a School’s Policy Documents
In conducting an analysis of your school’s policy documents in the context
of peace education, the following steps can be undertaken:
1. Identify what school policies exist in your institution. School policies
are written documents that serve as guidelines on what principles
or values the school upholds and how members of the school are
supposed to conduct themselves in reference to the principles.
Examples of documents embodying school policies are mission,
vision, and goal statements, teacher’s manuals, student guidebooks,
and the actual school curriculum.
2. Identify and gather together all of your school’s policy documents
for review. Form several working groups among the faculty and
school personnel. Assign the different policy documents to the
groups. Each group will go over the written statements, discuss
and decide if they are adequate or inadequate in terms of promoting
peace and respect for cultural diversity.
3. You may use sample policy documents from other schools or get
examples from the internet or written sources as reference.
4. For policies deemed inadequate, suggest revisions that input
concepts of peace promotion and respect for cultural diversity.
From a list of proposed revisions, select the most appropriate
revision based on discussions with the group.
5. In conducting Steps 2, 3, and 4, you may use the sample table
provided on the previous page as a guide, depending on the policy
document being reviewed.
6. Draft the revised policy document and present to school district
supervisors, community members, and other significant individuals
for their comments and approval.
Do you think you can follow the steps described above? What challenges
or difficulties do you expect in each of the steps? Discuss your insights
with your Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 51
Let’s Study
Review, Draft, and Communicate School Policies that Reflect
Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity
The table below shows some suggested revisions to Mr. Kunaporn’s original
Simple School Policy Analysis Table, based on the Community Elementary
School’s Mission, Vision, Goals, and Core Values Statements.
Simple School Policy Analysis
SpecificSchoolPolicy
Document
Proposed Revisions
VisionStatement
No No
MissionStatement
No Community ElementarySchool provides educationto students to make themproductive and peacefulmembers of society whorespect life, are globally andecologically concerned,socially responsible, andrespecting of other cultures.
Core Values No No Add: Peace and respect forcultural diversity
InstitutionalGoals
No No Add: 1. To develop in thestudents the value of peaceand respect for diversity
2. To teach peace conceptssuch as tolerance,nonviolence, humandignity, and justice
No
We envision ourselves to bea community of learnerswho are prepared for lifechallenges, embodying thespirit of excellence,integrity, peace, and respectfor cultural diversity.
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromotingrespect for
culturaldiversity?
Yes or No
52 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Think About This
Let’s practice your skill in evaluating whether a school policy is peace
responsive and promotes respect for cultural diversity. Using the Simple
Policy Analysis Table, evaluate your school’s existing mission, vision, goals,
and values statements. Discuss your work with your co-learners and
Flexible Learning Tutor.
The same process can be done to include peace and respect for cultural
diversity concerns in other school policy documents, such as student
handbooks or teachers’ manuals. What other policy documents does your
school have? It’s about time that you reviewed and revised them so that
the provisions will be more oriented to peace and respect for cultural
diversity.
Let’s Study
A student handbook is a document that describes rules and regulations
that the school wants its students to observe. Although not all schools
have a student handbook, working on one is a good exercise in learning
skills related to reviewing school policies. A student handbook can be
considered a school policy document as it is referred to by both students
and school administrators to guide them on the school’s policies, rules,
and regulations. Some student handbooks also indicate the grading system,
expectations from the students, class schedules, as well as a list of sanctions
corresponding to offenses that students may commit.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 53
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.8)
A school head reviewed his school’s student handbook. In his review, he
filled in another version of the Simple School Policy Analysis Table for
Long Documents. This table is very useful for long documents that need
to be analyzed individually such as student handbooks and teachers’
guides. This table is shown below. His entries are shown in italics.
Imagine that you are the school head who made the observations. Respond
to the observations indicated by writing down your suggested revisions
in the second column.
Simple School Policy Analysis Table for Long Documents
Type of School Document: Student Handbook
Observations related to the promotion ofpeace and respect for cultural diversity
Proposed Revisions
The handbook has no specific provisions thatmention the school as an institution thatpromotes peace and cultural diversity.
As the school has a required uniform, it has noprovision that provide some flexibility forstudents who may have to dress differentlybecause of religious or cultural reasons such aswearing a hijab in class and exempting femaleMuslim students from wearing shorts during P.E.class.
There are no guidelines provided for teachers onhandling concerns related to differences instudents’ cultural, religious, or ethnicbackgrounds.
There are no specific provisions that promotecultural appreciation and the celebration ofdiversity.
There are no specific provisions againstbullying and discrimination.
54 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Feedback
Compare your answers with mine on page 162. Are your answers similar?
You may also discuss your responses with your Flexible Learning Tutor.
In order for student handbooks to promote peace and respect for cultural
diversity in schools, they should provide appropriate guidelines regarding
issues such as those indicated in the table. If the handbook has no specific
sections that mention the school as an institution that promotes peace
and cultural diversity, these should be provided. Specifically, the handbook
may be revised to clearly state that the school allows students to dress or
behave in ways that reflect their cultural, religious, or ethnic backgrounds.
Guidelines should state how school authorities will address concerns
related to cultural diversity such as assigning selected teachers per grade
or year level that students can approach when they experience
discrimination, bullying, or other similar concerns.
Let’s Read
Do you find your school wanting in policies that will ensure the promotion
of peace and respect for cultural understanding? The following are some
suggested steps in drafting such school policies.
1. Identify what school policy needs to be drafted. Look for templates
or samples that can be used for formatting purposes for that
policy/document.
2. Draft the school policies following the suggested format.
3. In drafting the policy, ensure that specific provisions for the
promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity are
mentioned. The amount of detail needed depends on the type of
policy document.
4. Review the draft and revise as needed.
5. Subject the revised draft to a consultation with concerned
stakeholders such as the teachers and staff, students, and members
of the community.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 55
6. Finalize the document and have it ready for approval by the higher
authority of your school (for example, the school district office).
7. Once approved, ensure that the policies are made known to
everyone in the school through meetings, distribution of copies,
and other related activities.
Do you think you can follow the above steps? If so, you may now start
the process of ensuring that your school’s policies are peace-responsive
and promote respect and appreciation for cultural diversity.
Let’s Study
Translating National Policies into School Activities
Policies, on their own, are of no value unless implemented in actual settings.
National policies that promote peace and respect for cultural
understanding, even when translated into local school policies, will be
meaningless unless they are actually implemented.
In the Philippines, where the movement for peace education has been set
into an Executive Order and implemented in many schools across the
country, several examples of how policies are operationalized into actual
peacebuilding and respect for cultural diversity-promoting activities are
available. In compliance with RA 9155, the Philippines’ Department of
Education (DepEd) Order No. 53, s. 2001, and as parallel efforts to the
Philippine Department of Education’s’ Executive Order (EO) No. 570
“Institutionalizing Peace Education in Basic Education and Teacher Education”
(Depatment of Education, 2006), several schools have undertaken specific
activities to promote a culture of peace. Read some examples of these
activities in the vignette that follows.
56 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
The School of Peace: The Story of J. Marquez Elementary and High
School in Cotabato City (Valenzuela, 2007)
The J. Marquez Elementary and High School located in an inner city
settlement in Cotabato City (in Mindanao, Southern Philippines), is
comprised mostly of Maguindanaon Muslims. It is probably the only School
of Peace (SOP) in the country. Before the launching of the SOP Project, the
community where the school is located was a haven for lawless elements.
Vandalism was a common occurrence and lack of discipline among the
students was the biggest challenge that confronted teachers and
administrators. Because of the determination of the school’s leaders, the
school decided to develop an intervention program embodied in it school’s
mission, vision, and goals.
The J. Marquez Elementary and High School adopted a mission statement
that embodied the spirit of peacebuilding. It aims to contribute to conflict
resolution and peacebuilding in Southern Mindanao by supporting dialogues
on cultural diversity and human rights through quality education. It aims
to improve access to education and basic services by confronting teacher’s
capacities and promoting a culture of peace and respect for multicultural
diversity.
Some of the best practices of the school include:
• Protecting the religious rights of Muslim learners, including respecting
the religious right of students to wear their school uniforms within
the context of their religions;
• Promoting a culture of peace in all school activities. Peace concepts
are introduced into all subjects, lessons, and activities. For example,
discussions on the circulatory system are weaved skilfully by trained
teachers into the importance of the human heart in promoting peace.
The school also conducts regular Saturday activities that allow
students to develop a deeper understanding of each other’s cultures
through sharing and discussions;
• Conduct of teacher training programs that promote the understanding
of the various cultural and religious backgrounds of the students;
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 57
• Partnering with NGOs (non-government organizations) allowed for
a mosque to be built inside the school compound, where Muslim
students are allowed to pray five times a day as their religion requires;
and
• Providing access to education for disadvantaged Muslim learners by
conducting house visits and talking to their families about the
importance of sending their children to school.
Let’s Think About This
Answer the questions below. Write your answers on the lines provided.
What do you think of the example provided on operationalizing peace
policies by J. Marquez Elamentary and High School? Are these applicable
to your own context? Why or why not? Write your answers on the spaces
provided below. Discuss your answers with your Flexible Learning Tutor
and co-learners, afterwards.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
58 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
Evaluating the Implementation of “Peace-Responsive”
School Policies
Once goals for school policies are identified and the actual policies are
drafted, these can be implemented within a given period. These policies
can then be evaluated at a later time in terms of their being able to
effectively achieve their goals.
As mentioned in the guidelines on reviewing the peace-responsiveness of
school policies on pages 38 and 39, one of the characteristics of good
school policies is their provision of a standard for evaluating performance.
“Peace-responsive” school policies are evaluated on two grounds. The
first is the evaluation of the “form and content” of the policy itself. This is
what you should have achieved as of this point after learning how to
conduct a policy analysis, as well as the related activities of revising the
policies and communicating these to members of the school body (students,
administrators, and teachers) and to community members. The second is
the evaluation of the actual implementation of the policies. You have
learned earlier how peace-promoting policies can be implemented into
actual school activities. For this purpose, it is essential to set, early on,
target goals that the policies and their related activities are supposed to
have achieved. The setting of these goals will vary from school to school,
meaning that the goals depend on what the school decides as essential
targets to address on its unique identified needs. In this case, please
remember that our target is to build a culture of peace in our school.
To finalize their school policies, Mr. Kunaporn had a consultation meeting
with the teachers and some community members. He suggested that the
revised school policies, to promote peace and cultural diversity, must have
implementing rules that are well-defined and properly disseminated to
ensure their implementation. During the meeting, the group decided to
have the following goals for their school:
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 59
What do you think of these goals? Do you think they can also be done in
your school? Discuss your thoughts with your Flexible Learning Tutor.
Sample GOALS for the New and Revised
Peace-Responsive School Policies
1) Conduct of at least 4 school-wide events that focus on the
promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
2) Reduction of verbal confrontations and physical fights from a
previous baseline of 10 per month to 3 per month based on
reports at the guidance office.
3) Reduction of bullying (in its many forms stemming from the
lack of tolerance for differences) from a previous baseline of
10 per month to 3 per month based on reports at the guidance
office.
4) Completion of one cultural sensitivity training each for teachers
and students.
5) Integration of peace concepts, values, and skills in the
curriculum.
6) Completion of a workshop on peace education for teachers
and administrators.
7) Completion of a workshop on conflict resolution for students,
faculty and staff.
8) Conduct of at least 3 meetings of faculty members with
representatives from minority groups to discuss peace and
cultural diversity concerns within the school and within the
community.
60 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Think About This
It is important to remember that the goals you set for your school need to
be SMART. Are you familiar with this acronym? SMART refers to the
characteristics of targets or goals that will allow for easier and more
effective evaluation. According to Nikitina (2009), SMART goals have
the following characteristics:
S - SPECIFIC
This refers to the characteristic of having specific outcomes that are
limited and clearly defined.
M - MEASURABLE
This means that the goals can be measured as quantifiable results.
A - ATTAINABLE
This implies that the goals can be achieved based on the school’s
available resources and other realities.
R - REALISTIC
This suggests that the goals are doable and can be evaluated within a
given time period. The evaluation can be made at certain times of the
year based on a pre-set schedule by school leaders.
T - TIMELY
This means that the goals are relevant to the issue being promoted. In
this case, the goals should support peace and promote respect and
appreciation of cultural diversity in a school setting.
What do you think of the goals set by Mr. Kunaporn and his teachers?
Are the goals SMART? Why or why not? What do you suggest as possible
additional goals? Discuss your answers with your co-learners and Flexible
Learning Tutor.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 61
Let’s Study
The goals prepared by Mr. Kunaporn and his teachers were officially
approved by the school body. To prepare for the evaluation which they
scheduled one year after the start of the implementation of the revised
school policies, Mr. Kunaporn formed an evaluation team composed of
selected teachers and school administrators. When evaluation time came,
which in most schools occur a few weeks before the school closes, he
asked the evaluators to use the simple evaluation table below. Entries
were made by the evaluation team on the STATUS and PLANS columns.
Their entries are shown below.
Evaluation of GOALS for the New and Revised Peace-Responsive
School Policies for Community Elementary School
GOALS PlansStatus
1) Conduct of at least 4school-wide eventsthat focus on thepromotion of peaceand respect forcultural diversity
Achieved
4 school-wide eventscompleted
2) Reduction of verbalconfrontations andphysical fights from aprevious baseline of10 per month to 3per month based onreports at theguidance office.
Achieved
Only 12 peaceviolations werereported in 1 year.This means anaverage of one permonth.
3) Reduction of bullyingin its many formsstemming from thelack of tolerance fordifferences from aprevious baseline of10 per month to 3 permonth based onreports at theguidance office.
Achieved
Only 10 violationsfor respect forcultural diversitywere reported in oneyear. This means anaverage of less thantwo per month.
62 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Note that aside from stating whether the goals were achieved or not, it is
also important to keep in mind that the quality (the outcomes of the events
conducted, for example) and level of behavior (for example of fights being
severe, etc.) need to be assessed to ensure the effectiveness of the evaluation
process. This can be done as an additional layer of evaluation and written
down as notes or narratives if an assessment report will be produced.
6) Completion of aworkshop on peaceeducation forteachers andadministrators
Achieved
A workshop wasconducted.
7) Completion of aworkshop on conflictresolution forstudents, faculty, andstaff
Not Achieved
Workshop waspostponed.
8) Conduct of at least 3meetings of facultymembers withrepresentatives fromminority groups todiscuss peace andcultural diversityconcerns within theschool and withinthe community
Achieved
Four meetings wereconducted.
Evaluation of GOALS for the New and Revised Peace-responsive
School Policies for Community Elementary School
GOALS PlansStatus
5) Integration of peaceconcepts, values, andskills in thecurriculum
Achieved
Peace-buildingactivities in the schoolcurriculum for allgrade levelsincorporated.
4) Completion of onecultural sensitivitytraining each forteachers andstudents.
Partially Achieved
Only one culturalsensitivity training forteachers was conducted.Separate training forstudent not yetimplemented.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 63
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.9)
What can you say about the results of the evaluation of the implementation
of school policies that promote peace and cultural diversity at Mr.
Kunaporn’s school? Do you think they have achieved their goals well?
Would you rate the school’s overall performance as satisfactory? Why/
Why not? Write down your answers on the lines provided.
If you answered that they have achieved a majority of their goals and
gave them at least a satisfactory rating, you are correct. Note that in their
case, four out of six goals were adequately achieved, one goal was partially
achieved, and one goal was not achieved. Hence, their performance could
be considered satisfactory or above average. This finding implies that the
implementation was in a way successful.
Note that the column on PLANS was not filled out. Fill in this column. If
you were Mr. Kunaporn, what plans would you suggest to achieve the
goals that were not achieved within the evaluation period? Write your
answers below.
Compare your answers with mine in the succeeding pages.
64 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Feedback
Suggested entries for the PLANS column are shown below. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
Continue activities toreduce incidents ofbullying and lack oftolerance ofdifferences. Set anobjective of having lessthan 5 violationsreported in the schoolfor the whole year.
Make this a regularactivity of theschool by includingthem in the list ofyearly schoolactivities.
Continue activities toreduce cases of peaceviolations. Set anobjective of having afurther 50% reductionof verbal violencereported in the schoolfor the whole year,about a maximum of 6violations.
Ensure culturalsensitivity training forstudents is conductedwith follow-upenhancement trainingfor teachers.
Evaluation of GOALS for the New and Revised Peace-responsive
School Policies for Community Elementary School
GOALS PlansStatus
1) Conduct of at least 4school-wide eventsthat focus on thepromotion of peaceand respect forcultural diversity
Achieved
4 school-wide eventscompleted
2) Reduction of verbalconfrontations andphysical fights from aprevious baseline of10 per month to 3 permonth based onreports at theguidance office
Achieved
Only 12 peaceviolations werereported in 1 year.This means anaverage of 2 permonth.
3) Reduction of bullyingin its many formsstemming from thelack of tolerance fordifferences from aprevious baseline of10 per month to 3 permonth based onreports at theguidance office
Achieved
Only 10 violationsfor respect forcultural diversitywere reported in oneyear. This means anaverage of less thantwo per month.
4) Completion of onecultural sensitivitytraining each forteachers andstudents
Partially Achieved
Only culturalsensitivity trainingfor teachers wasconducted.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 65
Using a similar table to identify the goals, status and plans of your school’s
activities in promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity can help
you regularly evaluate how well your school is doing. Remember that the
effort to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity in schools is a
continous process that needs to be carefully planned and implemented.
Learning from this lesson is one important step towards becoming a peace
champion for your school. Congratulations!
Make this a regularactivity of theschool. Conductregular reviews onhow the curriculumcould be furtherimproved towardspromoting peaceand culturaldiversity.
Make this a regularactivity of theschool.
6) Completion of aworkshop on peaceeducation forteachers andadministrators
Achieved
A workshop wasconducted.
7) Completion of aworkshop on conflictresolution forstudents, faculty andstaff
Not Achieved
Workshop waspostponed.
8) Conduct of at least 3meetings of facultymembers withrepresentatives fromminority groups todiscuss peace andcultural diversityconcerns within theschool and withinthe community
Achieved
Evaluation of GOALS for the New and Revised Peace-responsive
School Policies for Community Elementary School
5) Integration of peaceconcepts, values, andskills in thecurriculum
Achieved
Peace-buildingactivities in the schoolcurriculum for allgrade levelsincorporated.
GOALS PlansStatus
Work towards theconduct of aworkshop onconflict resolution.
Make this a regularactivity of theschool.
66 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Remember
In this lesson, you learned that:
• Peace education is education that promotes a culture of peace.
It is defined by Betty Reardon (2002) as one that seeks to
transform the present human condition by “changing social
structures and patterns of thoughts that have created it.” The
main purposes of peace education are:
§ Elimination of social injustice;
§ Rejection of violence; and
§ Abolition of war.
• Cultural diversity refers to the existence of differences in
characteristics of individuals who belong to one group or one
environment. One of the main stumbling blocks to achieving
respect for cultural diversity is the existence of prejudice and
discrimination. Ethnocentrism, for example, refers to individuals
who think that the only “normal” way of thinking and behaving
is their own culture’s way of thinking and behaving, making it
difficult for them to accept other people’s cultures.
• School policies refer to written documents that describe the
school’s philosophy as well as guidelines for operations. The
school’s mission, vision, and goal statements, student handbooks,
faculty manuals, and the school curriculum itself are some of
examples of documents that reflect school policies. A good
“foundation” of peace-responsive school policies is needed in
these policy documents if peace and respect for cultural diversity
are to be promoted as part of the school’s efforts to build a culture
of peace. National policies in support of peace education have
been issued by Ministries of Education across ASEAN countries.
These need to be fully implemented and translated into actual
school activities and practices if peace and respect for cultural
diversity are to be promoted in school settings and communities.
• School policies should be reviewed based on the characteristics
of well-crafted and peace-responsive school policy statements.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 67
• The review and revision of policy documents towards the
promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity should be
done in consultation with various stakeholders from within and
from outside the school.
• Peace-responsive school policies are evaluated on two grounds.
The first is the evaluation of the form and content of the policy
itself. The second is the evaluation of the actual implementation of
the policies. For this purpose, it is essential to set target goals
that the policies and their related activities are supposed to have
achieved. It is important that the set goals are SMART (Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). An evaluation
table may be crafted and used based on these ideal characteristics.
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson?
To see how much you have learned from the lesson, try to answer the
following questions.
1. Enumerate five characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive
school policy statements.
2. Why is the promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity
important in school settings?
68 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
3. Provide three examples of school activities that promote peace and
respect for cultural diversity.
4. What are possible biases (personal characteristics, and others) by which
students can be discriminated against by their fellow students or other
members of the school?
5. Study the vision-mission statements of a school below. Using this as
reference, complete the Simple School Policy Analysis Table provided.
You may also copy the table on another sheet of paper to give yourself
more space for answers.
Community Elementary School
VISION STATEMENT
We envision ourselves to be a group of learners
committed to excellence and peace.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide education to develop students
who will be productive members of society.
GOALS
1. To develop the students’ basic knowledge.
2. To provide students essential skills for work.
3. To help students become active in addressing social
concerns.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 69
Feedback
How did you fare? You may compare your answers with those on pages
163-166. If your answers are similar to what is in there, you are doing
great. If not, review the parts that you missed. Then, review and revise
your answers before proceeding to the next lesson.
This lesson emphasized the importance of building a culture of peace and
respect for cultural diversity in your school as well as how these can be
supported through peace-responsive school policies. As school head, you
can take the lead in implementing peace education efforts in your school.
Studying the next lesson will give you suggestions on how this can be
done. You may now proceed to the next page to start Lesson 2: Teaching
and Learning a Culture of Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity.
InstitutionalGoals
Simple School Policy Analysis Table
VisionStatement
MissionStatement
SpecificSchoolPolicy
Document
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument havespecific provi-
sions promotingrespect for
culturaldiversity?Yes or No
Proposed Revisions
70 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What Is This Lesson About?
Educating for peace is considered a very important aspect of education in
many countries. As school head, you have an important role to play in
this global endeavor. It is your mandate to meet the goals and objectives
stipulated in your school policies in terms of providing effective peace
education. In Lesson 1, you learned how to set up a “strong foundation”
for your school’s peace effort. Do you remember what this foundation
refers to? If you answered “school policies,” then you are correct. Having
peace-responsive policies in your school is essential as these provide the
background and basis for rules and guidelines that will be implemented.
Once the foundation is adequately prepared, the next task, of course, is to
actually build the “house” that will serve the purpose of nurturing those
who “live” there.
In the context of peace education, this “house” refers to various
instructional and curricular activities that will provide the essential
knowledge, attitudes/values, skills, and practices that are supportive of
the peace-building process. Much like a house where the daily life functions
of the family are held, it is important to have guidelines and corresponding
activities that can be followed in order for the goals of peace education to
be achieved.
When your school policies already promote peace and respect for cultural
diversity, it is important to think of the actual activities and materials
needed to deliver the message of peace to the school’s main target, the
students. However, in this process, teachers, staff and even community
members are expected to be also involved as they are vital links towards
the achievement of your school’s peace education goals.
2LESSON Teaching and LearningTeaching and LearningTeaching and LearningTeaching and LearningTeaching and Learning
a Culture of Peace and Respecta Culture of Peace and Respecta Culture of Peace and Respecta Culture of Peace and Respecta Culture of Peace and Respectfor Cultural Diversityfor Cultural Diversityfor Cultural Diversityfor Cultural Diversityfor Cultural Diversity
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 71
In Lesson 1, you completed a review of your school policies and studied
examples of how national peace education policies can be operationalized
into actual school activities. This lesson, Lesson 2, further provides more
specific suggestions on how to adopt instructional and curricular processes
that promote a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity. You
will also learn how to develop school-based activities and supplemental
learning materials that respond to local learning needs and contexts and
promote a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity to
stakeholders. Moreover, you will be familiarized with examples of peace
promotion activities which you can adopt for your own school.
According to the website of the Cultivating Peace Initiative (2009), the
awareness of peace and its importance alone is not enough. Students need
to have a level of optimism and confidence that their actions towards
achieving peace can actually make a difference. As school leader, you
need to reassure them as well as your teachers that there is no one “right”
way to take action. Regardless of the various efforts that they take to
promote peace, educators are in a position where they can make a
significant difference in the lives of the youth – the future members of the
global citizenry. Achieving this requires “baby steps” involving day-by-
day school activities, which will slowly but surely inculcate the message
of peace and cultural diversity among the minds of the young. You, as
school leader, are expected to take part in this process of creating and
moulding future peace champions not only for your locale but for the
global stage as well.
Do you want to know more about how to implement various peace
education initiatives in your school? Read on.
72 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What Will You Learn?
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
• Explain the concepts, values, and skills that have to be integrated
in the teaching-learning process.
• Develop the capability of teachers in promoting peace and respect
for cultural diversity among students.
• Integrate peace education and respect for cultural diversity into
teaching and learning activities.
• Develop and implement peace-promoting school activities and
supplemental learning materials for students and faculty that
promote a culture of peace and celebrate cultural diversity.
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.1)
Read the following statements. Encircle the number of those statements
that you think are true.
1) Prejudice among students and between school staff and students
have no effect on the students’ academic achievement.
2) Those students who experience prejudice and discrimination at
school have a higher chance of dropping out of school.
3) Only the psychological health of students is affected when they
experience prejudice and discrimination at school.
4) Students who experience prejudice often feel isolated.
5) Students who come from different cultural or religious
backgrounds have more chances of being harassed or physically
harmed by their peers.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 73
Feedback
The following statements are true. Their numbers should be encircled.
2) Those students who experience prejudice and discrimination at
school have a higher chance of dropping out of school.
4) Students who experience prejudice often feel isolated.
5) Students who come from different cultural or religious backgrounds
have more chances of being harassed or physically harmed by their
peers.
Statements 1 and 3 are incorrect because prejudice among students and
between school staff and students have effects on the students’ academic
achievement, both on their psychological and physical health as well.
Before a school head can implement school activities that promote a culture
of peace and respect for cultural diversity, it is important that he or she
knows why doing this is important in the general context of learning.
When school heads are aware of the basic principles behind peace
education and their importance, they can be more convinced that, indeed,
educating for peace and respect for cultural diversity is essential. Ensuring
this will help provide an environment that is safe and conducive for
learning. The previous exercise examines your views on the impact of
peace education on learning. Realizing the value of peace education can
help you provide a good context for your efforts to promote it in your
school.
74 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
The Rationale for Teaching Peace and Respect
for Cultural Diversity in the Classroom
Studies have consistently provided evidence on the importance of
addressing the issues of prejudice and discrimination, especially in school
settings. Prejudice among students and between school staff and students
has been found to have a negative effect on students’ academic
achievement (Ancis, et al., 2000 in Castro & Galace, 2008), as well as
drop-out rates in schools (Kistner, et al., 2000 in Castro & Galace, 2008).
The psychological and even physical health of the “victims” is also
adversely affected when prejudice is experienced by students (Neville, et
al., 1997, in Castro & Galace, 2008). “Victims” of school prejudice are
often isolated, harassed or even physically harmed (Castro & Galace, 2008).
Given these findings, teaching peace and respect for cultural diversity
within classroom settings protect students who come from minority
groups. It also helps them cope with school-related challenges and achieve
better academically. Although people have stereotypes and prejudices
borne out of the socialization process (B. Harro, 1982 in Castro & Galace,
2008), peace education can help bring about the needed changes in their
attitudes towards achieving a more peaceable and cultural diversity-
respecting school environment.
Rani Gagliardi (1994) stated that effective learning cannot occur in a
classroom where tensions arise and are overlooked in silence. Educators
must become role models by embracing their students’ differences and
creating an atmosphere of mutual respect. By taking a proactive approach
in diversity, school heads and teachers can communicate their commitment
in supporting all members of the classroom regardless of their cultural
background and move away from the ethnocentric attitudes that have
dominated many educational institutions. He further added that educators
must make it their mission to identify areas of resistance and silence, raise
awareness about different identifies and communities and encourage
mutual understanding and respect. As an educator, you can help yourself
and your students overcome ethnocentricism by developing an
appreciation for and understanding of the larger contextual issues of
gender, race, cultures and ethnicity. In the long run, the appreciation of
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 75
cultural diversity will be embraced. This would help enrich the lives not
only of your students but also your own professional life as an educator.
Being a school head, you are expected to take an active role in diminishing,
if not eliminating, prejudice in your school. However, you cannot do this
alone. You need the help and cooperation of your teaching staff in
providing peace education, for they are the ones who are directly in the
frontline of the instructional process.
Let’ Try This (Activity 2.2)
Read and reflect on the questions below. Write your answers on the lines
that follow.
1. In relation to the findings of the studies mentioned earlier, what other
obstacles might you encounter in your efforts to address the issues of
prejudice and discrimination?
2. How might you be able to overcome these obstacles?
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor.
76 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Feedback
Aside from the stereotypes of people of certain groups, some of the
obstacles in addressing issues of prejudice and discrimination include:
school policies that do not or inadequately promote peace and respect for
cultural diversity, lack of interest among school administrators and
teachers in addressing such concerns, and the absence of systems for
addressing grievances (e.g., having assigned teachers that student can
approach if they encounter diversity-related problems).
To overcome obstacles, it is important that school policies are crafted to
provide clear directions and support to peace initiatives. A system must
also be set up to assist students who experience discrimination or bullying
at school. In addition, school activities may be designed to incorporate
peace and respect for cultural diversity across the various school subjects.
Examples of these will be provided in this lesson as well as in Lesson 3.
Let’s Study
Schema for Peace Education
Peace education refers to a process where learners are guided to develop
key knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values (KSA/Vs). These knowledge,
skills, and attitudes/values provide a schema that can be used to guide
instructional processes and other activities that promote peace-building
efforts. A schema is similar to a framework that helps you visualize the
components of concepts and how they relate to each other. In
PEACeXCELS Module 1: Cultivate Peace in Oneself and Champion the
Cause of Peace in Schools, you were introduced to the Schema for Peace
Education by Castro and Galace (2008). The same schema is reproduced
below and will now be explored in more depth.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 77
The figure shows the core attitudes and values that need to be promoted,
the essential knowledge that can help learners understand the importance
of peace, and the specific skills needed to put these to practice. These
KSA/Vs are integral to peace education and needed to incorporated in
efforts to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity. Note that the
figure also indicates that the KSA/Vs are in close interaction with one
another. Providing learners with peace-related concepts can help them
develop corresponding peace-promoting attitudes and encourage them
to work towards enhancing their peace-promoting skills. Educators can
use this schema to guide themselves in preparing the school curriculum,
identifying specific school activities, and developing corresponding
learning material, as part of the larger peace education process.
Figure 1. Schema for Peace Education (Castro & Galace, 2008)
Knowledge
1. Holistic concept of peace
2. Conflict & violence – causes
3. Some peaceful alternatives
a. Disarmament
b. Non violence- philosophy
and practice
c. Conflict resolution,
transformation and
prevention
d. Human rights
e. Human solidarity
f. Development based on
justice
g. Sustainable development
Skills
1. Reflection
2. Critical thinking &
analysis
3. Decision-making
4. Imagination
5. Communication
6. Conflict resolution
7. Empathy
8. Group-building
Attitudes/Values
1. Self-respect
2. Respect for others
3. Gender equality
4. Respect for life/non-violence
5. Compassion
6. Global concern
7. Ecological concern
8. Cooperation
9. Openness & tolerance
10. Justice
11. Social responsibility
12. Positive vision
78 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Think About This
Answer the following questions.
1. Based on the Schema for Peace Education, will providing students
knowledge related to peace and cultural diversity lead to the
development of desired attitudes and values? Give an example.
2. How will learning conflict resolution skills help students become active
promoters of peace?
3. How can school heads apply the schema to the promotion of peace
education efforts in their schools?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 79
Feedback
The Schema for Peace Education of Castro and Galace (2008) indicates that
skills are directly affected by and interact with knowledge and attitudes/
values. Because of this, providing students with knowledge related to peace
and cultural diversity, such as information on human rights, would likely
lead to their developing desired attitudes and values. Knowledge of the
rights of human beings, in turn, can help students develop respect for the
rights of others as individuals and a more tolerant attitude towards cultural
diversity. When students learn to develop their conflict resolution skills,
they would be better able to respond to disagreements with others through
non-violent and more peaceful means.
By referring to the Schema for Peace Education, school heads can identify
which activities need to be conducted as part of the students’ learning to
help them develop appropriate peacebuilding attitudes and skills. There
are many ways by which concepts of peace and respect for cultural
diversity can be incorporated in teaching and learning. Read on to learn
more about teaching and learning activities related to peace education
and how they can be implemented.
Let’s Read
Integrating Peace Education into Teaching
and Learning Activities
Nelson Murray (2005) stated that peace education can be introduced into
the school’s curriculum and instructional processes in many other ways
aside from directly revising the curriculum document. This is especially
true given that most educational policies come from national agencies,
such as the country’s Ministry of Education. The process of integration of
peace education into teaching and learning materials may also involve
the adoption or development of appropriate materials, establishing
educational networks, developing programs at the local level, and
conducting workshops for educators, parents, administrators and the
general community. These imply that curricular and instructional
processes related to the introduction of peace and cultural diversity
learnings actually overlap or are very closely related.
80 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Study
There are almost infinite ways by which concepts of peace and respect
for cultural diversity can be incorporated in instruction. Can you name
some of them? A basic principle to remember is that peace education can
be “woven” into existing school subjects. Below are some suggestions on
how “Education for Peace” can be integrated across the school curriculum.
Write your additional suggested activities on the spaces provided.
Afterwards, discuss your answers with your Flexible Learning Tutor and
co-learners.
English
• Students could write a script and perform a play, or write a short
story, about the experiences of a young refugee.
• Discussions and other cooperative activities could be held on the
issues of child soldiers, nuclear weapons, and other peace-related
issues.
• Newspaper articles about war or political turmoil could be analyzed
in terms of messages that get said directly or indirectly. These
activities would increase understanding and awareness of war
and peace issues; develop skills of empathy; illustrate links between
the personal, local and global events; and promote honest talk and
sensitive listening.
• Students could write essays on cultural celebrations from all over
the world and why cultures should be celebrated and respected.
Additional suggested activities for English:
Mathematics
• Students may be guided in calculating the amount spent on the
military in one particular country, region, continent or conflict.
Then, they may be guided in calculating the amount spent on socio-
economic services annually.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 81
• Military spending figures could be compared to Gross Domestic
Product (GDP), education or health spending, or how much it
would have cost to resolve a conflict in a non-violent way. Graphs,
charts and so on could be produced to display some of the
relationships.
• Students may also be asked to compute the population ratios and
percentages of different cultural or ethnic groups in one’s local
community, in the country, Asia, and the World.
Additional suggested activities for Mathematics:
Science
• The effects of war on the environment could be discussed in natural
science subjects such as Biology and Chemistry. Lessons could
consider how the atmosphere and water resources are affected by
war and how this in turn affects plants and animals.
• A discussion of nuclear technology would provide an opportunity
to examine the ethics of scientific research and how scientific
knowledge can be used for both peaceful and non-peaceful
activities.
• The use of alternative forms of energy production such as wind
and solar energy also has implications for the social and political
events in a country. Discuss how such can help reduce global
warming, especially when countries work together.
• Start a project to conceptualize an environment-friendly house or
clothing with built-in safety features and communications
technology that can be used to promote peace.
• Students can discuss how the living environment (i.e., local plants
and wildlife) shapes the culture of people from different countries.
A good example would be the use of medicinal plants widely
available in the area.
82 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Additional suggested activities for Science:
History
• War is studied in History lessons. However, the focus is usually on
the events that took place such as battles, sinking of ships,
declarations of war and declarations of peace. To integrate more
peace-responsive activities, add discussions on how we can avoid
the same terrible mistakes of war in the future.
• To promote respect for cultural diversity, introduce learners to the
history of other countries and how these affect their current way
of life. Discuss how historical events helped shape a country’s
culture, language and even religion.
• Discuss with students how different countries respond to crises
such as internal strife, wars or economic depression based on their
culture. For example, the Thais’ high level of respect for their King
further reinforces his stabilizing role in setting conflicts and
disputes among people of different ideologies in Thailand.
Additional suggested activities for History:
Geography
• Aside from the study of physical and political geography, students
can also be introduced to social geography. This area of study
focuses on issues such as famine, food distribution, refugees,
underdevelopment, environmental pollution, natural resources
(oil, diamonds, water, etc.), trade flows, and migration.
• The negative effects of war on the human and physical geography
of the world may also be covered.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 83
• To help promote the appreciation of cultural diversity, students
can discuss how the physical environment (e.g., local terrain)
shapes the way people live as well as their cultural practices. For
example, the Badjaos, a cultural group in the Philippines, live in
“houses on stilts” above the water, as they live in aquatic
environments.
Additional suggested activities for Geography:
Art & Design
• The art world is full of images of conflict, death, and anger and
also of peace, serenity, and cooperation. By studying ‘peaceful’
images and ‘violent’ images, students, can learn how thoughts and
emotions can be expressed through image and form.
• Signs and symbols have been used for centuries to promote war or
peace. Students could design their own symbol or logo to promote
a culture of peace.
• Guide students in appreciation of various art forms from different
parts of the world. To promote the appreciation of cultural diversity
through art, discuss the influence of a country’s culture on its visual
arts. Explore how a country’s multi-ethnic backgrounds get
reflected in its various art forms.
• Other art forms such as music and dance may also be used as a
venue to integrate peace concepts. Ask students to prepare a dance
number or a musical piece that focuses on issues around peace
and cultural diversity.
Additional suggested activities for Art & Design:
84 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Citizenship, Government and Civic Studies
• Human rights and the responsibility of peoples and nations to
respect them may be discussed in this subject. Lessons may be
focused on topics such as the right to life and responsibility not to
kill; on the role of the UN Security Council and its members in
armed conflict; and on the failure of war and many ‘peace’ treaties
to bring a lasting end to conflict.
• To help promote the appreciation of cultural diversity, discuss
specific laws or issuances that promote the protection of equal
rights for all, regardless of one’s cultural, religious or ethnic
backgrounds.
Additional suggested activities for Citizenship, Government and Civic
Studies:
The examples given provide ideas that you can use to integrate peace and
respect for cultural diversity in your school activities. Note that these
activities can be tailored to fit into the different subjects taught at various
educational levels. You may choose activities based on their
appropriateness, level of difficulty, resource requirements, and relevance
to current concerns.
In introducing peace and cultural diversity concepts in teaching students,
Desillas (1994) suggested the following key principles to remember:
• Constantly look for opportunities to “weave in” or introduce peace
and cultural diversity concepts in existing lessons being used in
classrooms;
• Use creative approaches to make learning fun and enjoyable for
both teachers and students;
• Introduce unique instructional approaches aside from the usual
“talk and chalk” strategy; and
• Specifically cover conflict resolution as a learning or skills area for
development.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 85
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.3)
For the given subjects below, provide four activities that integrate peace
and respect for cultural diversity. You may refer to the examples given
earlier as guide.
Information & Communication Technology (ICT)/ Computer Class
1.
2.
3.
4.
Foreign Languages
1.
2.
3.
4.
Feedback
Compare your answers with mine on page 167. Your answers may not
be exactly the same, but as long as the activities fit into the general “theme”
of the academic subject, you’re doing fine. Discuss your answers with
your co-learners and your Flexible Learning Tutor.
The activity provided an opportunity for you to think of creative ways to
integrate peace and respect for cultural diversity in class. As mentioned
earlier, it is important to use creative approaches to make learning fun
and enjoyable for both teachers and students. Do you want to learn other
kinds of activities that can be used to teach students about peace and
respect for cultural diversity? There are several more options for you.
Read on to find out what these are.
86 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
Teaching-Learning Approaches and Strategies
in Peace Education
There are many ways by which policies that promote peace and cultural
diversity can be translated into school activities. It is important to
remember that for these activities to work, they need to have the following
characteristics:
• Participatory – The activities need to be inclusive, not exclusive.
All those present must be able to participate and be given equal
opportunities to join the activities and express themselves freely.
For example, teachers may use the method of using metacards to
allow all students to participate by writing their thoughts on the
cards and posting them for discussion.
• Dialogical - The activities must encourage dialogue and support
open communication. Conflict resolution is possible only when
dialogues are encouraged in an atmosphere that is accepting and
non-judgmental. For example, the teacher may present a conflict
situation to the students who will then discuss the merits and
demerits of the situation and decide on the best solutions after
dialogues.
• Holistic - The activities allow the exploration of various ideas and
issues from different viewpoints. They must also consider the larger
contexts, such as the community and the society. For example,
students may be asked to provide examples of the topics being
discussed (e.g., use of medicinal plants) based on their community’s
experience.
These principles can help you develop further your planned activities for
integration. To provide you with more examples, Castro & Galace (2008)
suggest the following specific activities that are compatible with peace
education efforts:
• Small group discussions – Students form small groups to discuss
topics related to peace. Examples: Discussions on World War 2, its
causes and outcomes (for History classes); Discussion on how wars
have affected the quality of air through emissions from explosives
and related devices (for Science classes).
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 87
• Pairing up with a discussion partner - Student pairs are formed
to discuss peace and diversity-related issues in more detail.
• Visualization /Imagination Exercises – Participants are asked to
visualize conflict situations and potential solutions to solve them.
• Perspective-taking - Learners are asked to understand and
appreciate where the other person is coming from, as part of
problem-solving skills. Example: Students can be assigned to discuss
how clean and honest elections can be achieved, coming from the
perspective of young voters, civic groups, religious groups, and
other sectors of the community.
• Role-playing – Allows participants to role play a situation to
promote understanding and empathy by being exposed to various
vantage points. Example: Students can re-enact a session of the
local council to decide how various cultural events can be supported
by the local government as well as members of the community.
• Simulation Games – Simulates situations of violence to enable
learners to feel a situation of peacelessness. Example: World Fact
Game- The class will be divided into groups who will form 4 sets
of world fact quiz questions related to peace which other teams
need to answer.
• Games – Allows fun learning to take place. Examples: Create a
cultural game by assigning students to prepare activities to help
people discover and understand ways by which people from other
cultures think and act. Authentic culture-based games (which the
students themselves can demonstrate) may also be done for
everyone to participate.
• Problem-solving - Enables students to solve problems through
more creative techniques. Example: Create a scenario where a
problem needs to be solved. For example, how to demand the
return of a borrowed item from a friend without resorting to non-
peaceful words or actions.
• Considering issues/Issue poll - Surfaces the differing opinions of
learners on an issue. Example: Ask students to provide reasons
why human rights need to be universally respected, regardless of
the persons’ cultural or other backgrounds.
88 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Encouraging action - Learners are asked to express a resolution or
commitment to an issue.
• Reading or writing a quotation - Reading and discussing a peace-
related quotation at the start of a lesson. Example: “Be the change
you wish to see in the world.” (Mohandas K. Gandhi).
• Web charting - A word association activity. Example: Write the
word RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY on the board and ask students
to associate words to it. Explore the associated words through a
discussion.
• Use of film and photographs - Example: Peace Corner - The class
creates a corner of the room to be labelled Peace Corner. They can
put up photographs, clippings, posters , and others, to reflect peace
and respect for cultures here.
• Telling or writing stories, including personal stories –
Encourages recall of important peace concepts through personal
sharing. Example: Writing peace-related short stories or
“Peacelets.” These are creative writing exercises to encourage
students to think of “crazy” possibilities for peace and unusual
ends to war.
• Song/Poem analysis - Peace-related messages are analysed in songs
and poems. Example: Select a song about peace or the effects of
war (e.g., “Imagine” by John Lennon inspired by the Vietnam War
of the ‘70s). Listen to it as a class. Discuss the lyrics afterwards.
• Sentence completion – Learners are asked to complete unfinished
sentences. Example: Peace is possible because ___________. War
creates . Respecting other cultures will .
• Art - Making of anti-war posters or paintings that promote peace
and unity.
• Journal writing/individual reflection - Example: Writing a one-
page article/essay on “My Personal Commitment to Peace,” which
encourages students to identify ways on how they can help
promote peace and respect for cultural diversity on a personal
level.
• Go rounds - opinions of everyone are briefly asked in one round.
Example: “Human Peace Boards” – for this activity, students tape
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 89
a blank sheet of paper on their backs for their classmates to write
peaceful and appreciative messages.
• Teachable moments – The teacher uses opportunities to discuss
peace-related concepts based on a “hot issue” identified for the
day. Example: During a class discussion of current events, some
countries were reported to have low numbers of children who go
to school. The teacher can use this as an opportunity to discuss
that war or conflict is a possible cause for this problem.
• Interview-research – Learners are asked to gather data on the
beliefs and values of minority groups in the community.
• Expert resources - Peace advocates and key personalities are
interviewed by students.
• Reciprocal teaching – Students are given a chance to take turns
in facilitating discussions.
• Twinning projects - Partnerships are formed between schools in
conducting a specific peace activity. Example: The twinning
between Miriam College (a private Christian school based in Metro
Manila, the capital city of the Philippines) and the Rajah Mudah
High School (a public school in a conflict-ridden area in Mindanao,
Southern Philippines). You can read more about this project in
the Annex at the end of this module.
• Dialogues - Learners converse rather than debate on a current
issue. Example: Students can be asked to form pairs and pick from
a list of issues and topics to discuss. Each pair can discuss this in
front of the class but have the specific instruction not to debate or
argue. They are encouraged to talk about the issue in a more
peaceable manner without a need to have a “winner” as in a
debate.
• Exposure trips – Learners are given an opportunity to personally
see situations and interact with persons who are victims of injustice.
A variant of this activity is visiting a natural place that is
conveniently available. Ask the students to spend one hour in
silence. Simply observe nature and “be”.
90 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Use of globes and maps – Helps in visualizing diversity-related
topics. Example: Using the globe, illustrate why people have
different manners of dressing because of their geographical
locations. This activity can be enhanced by having students bring
pictures of different costumes from all over the world.
• Brainstorming – Letting ideas flow with comments from others.
Example: A student can present his/her vision of a peaceful solution
to the issue of discrimination against ethnic minorities. After
talking, the opinions of the other students are solicited without a
need to come up with a decision as a group.
• Reading quotations – Students are asked to ponder on peace-
related quotations from personalities. Example: “In a world where
people settle issues ‘an eye for an eye,’ everyone will be blind”(Mahatma
Gandhi).
• Use of charts and graphs – Use of figures to help learners visualize
better the impact of peacelessness. Example: Graphs on maternal
deaths, food supply, level of education, health etc. from a war-
torn country.
• Case studies – In depth studies of cases of injustice and the like
• Collage-making and other art activities – Creative expressions of
peace concepts and messages.
• Show and tell – Allows students to showcase their own
backgrounds to others. Example: Organize a “Show and Tell Your
Culture Day” when students are assigned to present their cultural
background to the class in a “show and tell” fashion. They can
wear their national costumes or bring something that can represent
what they are. The class can discuss similarities or differences
afterwards.
• Reflective moments – Example: Talking in class will not be allowed
for a few minutes, but the students have to be grouped and assigned
to perform a task. Insights on the activity can be discussed
afterwards.
• Peace Camps - The school can organize a peace camp. Given one
weekend, a series of discussions on peace-related topics can be
undertaken. This can be done inside the school or off-campus.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 91
Let’s Think About This
The approaches and strategies you read in the long list are just some of
what you can do to operationalize school policies into actual activities for
students and teachers that promote peace and respect for cultural
diversity. Which strategies do you think are appropriate for your own
school setting? Why/ Why not?
Write down your answers in the spaces provided below.
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor.
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.4)
As of this point, you already are familiar with the many school activity
options available for promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity.
The next challenge is how to integrate them well into the various academic
subjects at school. This can be done through the weaving of “themes”
across various learning areas. Do you know how this is done?
To find out if you are ready to “weave” peace and cultural diversity inputs
into school activities, work on the table that follows. The first table identifies
a subject area. Under this subject, indicate a topic related to peace and
cultural diversity that you want to introduce. Fill in the second column to
provide suggestions for teaching strategies appropriate for the topic
proposed. You may refer to the earlier sections of this lesson for a listing
of suggested activities. The first row was done for you as an example.
92 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor. You may also refer to the Table on pages 93-94 for ideas on how
other school teachers filled out the table.
Subject: Social Studies
The Cambodian War
Subject: Science
Subject: Art
Subject: Music
Class discussions on how the war
started and its outcomes. Focus the
discussion on the impact of war on
children.
Ask students to reflect on the effects of
war on children and imagine how
they would feel if they experienced a
similar situation.
Suggested Teaching StrategiesPeace and cultural diversitylessons or activities to beimplemented at school
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 93
Let’s Study
The previous activity showed you that there are many teaching and learn-
ing strategies that can be adapted to promote peace and respect for cul-
tural diversity in school settings. Activities that use creative approaches
can help in imparting to students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
needed to become peace champions. In many schools, existing activities
can be refocused or enhanced to make them more peace responsive. Do
you know how this can be done? Read on to find out.
Focusing on the peace education topic of the negative effects of war, the
following were suggestions provided by teachers of Mr. Kunaporn on
how the topic can be successfully “woven” across the subjects. This table
is a little bit different from the one you worked on earlier. As their school
already have existing activities, another column was added to the table to
provide suggestions for improvement for teaching strategies and materials.
Suggestions forImprovement of
Teaching Strategiesand Materials
Aside from classdiscussions, the teachermay also introduceactivities such as readingpeace-related short storiesor “Peacelets” such as thestory of Sadako Sasakiwho was affected by thebombing of Hiroshimaduring World War II andwhose story inspiredpeople from around theworld to campaign fornuclear disarmament.
Role playing of a localcouncil session to developamong students the skillfor peaceful conflictresolution.
Peace and CulturalDiversity Lessons orActivities Currently
Implemented at School
Teaching Strategiesand Materials
Currently BeingUsed
Subject: Social Studies
Discussions on WorldWar 2, its causes andoutcomes, and itsimpact on the localschool community.
Discussions on howdisputes in thecommunity can bepeacefully settledthrough the localcouncils.
Class discussions
94 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Subject: Science
Discussion on how non-peaceful activities such aswars or armed conflicthave affected the localenvironment and thepeople who live there.
Class discussions
Film showing - awar movie - withdebriefingafterwards
The students can havemore active participationin the learning process byputting up an exhibit onthe “Perils of War.” Theycan also look for warveterans in the communityand interview them to gettheir personal recollectionson the horrors of war.
Subject: Art
Making of anti-warposters.Creating bannersthat promote peace andrespect for culturaldiversity.
Poster-makingmaterials
Students can make posterspromoting peace andrespect for culturaldiversity and post themwithin the school and inthe community. Theseposters should reflect theircultural backgrounds(based on design, use ofcolor, patterns, etc.)
Subject: Music
Listening to music thattells of the effects ofdiscrimination
Class discussions
Listening to musicthat calls for hope inthe midst ofdiscrimination e.g.,“We ShallOvercome,”popularized by theCivil RightsMovement in theUnited States ofAmerica
Discuss the lyrics of theselected song and explorethe students’interpretation of theselyrics.
Ask students to bringsamples of local songsrelated to peace andpresent them to class.Discuss the message ofthese songs.
Suggestions forImprovement for
Teaching Strategiesand Materials
Peace and CulturalDiversity Lessons orActivities Currently
Implemented at School
Teaching Strategiesand Materials
Currently BeingUsed
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 95
What can you learn from the table? The table shows that single peace-
related concepts such as “war and its negative effects” can be successfully
woven into various subjects in school. This is sometimes referred to as
thematic integration, where themes are identified (e.g., promoting peace)
and incorporated across various subject areas through specially designed
activities. It simply takes careful planning, skill, and creativity on the part
of the teacher or facilitator to make things work. This way, peace-
promoting school policies can be translated into actual activities in and
outside the classroom that promote peace education efforts.
Let’s Think About This
Mr. Kunaporn, through the use of the internet, was able to study examples
of peace activities adopted by schools all over the world to enhance their
curriculum and instructional processes. He was also able to examine new
learning materials that can be used to make the activities more effective.
However, he had difficulty thinking about how these activities can be adapted
to the realities of his school.
96 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What suggestions would you give to Mr. Kunaporn on what he can do to
adapt peace activities for his school, given that they have only limited
resources? Write your answers below.
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor.
Let’s Study
Localizing School Activities and Teaching-Learning
Materials in the Teaching of Peace and Respect
for Cultural Diversity
In the earlier part of this lesson you learned that peace-responsive school
activities can be introduced in many ways. However, to make these
activities more meaningful to the students, these should be related to their
own experiences. This strategy of starting with local issues will also help
encourage students to participate in discussions because of their familiarity
with the topic being discussed. It is, therefore, important to localize school
activities and teaching-learning materials in the teaching of peace and
cultural diversity. Like Mr. Kunaporn, you may ask, “How can this be
achieved?”
In the earlier examples, it was suggested that students discuss how
different countries respond to crisis such as internal strife, war, or
economic depression based on their culture. If students at the community
elementary school experience difficulty conceptualizing this issue, how
can the activity be adopted to the children’s life realities? What
modifications can you suggest?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 97
Mr. Kunaporn suggested that instead of discussing about different
countries, the students can discuss how their families’ cultures influence
the way the family members handle conflicts among family members and
conflicts with outsiders. For example, if a student’s family espouses the
belief based on religious teachings that no one should let the day end
without amicably settling disputes with his/her siblings, family members
would definitely have to discuss and resolve conflicts with one another as
soon as possible.
Such discussions could focus first on a social issue that is both familiar
and relevant to the students, such as local conflicts within the family, and
then, local conflicts in the community and their impact on social
relationships. Later on, the discussions may move from local experiences
towards regional and worldwide contexts.
Indeed, it is important to use local issues as anchors for school-based peace
activities (at least at the initial stage of peace education for students). This
can go a long way in supporting the students’ as well as the teachers’
commitment to become local champions for global peace efforts.
Let’s Think About This
Do you remember your teachers when you were in primary school? Select
one from among them that you think would best exemplify a Teacher of
Peace. What are his/her characteristics? List five of these characteristics
or traits in the spaces provided below.
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor. Read on to find out more about the characteristics of a Teacher of
Peace.
98 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Study
The Characteristics of Teachers of Peace
One cannot give peace to others if one does not have it within oneself. In
response to the challenge of peace education, teachers must serve as models
for the qualities and skills they are helping students to develop within. To
achieve this, teachers must undergo a personal transformation towards
becoming champions of peace. This way, they can become credible bringers
of the peace message.
Being a peace educator is a noble calling. It poses a challenge to everyone
in the school system, especially to teachers who directly interact with the
students. Betty Reardon (2001), a well-known peace educator, provides
these attributes of Teachers of Peace (from Castro & Galace, 2008):
Attributes of Teachers of Peace
1) The Teacher of Peace is a responsible global citizen, an agent of
the culture of peace who has the vision and hope towards the
achievement of positive change. S/He understands that education
should be a means towards constructive change.
2) S/He is motivated by service and is actively involved in the
community. S/He is a responsible person in the society s/he
belongs to.
3) S/He is a lifelong learner who continues to improve his/her own
learning abilities and to keep abreast of the field;
4) S/He is both a transmitter and transformer of values. S/He is a
critical and reflective agent of social and cultural transformation;
5) S/He is a seeker of mutually-enhancing relationships that nurture
peace and a sense of community.
6) S/He is gender-sensitive and alert to any possibility of gender bias
in self or students.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 99
7) A Teacher of Peace is constructively critical. S/He uses criticism
as a tool towards constructive change.
8) A Teacher of Peace intentionally develops the capacity to care
among students by knowing their learners as individuals. This
enables him/her to respond to the differences in students’
learning styles as positively as s/he is expected to respond to
other human differences.
9) A Teacher of Peace is an inquirer. S/He is more a raiser of
questions than a giver of answers. S/He poses instructive
questions into the conditions that impede and those that enhance
possibilities for achieving a culture of peace.
10) S/He has the skills of reflective learning through which s/he
applies what is learned from teaching to deepen his/her own
understanding of the students and the learning process.
11) A Teacher of Peace has the skills of effective communication
(such as emphatic listening and processing of ideas), as well as
conflict resolution. These are essential attributes for community-
building and peace-making.
12) S/He practices cooperative learning by encouraging school tasks
that enable students to work together. S/He discourages negative
competition or in-group – out-group behavior (exclusion) among
students.
13) A Teacher of Peace inspires understanding of alternative
possibilities for the future and for a culture of peace. S/He helps
students plan and act to achieve such a culture.
100 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
There are other attributes that can be ascribed to “Teachers of Peace.”
Nevertheless, all these characteristics support the school’s peace education
efforts through the cultivation of knowledge, attitudes, and practices that
promote peace and respect for cultural diversity. According to The
Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (2000), peace education is about
empowering people with the skills, attitudes, and knowledge to be able
to achieve the following:
• build, maintain, and restore relationships at all levels of human
interaction
• develop positive approaches towards dealing with conflicts -from
the personal to the international
• create safe environments, both physically and emotionally, that
nurture each individual
• create a safe world based on justice and human rights
• build a sustainable environment and protect it from exploitation
and war
To achieve these, teachers must become more than just sources of academic
knowledge; they must also become facilitators of the peace process, starting
with their own personal transformation. To become “Teachers of Peace,”
educators need to develop personal values and skills in various areas,
which include the following: communication, listening, understanding
different perspectives, cooperation, problem solving, critical thinking,
decision making, conflict resolution, and social responsibility.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 101
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.5)
Work with one teacher in your school for this exercise. Ask a teacher to
fill out the Teacher of Peace Self-Assessment Questionnaire below based on
Betty Reardon’s list of the attributes of a teacher of peace ( Castro & Galace,
2008). Ask the teacher to place check marks on the corresponding level of
knowledge, values, and skills that s/he possesses. An overall score can be
tallied after filling out the table.
1. I am a responsible globalcitizen. I understand thateducation should be ameans towardsconstructive change.
2. I am motivated by serviceand am actively involvedin the community.
3. I am a lifelong learnerwho continues toimprove my ownlearning abilities.
4. I am both a transmitterand transformer ofvalues. I am a critical andreflective agent of socialand culturaltransformation.
5. I am a seeker ofmutually enhancingrelationships that nurturepeace and a sense ofcommunity.
6. I am gender-sensitive. Iam alert to any possibilityof gender bias in self orstudents.
Teacher of Peace Self-Assessment Questionnaire
Characteristics
I have this/ I am this(3 points)
I may havethis /I maybe this(2 points)
I do nothave this/I am not this(1 point)
102 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Total Score: = + +
7. I am constructivelycritical. I use criticism as atool towards constructivechange.
8. I intentionally develop thecapacity to care amonglearners.
9. I am an inquirer. I ammore a raiser of questionsthan a giver of answers.
10. I have the skills ofreflective learning throughwhich I apply what islearned from my teachingto deepen my ownunderstanding of thestudents and the learningprocess.
11. I have the skills ofcommunication andconflict resolution.
12. I practice cooperativelearning by encouragingcooperative learning tasksand discouraging negativecompetition or in-group –out-group behavior(exclusion) amongstudents.
13. I inspire theunderstanding ofalternative possibilities forthe future and for aculture of peace. I helpstudents plan and act toachieve such a culture.
Teacher of Peace Self-Assessment Questionnaire (Continued)
Characteristics
I have this/ I am this(3 points)
I may havethis /I maybe this(2 points)
I do nothave this/I am not this(1 point)
Source: Betty Reardon’s list of the attributes of a teacher of peace (in Castro
& Galace, 2008).
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 103
As school head, how do you envision to help the teachers in your school
become Teachers of Peace? Write down your suggestions in the space
provided.
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor. Read on to find out more about how you can help your teachers
become “Teachers of Peace.”
Let’s Read
Here are some suggestions to help develop your teachers into Teachers of
Peace:
1. Assist your teachers to develop “inner peace.” Inner peace is
characterized by self-respect and by recognition of one’s own dignity
as a human being. Promoting this sense of “inner peace” is essential
towards assuming the role of a peace champion.
2. Guide them towards the process of self-discovery. Helping them
become aware of their own prejudices and how these affect the
way they view and interact with others.
Add all the scores according to the checked columns. A score of 26 and
above indicates that the teacher possesses the attributes of a teacher of
peace. A score of 25 or less indicates that the teacher needs more help
and guidance towards becoming a Teacher of Peace.
Let’s Think About This
104 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
3. Through informal discussions and formal trainings, open
discussions on peace and peace education, their importance and
how these can be achieved in a school setting through curricular
and instructional activities.
4. Provide teachers with opportunities to practice teaching skills in
relation to peace education and the respect for cultural diversity.
5. Provide training workshops for the teachers to be familiar with
the peace concepts, values, and skills that should be taught or
integrated in their teaching.
6. Support the teachers throughout the process, within and outside
school.
Let’s Think About This
The suggestions given are just some of the possible activities and strategies
that you can adopt to help your teachers become effective Teachers of
Peace. Can you think of other strategies to add to the list? On the spaces
provided, write other strategies that you think can also be done.
Discuss your answers with your Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 105
Let’s Remember
In this lesson, you learned that:
• Teaching peace and respect for cultural diversity in schools is
important as it is an ethical imperative, a legal obligation, a
practical alternative, and a must for effective learning. Studies
have shown that prejudice in school has a negative effect on the
learners’ psychological and physical health, as well as their
academic achievement.
• Peace education refers to a process where learners are guided to
acquire/develop key knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values
(KSA/Vs) that promote peace and respect for cultural diversity.
Based on a schema for peace education, these sets of KSA/Vs
interact closely with one another. They are integral to peace
education and need to be incorporated in efforts to promote
peace.
• In introducing peace and cultural diversity concepts in teaching
students, it is important to:
a. Constantly look for opportunities to “weave in” or
introduce peace and cultural diversity concepts in existing
lessons being used in classrooms.
b. Use creative approaches
c. Introduce unique instructional approaches
d. Specifically cover conflict resolution as an area for
development.
• There are more than 30 examples of teaching-learning
approaches and activities that can be “thematically woven” into
the various subjects given in this lesson. Some of these activities
are: small group discussions, pairing with a discussion partner,
visualization imagination exercises, perspective talking and role-
playing.
106 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Creative activities that enhance student participation can be
developed by yourself and your teachers. It is important,
however, to use local issues as anchors for school-based peace
activities (at least at the initial stage of peace education for
students). This strategy helps support the students’ as well as
the teachers’ commitment to become local champions for global
peace efforts.
• There are thirteen key characteristics of Teachers of Peace, as
identified by Betty Reardon. To become Teachers of Peace,
instructors need to develop personal values and skills in various
areas, which include the following: communication, listening,
understanding different perspectives, cooperation, problem-
solving, critical thinking, decision-making, conflict resolution,
and social responsibility.
• Suggestions to develop your teachers into Teachers of Peace are:
§ Help your teachers develop “inner peace.”
§ Open and continuously support the discourse on peace and
peace education.
§ Foster the development of their peace KSA/Vs through
sustainable teaching and learning programs as well as self-
evaluations.
§ Provide an atmosphere of support throughout the process,
within and outside school.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 107
How Much Have You Learned From This
Lesson?
To review how much you have learned from this lesson, try to answer the
following questions.
1. Why is there a need to use local issues as anchors for school-based
peace and cultural diversity activities?
2. Give six examples of strategies that can be used to integrate peace
and respect for cultural diversity in school activities.
3. Provide three examples of creative ways to introduce the issue of peace
and cultural diversity in the subject of Art/ Fine Arts/ Arts & Design.
108 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
4. Why is peace education important in a school setting?
5. Explain the Schema for Peace Education by discussing the relationship
of knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values (KSA/Vs) in teaching and
learning peace and respect for cultural diversity.
Feedback
Are your answers the same as mine? Compare your answers with mine
on pages 168-170. If your answers are similar to mine, you did well. If
not, you may need to review the parts you missed or work again on the
activities described in this lesson. After doing so, you may continue with
the next lesson.
Now that you are more familiar with some of the principles of peace
education and how these can be introduced through school activities,
you are ready to learn how to develop and support peace-responsive
learning environments. The next lesson will provide you with additional
inputs on how to sustain the development of your teachers and students
as peace advocates and champions of respect for cultural diversity, both
within and outside the school setting. You may proceed to the start of
Lesson 3 on the next page.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 109
What Is This Lesson About?
As school head, your efforts towards creating a peace-responsive school
based on sound policies and instructional activities need to be sustained.
After all, the school is a student’s second home. It is the venue where they
learn the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes that would enable
them to become local peace champions.
Do you have an idea on how your school’s peace efforts can be sustained?
If not, reading this lesson will help you acquire new ideas to help you in
your efforts towards being a peace education advocate not only for your
own school but also for the local community. Your role as a local champion
of the global quest for peace can be transferred to your teachers, students
and members of the community in many ways. This lesson will help
strengthen and sustain your peace efforts.
This lesson provides strategies on how you can develop a learning
environment that effectively promotes respect and tolerance for cultural
diversity. It will also give you suggestions in planning and organizing
school activities that promote peaceful processes. Lastly, you will study
ways on how to foster and sustain the development of your teachers and
students as peace advocates and champions of respect for cultural
diversity.
Sustaining a Culture of PeaceSustaining a Culture of PeaceSustaining a Culture of PeaceSustaining a Culture of PeaceSustaining a Culture of Peaceand Respect for and Respect for and Respect for and Respect for and Respect for CulturalCulturalCulturalCulturalCultural
Diversity in School and BeyondDiversity in School and BeyondDiversity in School and BeyondDiversity in School and BeyondDiversity in School and Beyond 3LESSON
110 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
What Will You Learn?
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to be able to do the
following:
• Operationalize strategies in providing a learning environment
that promotes peace and appreciation for cultural diversity.
• Foster and sustain the development of students and teachers
as peace champions by providing peace-responsive school
structures and opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders in building a community of
peace.
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.1)
Miss Lai is a Social Studies Teacher at the Community Elementary School.
Because she regularly participates at the meetings called by Mr. Kunaporn
to promote peace education in their school, she is aware that she needs to
weave peace-responsive concepts, activities, and learning materials into
her instructional activities. However, she is confused as to where to start.
She noted that her class was quite diverse in terms of culture and religion.
She had students whose parents originally came from other countries. She
also counted Catholic, Muslim, and Buddhist students in her class. She
realized that in order for her to implement peace education and help her
students become peace champions, she needed to prepare herself well for
the lessons. She decided that it was best to know more about the cultures
and religions of her students to gather background information to base her
lesson plans on. She asked for a meeting with Mr. Kunaporn.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 111
Mr. Kunaporn: Good morning, Miss Lai. I am glad you have actively
participated in our school’s peace education efforts. I hope
you find the idea of peace promotion exciting and beneficial to
our students.
Ms. Lai: Good morning, Mr. Kunaporn. Yes, sir. I truly do. I think
peace education is very important and I can’t wait to start.
Mr. Kunaporn: What can I do for you this morning, Miss Lai?
Ms. Lai: I would like to know more about my class before I start
developing my lesson plans and activities. You see, my class
is quite diverse. I have students coming from other countries
and from different religions, too. I wanted to ask your
suggestions on how I could help them better appreciate cultural
diversity.
Mr. Kunaporn: That’s an interesting scenario you’ve got there, Ms. Lai. I
agree with you totally. It is important to find out more about
our students so that we can help them learn about each other
better so they can develop an appreciation for each other’s
unique backgrounds. My suggestion is for you to involve your
students in learning about each other’s cultures. Through this,
they can better understand other cultures and gain insights
on their own.
Answer the following questions using the spaces provided.
1. Do you agree with Mr. Kunaporn’s suggestion? Why/Why not?
2. What specific activities would you suggest Ms. Lai to conduct in
her class to promote the appreciation of cultural diversity?
112 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
3. Would you say that Mr. Kunaporn is helping Ms. Lai to better
perform her role as a facilitator of peace education among her
students? Why/ Why not?
Feedback
Mr. Kunaporn’s suggestion to Ms. Lai to find out more about her students
is a good one. This is an excellent way to start the process of students
learning about and developing a better appreciation of each other’s unique
backgrounds as well as gain insights on their own. Ms. Lai can also conduct
several types of creative and fun activities in her class to promote the
appreciation of cultural diversity. Doing this would be a good way to
help her become a better facilitator of peace education among her students.
Indeed, learning more about other cultures can help promote appreciation
for cultural diversity. This can be achieved through curricular activities
that integrate the components (KSA/Vs - Knowledge, Skills and
Attitudes/Values) of the Schema of Peace Education, which was discussed
on page 77. Integrating peace concepts and activities in the various school
subjects help facilitate the peace-building process educators aim to instill
among the students.
In many countries, having citizens from various cultural, ethnic, and
religious backgrounds is slowly becoming the norm. This translates into
schools being multicultural as well. We now see a lot of schools with
students coming from different religions and various cultural-ethnic
backgrounds. Catholic, Muslim, and Buddhist students, for example, may
need to learn more about each other’s religions to help them adjust to
each other’s needs. In essence, teachers are now faced with the challenge
of having to provide education to learners who may have different needs
as a result of these cultural differences. A Teacher of Peace needs to be
prepared to address these concerns through his/her lessons and other
activities. What strategies can teachers adopt in response to these
challenges? Read on to find out.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 113
Let’s Study
Providing a Learning Environment that Promotes Peace
and Respect for Cultural Diversity
In Lesson 2 of this module, you learned the characteristics of an ideal
teacher of peace. You also studied how teachers can be helped by school
administrators like you towards becoming an effective teacher of peace.
However, there are still additional strategies and activities that can be
done to ensure that the learning environment in your school is one that
promotes respect and tolerance for cultural diversity. This lesson will
provide you with more information on how these can be achieved.
According to the Integrated Model of Teacher Training for Cultural/
Intercultural Education of the Bureau of International Education (UNESCO)
(in Gagliardi, 1994), it is necessary that educational research be conducted
to help peace education efforts to succeed. One form of educational
research in the context of peace education is the establishment of a data
gathering system regarding information on the students’ demographic
characteristics and ethnic-cultural backgrounds. Knowing more about
the students can help teachers in their development of instructional plans
or learning activities.
An ideal multicultural/intercultural teacher is someone who values
research and puts effort into finding more about his/her students. In effect,
school heads who support their teachers’ initiatives in finding out more
about their students’ background are, in a way, providing teachers with
a supportive environment where peace education and respect for cultural
diversity is nurtured.
Aside from creating an information/data base of the students, the
following research-related activities may also be conducted to promote
an environment that supports peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Conduct an analysis of the possible reasons for difficulties in
learning by students coming from specific backgrounds such
as the concerns of bilingual students in specific subjects or
students from financially less-privileged families.
114 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Collecting local cultural materials, tales, and proverbs to be
used as basis for developing learning materials.
• Comparing various teaching methods in terms of their
effectiveness for instructing students from different cultural
backgrounds.
There are other strategies and models that can be utilized to implement
peace education policies into actual teaching and learning activities at
school. You may read about these other strategies and models in peace
education books if you want to know more.
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.2)
Would you like to know what Ms. Lai did after her meeting with Mr.
Kunaporn? Read the vignette below.
In response to Mr. Kunaporn’s suggestion to include students in gathering
data about their background, Ms. Lai asked her students to form pairs.
They were asked to find out more about each other’s culture, nationality,
religion and other backgrounds. They then set aside time to discuss their
findings in class. Ms. Lai suggested that they bring pictures or articles
such as pieces of clothing that describe their background and explain these
to the class during their presentations. The class was asked to express what
they liked about their culture and other things they wanted to find out
more about each other.
Answer the following questions using the spaces provided.
1. What do you think of the activity conducted by Ms. Lai for her class?
Do you think that the activity can help her in teaching peace and respect
for cultural diversity to her students? Why/Why not?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 115
2. What positive effects might this activity have on the way the students
view each other’s cultures?
Feedback
Ms. Lai’s activity is a good example of how cultures and the appreciation
of their diversity can be taught to students. As the Schema of Peace Education
proposes, one’s knowledge is linked to one’s attitudes and skills. If the
students are directed in knowing more about other cultures in a guided
teaching environment, they can be encouraged to develop more favorable
attitudes towards cultures different from their own.
Let’s Think About This
Would you agree that a learning environment that respects cultural
diversity can be made possible? Why/Why not? What are the essential
requirements for this to become a reality? Write your answer on the space
below.
Read on to find out if your answers are correct.
116 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Study
Providing a Physical Environment Conducive to Teaching
Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity
Given that the teachers are in the frontline of learning, it would be helpful
to provide them with skills as facilitators of peace education and respect
for cultural diversity as they pass on appropriate knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to their students. For students to become peace champions, they
need teachers and school heads who personally know them and who
will implement learning activities that respect and build on their unique
characteristics. An effective learning environment for peace education is
provided by teachers and school heads who are able to do the following:
• Continuously gather background information about the
students.
• Explain their own views while respecting those of others.
• Listen to students’ concerns and act on them appropriately.
• Manage classroom discussions in a respectful manner,
providing equal opportunities for all students to participate.
These examples suggest that a learning environment that respects cultural
diversity can be made possible when teachers are given the mandate or
structures (such as policies, curriculum, organizational roles) and the tools
(such as learning materials and instructional activities) to implement them.
Aside from developing peace-responsive teachers, school heads also need
to assess the school’s physical environment whether it is conducive to
peace education process. School heads need to ensure that their school’s
physical environment is both culture-fair and peace-promoting. This is
possible through the provision of services that equitably address the needs
of students.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 117
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.3)
Mr. Kunaporn has instituted several training activities for the teachers in
his school to help prepare them in providing peace education to their
students and become peace champions themselves. Aside from this, he
also realized that he has to ensure that the physical environment in the
school is fair to various cultural groups to the farthest extent possible and
that students’ needs (including culturally dictated needs such as a place
for worship) are adequately provided for.
He developed the table below to help him examine his school’s physical
and non-physical environment for culture fairness, implying equal
treatment of students regardless of their cultural, ethnic, or religious
backgrounds. The table has four columns. The first column identifies the
specific group/background that is present in his school. The second column
identifies specific physical and related needs for this group. The third
column provides a simple assessment of whether these needs were
addressed by the school. The last column provides a space where peace-
responsive plans can be indicated. Study the example provided by Mr.
Kunaporn below.
Table for Planning Activities to Address the Needs of Students from Diverse Backgrounds
Groups/ Communities
Muslims/Islam Space forprayers
No specific spacedesignated asMuslimPrayerRoom
Look for availablespace within theschool to beconverted into aprayer room
Time for prayers With provisionin school policyto allow Muslimstudentssometime fortheir prayers, asneeded
Continuemonitoring ifadequatelyimplemented
SpecificStudent Needs
Addressedor Not
Plans
118 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
You may use a table similar to the one on the previous page as a tool to
organize your evaluation of the school’s culture fairness. Fill in the columns
as required, following the instructions provided earlier. For example, if
there are Hindu students in your school, you may indicate that on the
first column. Then fill out the rest of the columns. Use the blank table
provided below.
Table for Planning Activities to Addressthe Needs of Students from Diverse Backgrounds
Groups /Communities
SpecificStudent Needs
Addressedor Not
Plans
Review your answers and discuss these with your Flexible Learning Tutor
as well as your co-learners. Read on to find out more on how this can be
done.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 119
Let’s Study
Characteristics of a Peaceable Classroom
Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of
men that the defences of peace must be constructed.
- Preamble, Constitution of UNESCO
Going back to the example provided by Mr. Kunaporn, note that Muslim
students in his school require a physical environment that allows them to
pray in a way their religion requires. He then made a simple assessment
of whether the needs are addressed adequately or not and provides plans
to address these needs, as appropriate. This simple tool provides a more
organized way to identify the needs of students that remain unaddressed
and what can be done about them. Filling out this tool is a step towards
achieving a “peaceable school.” But before a peaceable school can be
achieved, peaceable classrooms need to be established.
Aside from ensuring that you and your teachers are aware of the diverse
socio-cultural backgrounds of your students and that the physical
environment in school is supportive of peace promotion activities, you
should also focus on creating classrooms that actually promote peace.
What is a peaceable classroom? The concept of a peaceable classroom was
first coined by William Kreidler, an elementary school teacher and conflict
expert who saw that conflict in the classroom was caused by many factors
such as miscommunication, exclusion, inability to express feelings
appropriately, and lack of care and respect for each other (Castro & Galace,
2008). A peaceable classroom is characterized by the following:
• Affirmation - Goodenow (1992, in Castro & Galace, 2008) has
forwarded that belonging and acceptance are potentially
important factors in learning. A peaceable classroom is where
students are affirmed regardless of their backgrounds. For
example, teachers provide positive constructive feedback to all
students who do well in class, regardless of their cultural
background.
120 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Cooperation - A peaceable classroom is where students of difrent
backgrounds are given a chance to cooperate and work together
in teams. For example, students are assigned to their religious,
cultural, or ethnic backgrounds.
• Communication - Schitzer, et al. (in Castro & Galace, 2008) said
that one of the vital tasks related to a successful academic
experience is being able to establish successful interpersonal
relationships in campus. A peaceable classroom is one that
allows students to express their ideas through effective
communication. For example, students are all given an
opportunity to share their comments on the topic being
discussed regardless of their religious, cultural, or ethnic
backgrounds.
• Appreciation for diversity - A peaceable classroom encourages
students to develop an appreciation for each other’s cultures.
For example, the study of cultures is integrated into the various
subjects. The teachers guide the students in developing an
appreciation for the richness and value of different cultural
practices.
• Appropriate expression of feelings - A peaceable classroom is one
that provides all students an opportunity to voice out their
feelings or opinions and participate in discussions without fear
of judgement or reprisal. For example, students who have
different opinions on an issue being discussed because of their
religious, cultural, or ethnic backgrounds are given an
opportunity to share their views in class.
• Peaceful conflict resolution - A peaceable classroom promotes the
respect for opinions and supports the resolution of differences
through nonviolent means e.g., inter-faith dialogues.
The above characteristics are important factors in the academic success
of students. All these support the notion that a learning environment
that is “peaceable” is essential in the process of learning.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 121
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.4)
In creating a peaceable classroom, the following are essential: affirmation,
cooperation, communication, appreciation for diversity, appropriate
expression of feelings, and peaceful conflict resolution. For each one,
provide specific activities that you can do in your own school. Fill in the
table below.
Affirmation
Cooperation
Communication
Appreciation for diversity
Appropriate expression of
feelings
Peaceful conflict resolution
Characteristics of Peaceable
Classrooms
Proposed Activities
122 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Read
Creating a Peaceable Classroom
In creating a peaceable classroom, there are several activities that school
heads and teachers can conduct. Examples of these activities were provided
in Lesson 2. To achieve a peaceable learning environment, students may
be guided by their teachers to discuss a current issue in peaceful and non-
violent ways (i.e., avoiding arguments or debates). There is no limit to
what activities can be done in and around the classroom. The important
thing to remember is to make these activities creative and fun for students.
A peaceable classroom is a learning environment where students and
teachers respect and help each other, regardless of their differences. Castro
& Galace (2008) provides additional suggestions on how to create
peaceable classrooms in your schools:
• Classrooms may be declared as a zone of peace. Establish rules with the
students on how to achieve it. On the first few days of school, teachers
can introduce to their students the concept of a peaceful classroom.
They can ask students what they can do to create an atmosphere
of peace in their classroom. Working with their students to prepare
a poster similar to that below and displaying it in a prominent
part of the classroom would be a good start.
THIS CLASSROOM IS A ZONE OF PEACE
1. Listen when someone is talking.
2. Do not exclude anyone.
3. Say only kind words.
4. Speak gently.
5. Show respect to one another.
• Affirm students. Say something positive to someone when an
opportunity comes up. Recognize ideas when they are contributed.
Show interest in what learners have to say. Nod or look them in
the eye when communicating.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 123
• Express your feelings appropriately and encourage students to do the
same. Students may be asked to make a list of “feeling words” that
they can use to effectively communicate what they feel. Daniel
Goleman (1995) posited that to develop Emotional Intelligence
(EQ), one must be able to learn how to express his/her feelings
well. To do this, draw up a functional “Vocabulary of Feeling
Words.” The box below provides a list of feeling words that
students can use to express themselves. Students may be asked to
add more words as they progress in their learning. Words may
also be picked and discussed in class every now and then.
Today I feel…
accepted hopeless competent
rejected discouraged incompetent
abandoned encouraged jealous
left out afraid sad
criticized respected lonely
lectured to disrespected ignored
preached to motivated important
judged unmotivated unimportant
discriminated against free proud
mocked controlled confident
appreciated obligated worthy
unappreciated burdened deserving
supported needy unworthy
unsupported in control underserving
uncomfortable out of control excited
optimistic validated fulfilled
pessimistic invalidated rewarded
• Encourage teachers to think, feel, and act peace. You can guide them
towards thinking of themselves as vessels of peace. Teachers who
smile often, speak kindly and gently, resolve their conflicts
peacefully, and treat others respectfully model peaceable behaviors
to their students.
• Encourage respect for and acceptance of differences. A peaceable
classroom is one where students feel a sense of belongingness and
acceptance. In this light, it is important for teachers to examine
their own biases.Reviewing the lessons in PEACeXCELS Module 1
124 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
can help refresh your memory on how this can be achieved. An
example of activities that encourage respect and acceptance of
differences is asking older students to be big brothers/sisters to
younger ones. Remind students that people differ in many ways
and these differences do not give anyone a right to tease, exclude,
bully, or hurt another.
• Employ more cooperative than competitive activities. Cooperative
activities encourage working together towards a goal. This fosters
peace and understanding more than activities that make the
students compete with one another. When cooperative activities
are encouraged, students tend to learn how to solve problems
together while relying on each other’s unique abilities, talents, and
skills.
• Teach students how to resolve conflicts peacefully and constructively.
You may review Module 1 on strategies for peaceful conflict
resolution so you can guide your teachers on the process involved
in conflict management. Following the guide questions below may
also help.
I. What happened?
Describe the preceding events
in detail
II. What do you need?
Write here what the people
involved in the conflict need
( e.g., need to express feeling,
need to be acknowledged,
need to achieve a target, etc.)
III. What possible solutions
are there?
List here the potential
solutions to or alternatives in
addressing the conflict
IV. Which solutions are the
best?
Identify the solution that
offers the least negative
impact to those concerned.
A compromise solution may
also be considered.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 125
• Help students improve their communication skills. Many conflicts arise
because of one’s inability to express his/her emotions in a
constructive way. People sometimes have a tendency to speak
before they think. Help students in turning negative statements
into positive ones. Examples are provided on the next page.
Changing negative statements into positive ones:
1. Shut up!
Alternative: Please keep quiet.
2. You are irritating.
Alternative: I am bothered when you …
3. You are too noisy!
Alternative: May we have some peace and quiet, please?
4. You are a bad person!
Alternative: Please stop. I am bothered.
Let’s Think About This
Is the suggestion of declaring classrooms as zones of peace possible in
your school setting? Would this be difficult or easy to achieve? Discuss
your answers with your colleagues and Flexible Learning Tutor.
Castro & Galace (2008) highlight the fact that the strategies discussed are
but a few of what you and your teachers can do to make your classroom
a zone of peace. Possibilities are only limited by your own and your
colleagues’ level of imagination and creativity as Champions of Peace.
A peaceable classroom is one where students feel safe and secure. It is a
place where students and even teachers feel secure, valued, and
appreciated. As school head, you would have contributed immensely to
the local as well as global peace-building effort by providing an
environment that promotes peace and better learning for your students.
126 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.5)
Encircle the number of the described activities that promote peace inside
the classroom. For those that are not encircled, suggest ways on the spaces
provided on how these can be changed to become activities that promote
peace and respect for cultural diversity.
1. The teachers start the class by detailing mistakes students had
committed the previous day.
2. Students are asked to make various “peace posters” to be put up
in the classroom or designated places in the school.
3. The teacher ignores individual students that he/she feels do not
share the same beliefs and cultural practices of the majority of the
class.
4. Students are encouraged to work together as a group for a class
project.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 127
5. The teacher smiles at students as a way of greeting them.
6. Students are encouraged to express their feelings using appropriate
feeling words.
7. Teachers do not do anything when students hit each other.
8. A teacher takes sides in an argument.
9. A student’s opinion on an issue is put down by the teacher as
lacking in value.
10. Competition is highly encouraged.
128 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Compare your answers with mine on pages 170-171. Are our answers
similar? If not, make the needed corrections. Share your answers with
your Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners in one of your meetings.
A peaceable classroom is a zone of peace. It is a place where students and
teachers feel safe, secure, and appreciated. Affirmation, cooperation,
communication, appreciation of diversity, appropriate expression of
feelings, and peaceful conflict resolution characterize peaceable
classrooms. As school head, ensuring that your school has peaceable
classrooms is an important contribution to local peace efforts as well as
the global efforts towards peacebuilding.
Let’s Study
Based on the data gathered regarding the background of the students as
well as the teachers, Mr. Kunaporn created a calendar that took note of
important events and occasions for each community. For example, he
took note of the Holy Ramadan Week for Muslims and Christmas for
Christians. He also noted important national events such as the
independence day of each country and other significant historical events
for each community. For social studies classes, he suggested that teachers
and students find out more about their governments and leadership
structures. Then he plotted corresponding school activities that highlighted
these important events and occasions. He declared that the school come
up with activities that celebrate the diversity that they have within their
ranks. A portion of Mr. Kunaporn’s calendar of activities follows.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 129
Thai SongkranFestival(Variable date,usually aroundsummer time)
• Declare a Thai CultureAppreciation Week
• Organize a program to showcaseThai music, dances and other arts.
• Highlight Thai culture in aspecially designed bulletin board
• Conduct a film showinghighlighting the life and works ofthe revered King of Thailand andthe Thai Royal Family
Community Event andSchedule
Activities
Muslim Ramadan(Variable date,usually aroundAugust/September ofevery year)
• Declare a Muslim CultureAppreciation Week
• Encourage teachers to discussIslam-related issues in class
• Organize a training for teachers toget to know Muslim-related issues(social issues and learning issues)to help them work with theirMuslim students more effectively
• Set up a special bulletin board forMuslim-related concerns
Christian Christmas(December 25)
• Declare a Christian CultureAppreciation Week
• Guide teachers to discussChristianity-related issues in class
• Organize a training for teachers toget to know Christianity- relatedissues (social issues and learningissues) to help them work withtheir Christian students moreeffectively
• Instruct the school canteen toprepare special meals in celebrationof Christmas
Filipino PhilippineNationalIndependenceDay (June 12)
• Declare a Filipino CultureAppreciation Week
• Organize a venue for students ofFilipino heritage to present theirdances, songs, etc.
• Set up a special bulletin boardthat showcases Filipino culture
• Instruct the school canteen toprepare Filipino food
130 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.6)
Using Mr. Kunaporn’s calendar of activities as a guide, draw up a similar
calendar of activities that celebrates cultural diversity in your own school.
Use the sample matrix provided. In the first column, identify existing
communities or cultural groups represented by the students in your school.
In the second column, write important events for the communities or
cultural groups and the schedule when they celebrate these. In the third
column, write the activities you can implement in your school that will
show recognition and celebration of the groups and their important events.
Fill in the table as best as you can.
What learnings did you derive from preparing the calendar? Write them
in the space provided below. Discuss your answers with your Flexible
Learning Tutor, colleagues, and co-learners.
Community Event andSchedule
Activities
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 131
Let’s Think About This
Planning and Organizing Peace-Promoting School Activities
The activities conducted by Mr. Kunaporn in his school are just some of
the possibilities towards making the school a zone of peace. The important
thing to remember is to take advantage of every opportunity to celebrate
cultural diversity through school-wide activities that focus on various
groups. It is essential that background research be done to ensure that all
groups are given the opportunity to showcase their respective cultures.
As community involvement is important, activities that require going
outside the school such as parades (e.g., a United Nations or ASEAN
parade showing students in various national costumes throughout the
community) would be meaningful. Another good example is putting up a
“Peace Village” or “Peace Camp,” a venue where young individuals can
explore peace-related ideas and participate in structured activities such as
the “Shower of Peace,” “Peace Congress,” “Peace Art/Peace Wall and Peace
Reflections.” You can read more about a sample “Peace Village” initiative in
the Philippines in Annex F.
Remember, however, organizing any activity requires effort and resources.
As school head, you are expected to take a lead role in ensuring that the
activities are successful and that they positively depict the diverse cultures
of the community.
132 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.7)
How can you ensure the success of your school activities that promote
peace and respect for cultural diversity?
To check if your answer is correct, read on.
Let’s Think About This
The process of instilling the appreciation of peace and respect for cultural
diversity among students is a challenge for all educators. So far, you have
learned various teaching and learning strategies that can help promote a
culture of peace. What has been started must be maintained for peace
education to be truly effective. How can you sustain your students’
commitment as peace champions? Write your answers on the space
provided.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 133
Let’s Read
Fostering and Sustaining Students as Peace Champions
The following are some important steps in sustaining your students’ and
teachers’ commitment to championing peace and respect for cultural
diversity.
1) Ensure that they are aware of the importance of peace education
and supporting efforts to promote respect for cultural diversity.
2) Provide avenues for regular discussions to address concerns and
issues that may arise.
3) Establish support systems (such as peace clubs and regular
discussion groups).
4) Specifically for teachers, regularly involve them in planning and
implementing activities, as well as in assessing completed activities.
You may also read the vignettes of good practices in peace education in
this module’s Annex D, E and F to get some ideas.
Sustaining the commitment of teachers and students as peace champions
may be a demanding task that requires continued efforts. Your role as
school head in guiding these efforts towards the school’s goals in promot-
ing peace and respect for cultural diversity is crucial. Working with ev-
eryone in your school as well as your school’s community will help you in
fulfilling these goals.
Let’s Think About This
Now that you already know the importance of creating and sustaining
peaceable classrooms, do you think it is essential to expand the school’s
peacebuilding efforts by involving the whole school? Why is this so? Read
on to find out more about the whole school approach and how you can
make this a reality in your own setting.
134 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Study
A Whole School Approach to Peace Education
In the earlier parts of this module and this lesson, you learned how teachers
and individual students can contribute towards building a culture of peace.
This section explains the concept of the whole school approach in peace
education which was introduced in PEACeXCELS Module 1. Castro &
Galace (2008) explain that in a whole school approach, we try to engage all
the learning areas, all the members of the school community (students,
faculty, and staff) and the wider community. This approach also includes
other aspects of teaching and learning such as policies, schools structures,
and interpersonal relationships.
The Miriam College in the Philippines has adopted this framework in
building a whole school approach to peace education (Castro & Galace
2008).
Figure 2. Miriam College’s Whole School Approach
to Peace Education
Peace-relatedMaterialsEnrichment Program
for Staff on Peace andConflict Resolution
VISIONAND
MISSION
Peace-orientedCurriculum
ContentPeace Action/Activities of
Social Concern
ParticipativeStructures and
CaringRelationships
Co-curricularProgram
CooperativeDialogical
Teaching-LearningMethods
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 135
The Miriam College Peace Education Framework indicates that peace is
explicitly stated in the school’s Vision and Mission statements. To achieve
the goals of peace education, the Miriam College tapped various areas to
contribute to the school’s overall efforts to promote peace and respect for
cultural diversity. Short descriptions of these areas are provided below.
Peace-Oriented Curriculum Content
• Peace perspectives and themes are integrated across the
curriculum.
• Sessions on non-violent conflict resolution are part of the regular
high school, college and adult education/development programs
for students.
• Peace education topics and courses are introduced at various levels.
Cooperative Dialogical Teaching-Learning Methods
• Teachers strive to use teaching methods that are cooperative,
participatory, dialogical, and experiential.
Co-curricular Program
• Out-of-classroom student activities such as peace clubs, peace
camps, peace programs, etc., are encouraged and supported by
the school.
Peace-Related Materials
• Books and publications on peace are produced or made available.
• Peace gardens are introduced within the school compound.
Enrichment Program for Staff on Peace and Conflict Resolution
• Seminars/talks on peace education are organized.
• Faculty members are trained on peace topics as well as teaching
and learning strategies for peace promotion among students.
• A peace core group of teachers and staff is organized to oversee
peace education activities within the school.
136 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Participative Structures and Caring Relationships
• Students actively participate in selection of student leaders.
• Special events are organized such as Family Day where peace
within the home can be highlighted.
Peace Action/Activities of Social Concern
• Special outreach activities targeting disadvantaged members of
society (out of school youth, orphans, etc.) are organized to promote
the appreciation of peace among the students
• Students are also encouraged to participate in various peace actions
such as letter writing, exposure trips, lobbying activities, joining
public actions to protest or support an issue, and other activities.
The Miriam College Peace Education Framework operationalizes the peace
context provided by key school policy documents through various areas
such as the integration of peace across the curriculum and the use of
peace-promoting teaching methods and materials. Programs for school
personnel are also provided as well as outreach activities that promote
peace. This framework may be used if you want to integrate peace in
various areas and relationships in the school.
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.8)
Using the table that follows, identify ways of involving the general
community in activities that promote peace and respect for cultural
understanding. The first row was completed for you. Work on the last
column for rows 2 and 3. Fill in the last column with your suggested
activities to involve the community corresponding to the specific activities/
themes described. You are encouraged to add additional rows and
corresponding columns for other ethnic/community groups present in
your school.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 137
Community Event andSchedule
Activities
Muslim Ramadan(Variabledate, usuallyaroundAugust/September ofevery year)
• Declare a MuslimCultureAppreciation Week
• Encourage teachersto discuss Islam-related issues inclass
• Organize a trainingfor teachers to getto know Muslim-related issues(social issues andlearning issues) tohelp them workwith their Muslimstudents moreeffectively
• Set up a specialbulletin board forMuslim-relatedconcerns
Christian Christmas(December 25)
• Declare a ChristianCultureAppreciation Week
• Guide teachers todiscussChristianity-relatedissues in class
• Organize a trainingfor teachers to getto knowChristianity-related issues(social issues andlearning issues) tohelp them workwith their Christianstudents moreeffectively
• Instruct the schoolcanteen to preparespecial meals incelebration ofChristmas
Ways to Involve theCommunity
• Invite communitymembers (Muslimand non-Muslim toattend preparatorymeetings for theactivities).
• Involve communitymembers in thetraining.
• Invite communitymembers to view theposters which thestudents have put upat school.
138 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Discuss your answers with your co-learners and your Flexible Learning
Tutor.
This activity highlights the notion that the community can be involved in
efforts that promote peace and respect for cultural diversity. As the school
is a part of the larger community, peace efforts can be naturally extended
to include this bigger sphere. Read on to find out more about how this
can be done.
Community Event andSchedule
Activities Ways to Involve theCommunity
Filipino PhilippineNationalIndependenceDay (June 12)
• Declare a FilipinoCultureAppreciation Week
• Organize a venuefor students ofFilipino heritage topresent theirdances, songs, etc.
• Set up a specialbulletin board thatshowcases Filipinoculture
• Instruct the schoolcanteen to prepareFilipino food
Thai SongkranFestival(Variabledate, usuallyaroundsummer time)
• Declare a ThaiCultureAppreciation Week
• Organize aprogram toshowcase Thaimusic, dances andother arts.
• Highlight Thaiculture in aspecially designedbulletin board
• Conduct a filmshowinghighlighting the lifeand works of therevered King ofThailand and theThai Royal Family
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 139
Let’s Read
Schools Working Towards Peaceable Communities
In the above exercise, you were given an opportunity to explore how
school-based activities can be “extended” to include community members.
This practice is essential as local peace efforts can create more impact as
an integral part of the global efforts to promote peace through the design
and implementation of activities that involve community stakeholders.
There are several ways on how this can be achieved. The core principle to
follow is “Think of what peace activities in the school can be enriched by
inviting community members to participate.” As the home is where learning
is first acquired and where it is sustained as the student grows, it is essential
to involve parents, relatives, and the community members in general if
peace education is to be sustained. The home and the community are also
locales where peaceable behaviors and attitudes are reinforced and
encouraged.
Here are some suggestions to involve the community in the peace activities
of the school:
1. Invite community representatives to join discussions and meetings
in school, especially when peace-related topics are covered.
Community elders may be involved in school meetings related to
educating learners on peace and respect for cultural diversity that
require decisions to be made.
2. Invite community members to peace-related activities. During the
school’s Peace Week celebrations, members of the community can
serve as guests or judges depending on the activity.
3. Enlist community members in tasks that require more energy such
as the construction of structures, peace bulletin boards and the
like.
4. For United Nations Day parades and similar events, arranging a
route that goes around the community will drum beat the issues
being promoted.
5. Produce materials such as pamphlets and posters that can be
distributed to community members or posted in key spots within
the locale.
140 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Global peace efforts indeed start with local initiatives. Involving the
community will be an important step in truly creating your school as a
zone of peace. Read Annexes E and F of this module to gain more insights
on how the school can be involved in promoting peace and respect for
cultural diversity in the larger sphere of the community.
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.9)
In involving the community in the peace activities of your school, what
challenges do you think would come up? How would you address the
challenges? Write your answers in the columns provided. The first row
was filled out to provide you with an example.
Challenges in Involving the
Community
Means of Addressing the
Challenges
Community members are not
interested in participating in
peace-related activities.
Invite community members
during school meetings and
involve them in preparations
for peace-related activities.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 141
Feedback
Compare your answers with mine in the Key to Correction on page 172.
Your answers may not be exactly the same as mine, but as long as the
thoughts expressed are similar, give yourself a point for each answer.
The challenges that may be encountered in engaging communities to
participate in school-initiated peace activities may be due to several factors.
Examples of these are lack of interest by community members, not knowing
how to participate, or having inadequate resources to support activities.
Community members may feel that helping in the promotion of peace
and respect for cultural diversity is not important because it does not
affect them directly. Even if they are aware of the value of peace and are
eager to participate in peace-promoting activities, they may not know
how to start. Some of them may be afraid that they have limited resources
or nothing to contribute to the activities. These are just some of the
challenges that you might encounter in involving the community. How
can you address them?
The first step is by inviting community members to meetings or discussions
to engage them in conversations on peace education issues at the local
level. These dialogues would help them realize the importance of the
activities and encourage them to explore ways on how they can
participate. With your guidance and perseverance, community members
could be more actively involved and may even become “peace champions”
themselves.
Do you have answers not mentioned in here? Discuss your answers with
your Flexible Learning Tutor.
142 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Remember
In this lesson, you learned that:
• For peace education efforts to succeed, it is necessary that
educational research at the local level (on the cultural and other
backgrounds not only of students but also of teachers) be
conducted. The information can be effectively inputted into
whatever instructional plans or learning activities are to be
implemented in the future.
• An ideal multicultural/intercultural teacher is someone who
values research and puts effort into finding out more about her
students. School heads who support their teachers in their
initiatives to know more about their students’ background are
providing them a supportive environment where peace
education is nurtured.
• The Integrated Model of Teacher Training for Multicultural/
Intercultural Education helps provide a learning environment that
is supportive of peace through the appreciation of cultural
diversity. Given that the teachers are in the frontlines of
instructional provision, providing them with skills as facilitators
of peace education and respect for cultural diversity will help
create a learning environment where these are promoted.
• A learning environment that promotes cultural diversity is
possible when teachers are given the policy support (school
policies, curriculum) and the tools (learning materials and
instructional activities) to implement them. There is almost no
limit as to what activities can be done to support the sustainability
of peace education efforts.
• A peaceable classroom is characterized by affirmation,
cooperation, communication, appreciation for diversity,
appropriate expression of feelings, and peaceful conflict
resolution. It is a learning environment where students and
teachers respect and help each other, regardless of their
differences. To create peaceable classrooms in your schools:
– Encourage your teachers to declare their classrooms as
zones of peace and establish rules to achieve it.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 143
– Affirm students.
– Express feelings appropriately and encourage students
to do so.
– Help your teachers think, speak, and act peace.
– Encourage respect for and acceptance of differences.
– Employ more cooperative than competitive activities.
– Teach students how to resolve conflicts peacefully and
constructively.
– Practice students’ skills of communication.
• A whole school approach to peace education where peace
concepts are integrated in various areas, such as that done by
Miriam College, may be taken. The said school has the following:
– Peace-oriented curriculum content
– Cooperative dialogical teaching-learning methods
– Teachers who strive to use teaching methods that are
cooperative, participatory, dialogical, and experiential
– Peace activities in the co-curricular program
– Peace-related materials
– Enrichment program for staff on peace and conflict
resolution
– Participative structures and caring relationships
– Peace action/activities of social concern
• School-based activities can be “extended” outside the school to
include community members. This practice is essential as local
peace efforts can create more impact as an integral part of the
global goal of peace through the design and implementation of
activities that involve community stakeholders.
144 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
How Much Have You Learned From This
Lesson?
To see how much you have learned from this lesson, try to answer the
following questions.
1. Give three strategies to support a physical learning environment that
promotes respect and tolerance for cultural diversity.
2. Why are school-wide peace activities important in sustaining peace
education efforts?
3. Name four strategies in involving the community in the school’s peace
activities for the promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
4. Why is it important to involve the community in peace education
efforts?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 145
5. Describe four ways to create peaceable classrooms.
Compare your answers with those on pages 172-174. How did you fare?
If your answers are similar to mine, you have done really well. If not,
review the parts you missed. Then, revise your previous answers before
proceeding to the next page.
Let’s Sum Up
This module provided you with information on how to apply the
concepts and needed activities for peace education in your actual
school setting.
• In Lesson 1, you studied the importance of schools in promoting
a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity. You learned
how to review and revise your school’s policies to reflect peace
as an educational goal. You also learned how to draft and
communicate school policies that not only support peace
activities but also promote appreciation for cultural diversity. In
addition, you were familiarized with the characteristics of peace-
responsive school policies. Lastly, you studied how to evaluate
the implementation and operationalization of your school’s peace
policies as an integral part of your role as a school leader.
• Lesson 2 provided the rationale for teaching peace concepts in a
classroom setting. It also suggested ways on how you can help
your teachers become peace champions as well as active
promoters of peace and respect for cultural diversity in a school
setting by teaching the necessary concepts, skills, and values
integral to peace education. You studied how to integrate
instructional and curricular processes that promote a culture of
peace and respect for cultural diversity. You also learned how
146 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
to develop school-based activities and supplemental learning
materials that respond to local learning needs and contexts and
promote a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
Moreover, you were familiarized with sample peace promotion
activities which you can adopt for your own school.
• In Lesson 3, you learned strategies in providing a learning
environment that promotes respect and tolerance for cultural
diversity. This lesson also gave you tips on how to plan and
organize school activities that promote peaceful processes. You
studied ways on how to foster and sustain the development of
your students as peace advocates and champions of respect for
cultural diversity. Moreover, you learned what peaceable schools
are and how they can be achieved. Lastly, you learned ways on
how to collaborate with various stakeholders to build a
community of peace.
• The lessons covered in this module provided you with the
essential knowledge and skills related to the promotion of the
school as a zone of peace and respect for cultural diversity, a
vital agent in building peaceful communities that celebrate
cultural diversity.
How Much Have You Learned From This Module?
To find out how much you have learned from this module, answer the
following questions.
Part 1
1. Why is the school important in promoting a culture of peace and
respect for cultural diversity?
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 147
2. Enumerate the characteristics of a peace-responsive school curriculum.
3. Give three examples of strategies for implementing and
operationalizing school policies that promote peace and cultural
diversity.
4. Give five characteristics of teachers of peace.
5. Give five ways to integrate peace education into teaching and learning
activities. Provide a short description for each one.
6. Give three examples of ways to implement a peaceable classroom.
148 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
7. Explain why the community should be involved in the school’s peace
activities.
Part 2
Mrs. Nguyen is a school head. When she first heard of the concept of the
school being an important place for young minds to learn about peace
and respect for cultural diversity, she became very interested and wanted
to make her own school a Zone of Peace.
Answer the questions that follow.
8. Which of the following are school policies that she needs to review, if
available? Draw a circle around the letters of the correct answer.
a. School’s mission, vision, and goal statements
b. List of Core Values that the school aims to instill upon its students
c. Student handbook
d. Faculty manual
e. School curriculum
9. Mrs. Nguyen also has to ensure that the revisions she made on her
school policies are peace-responsive. Peace-responsive school policies
are evaluated on two grounds. What are these? and
.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 149
10. Which of the following is not a way to introduce peace and cultural
diversity concepts in teaching students? Encircle the letter of the correct
answer.
a. Constantly look for opportunities to “weave in” or
introduce peace and cultural diversity concepts to existing
lessons being used in classrooms.
b. Use only tried and tested approaches.
c. Introduce unique instructional approaches
d. Specifically cover conflict resolution as an area for
development.
11. Mrs. Nguyen wanted to introduce teaching-learning approaches and
activities into the various subjects being taught in her school by
“thematically weaving” them in. Give five examples of these activities:
12. To develop her teachers into Teachers of Peace, which of the following
can she do? Draw a circle around the letter of the correct answer.
a. Help her teachers develop “inner peace.”
b. Open and continuously support the discourse on peace and
peace education.
c. Foster the development of their peace KSA/Vs through
sustainable teaching and learning programs, as well as self
evaluations.
d. Provide an atmosphere of support throughout the process,
within and outside school.
150 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
13. To create peaceable classrooms in her school, which of the following
should Mrs. Nguyen not do? Encircle the letter of your answers.
a. Encourage her teachers to declare their classrooms as
zones of peace and establish rules to achieve it.
b. Affirm students.
c. Restrict the appropriate expression of student’s feelings.
d. Help her teachers think, speak, and act peace.
e. Discourage the acceptance of differences among
students.
f. Employ more competitive than cooperative activities.
g. Teach students how to resolve conflicts peacefully and
constructively
h. Practice students’ communication skills.
14. What collaborative activities with stakeholders in the community can
Mrs. Nguyen implement and how can she ensure that these activities
are sustained? Give three answers/examples. Use the table provided.
Feedback
Compare your answers with those on pages 175-182. If the required
answers are in essay form, they may not be worded exactly the same, but
as long the thoughts expressed are similar, you may give yourself a point
for each.
If you have answered all questions correctly, that’s great! This means that
you have learned a great deal from this module and are well-prepared to
1.
2.
3.
Proposed collaborative activity withstakeholders in the community
How to ensuresustainability of the activity
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 151
champion peace in your school. If not, review the parts that cover the
questions you missed. Revise your answers after your review.
This module provided you with concepts, principles, activities, and
strategies to help you implement and sustain efforts that promote peace
and respect for cultural diversity in your school. Remember that as school
head, you have an important role in helping your teachers and students
as well as members of your school’s community to become peace
champions. This is a good opportunity for you and those around you to
become part of the bigger, worldwide effort to promote peace and respect
for cultural diversity through local initiatives with the school as the anchor.
You deserve to be commended for having gone this far and for a job well
done. You are now well on your way towards becoming the leader of
peace champions in your school and your community!
How Do You Rate Yourself Now?
Congratulations. You have done well in finishing this lengthy module. I
hope you have gained a lot of learning and insights on how to better
promote peace and respect for cultural diversity in your school.
However, for a final check, may I invite you to return to the Self-Rating
Competency Checklist on pages 11-12. Review the list of competencies
again and place another check mark (ü) in the “Post” column that best
describes your level of mastery of each competency now that you have
completed the module. Compare your competency level before and after
studying the module and reflect on how much you have learned. Write
your thoughts on the space below.
All the best in your work as a practicing peace education leader in your
school!
152 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Apply What You have Learned(Module Assignment)
As school head and peace champion, you should exemplify how peace
and respect for cultural diversity can be integrated into the lessons by the
teachers. Towards this end, prepare a sample lesson plan that uses one or
more peace education strategy/ies. Afterwards, call a meeting with your
teachers. Share with them your learnings on peace education and present
your lesson plan.
Ask the teachers to prepare their own lesson plans using the various
strategies for promoting peace and respect for cultural diversity. Provide
feedback on these lesson plans.
Prepare a report about this activity using the following questions as guides:
1. What peace education concepts did you share with the teachers?
2. What were your teachers’ reactions to the peace education
concepts you showed them?
3. What was your sample lesson plan about? Describe it.
4. How would you describe the lesson plans submitted by the
teachers?
5. Based on the teacher’s reactions and submissions, do you think it
will be easy to get their support in promoting peace and respect
for cultural diversity in your school? Explain your answers. Submit
a 500-word text and photo documentation report on the activity
to your Flexible Learning Tutor for review and feedback. Don’t
forget to attach your sample lesson plan as an Annex.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 153
Key to Correction
What Do You Already Know?, pages 7-9
1. Enumerate three characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive school
policies.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
Characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive school policies:
• Are based on a clear statement of belief or purpose and arises from
goals aimed at building a culture of peace which have been adopted
for the school.
• Contain guidelines which provide a framework for achieving
clearly stated purposes on the promotion of peace and cultural
diversity.
• Explain what is wanted of sectors or individuals in a school as
agents of peace.
• Provide reasons why units and individuals in a school are required
to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Provide a clear basis for the preparation and implementation of
how to build a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Provide direction for teachers and administrators, and guide them
on specific methods for arriving at an end result.
• Permit administrators and teachers to interpret in such a way as
to adjust for changing conditions without making any basic change
in policy.
• Provide a standard for evaluating performance.
• Are free of jargon, being written in a style which is readily
understood by all members of the school community.
• Should include statements that promote peace and respect for all
school members regardless of race, culture, religion, gender,
nationality, ethnicity, appearance, and other personal
characteristics.
154 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
2. Name five factors that cause students to discriminate against other students.
You may provide any five of the following answers.
• Race
• Religion
• Ideology
• Nationality
• Ethnicity
• Appearance – body structure
• Socio-economic class
• Age
• Gender
3. What are the possible effects of prejudice / discrimination on students? Give
three examples of these effects.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Prejudice among students and between school staff and students
has a negative effect on the learner’s academic achievement and
may lead to higher rates of droping;
• It has negative effects on both the psychological and physical health
of the “victims”;
• “Victims” of school prejudice are often isolated, harassed, or even
physically harmed.
4. Why is the school important in promoting a culture of peace and respect for
cultural diversity?
Education is an important pathway to promote peace. It is at schools
where the seeds of a “Culture of Peace” take root and get nurtured in
the hearts and minds of young learners. When children are taught to
value peace at an early age, they will more likely grow up to become
peace-loving adults.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 155
5. Provide three examples of school policies that promote peace and respect
for cultural diversity.
You may provide examples similar to the following answers.
• A school’s vision statement
VISION
As an educational institution, we envision ourselves to be a
community of lifelong learners that embodies peace, harmony,
respect, excellence, and integrity.
• A school’s list of core values
CORE VALUES
To effectively carry out its goals, the school upholds:
a. RESPECT for people regardless of their culture, religion,
and other backgrounds
b. EXCELLENCE in body, mind, and spirit by practicing
healthy living, developing creative and critical thinking,
effective communication skills, technological proficiency,
and entrepreneurial skills; and
c. INTEGRITY by demonstrating courage to do what is right.
• Sample provisions of a school’s student handbook
a. All students will be treated with respect regardless of their
religious, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds.
b. The school will actively support efforts towards the
promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
c. Discrimination, in any form, will not be allowed in the
school.
d. The school will allow modifications on the school uniform
to accommodate the needs of students coming from
different religious or cultural backgrounds.
156 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
6. Enumerate five characteristics of a teacher of peace.
You may provide any five of the following answers.
• The teacher of peace is a responsible global citizen, an agent of the
culture of peace who has the vision and hope towards the
achievement of positive change. S/He understands that education
should be a means towards constructive change.
• S/He is motivated by service and is actively involved in the
community. S/He is a responsible person in the society s/he
belongs to.
• S/He is both a transmitter and transformer of values. S/He is a
critical and reflective agent of social and cultural transformation;
• S/He is a seeker of mutually enhancing relationships that nurture
peace and a sense of community.
• S/He is gender-sensitive and alert to any possibility of gender bias
in self or students.
• A teacher of peace intentionally develops the capacity to care by
knowing the learners as individuals. This enables him/her to
respond to the differences in students’ learning styles as positively
as s/he is expected to respond to other human differences.
• S/He has the skills of reflective learning through which s/he
applies what is learned from teaching to deepen his/her own
understanding of the students and the learning process
• A teacher of peace has the skills of communication and conflict
resolution. These are important characteristics for building a
community and peace-making.
• S/He practices cooperative learning by encouraging cooperative
learning tasks and discouraging negative competition or in-group
– out-group behavior (exclusion) among students.
• A teacher of peace inspires understanding of alternative
possibilities for the future and for a culture of peace. S/He helps
students to plan and act to achieve such a culture.
• A teacher of peace is constructively critical. S/He uses criticism as
a tool towards constructive change.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 157
• S/He is a lifelong learner who continues to improve his/her own
learning abilities to keep abreast of developments in the field;
• A teacher of peace is an inquirer. S/He is more a raiser of questions
than a giver of answers. S/He poses instructive questions into the
conditions that impede and those that enhance possibilities for
achieving a culture of peace.
7. Give five examples of peace-promoting activities that you can adapt for use
in your school.
You may provide any five of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Initiate and attend regular discussions for educators that allow
diversity-related issues to be discussed and understood;
• Monitor conflicts that arise in the classroom. Pay attention to the
factors that lead to unwanted incidents;
• Create a venue for ongoing discussions where students and teachers
can participate to discuss diversity-related issues;
• Arrange and conduct trainings on the understanding and
appreciation of cultural diversity for students and teachers, using
actual cases from your school;
• Document and discuss specific complaints arising from diversity-
related issues;
• Initiate experiential workshops for teachers and students to allow
them to confront their own ethnocentrisms on certain issues;
• Design curriculum and select reading materials and other resources
that reflect different backgrounds and meet the needs of the student
body;
• Observe “power struggles” in class by identifying which students
seem to dominate discussions or activities more than others and
what causes these disparities;
• Reach out to silent students;
158 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Make an issue of conflict a “teachable moment”;
• Treat each student as an individual deserving of respect and not
as a representative of a group;
• Declaring a “peace consciousness week” or a “cultural diversity
week” in support of the school’s efforts to build a culture of peace
and respect for diversity;
• Integrate peace concepts in various school subjects;
• Engage students in peace-promoting activities such as a “Twinning
Project”;
• Conduct special activities like workshops, seminars, and programs
that promote peace concepts;
• Address immediately concerns that come up which violate the
school’s peace policies.
8. Describe a peaceable classroom.
A peaceable classroom is characterized by affirmation, cooperation,
communication, appreciation of diversity, appropriate expression of
feelings, and peaceful conflict resolution. It is a learning environment
where students and teachers respect and help each other, regardless
of their differences.
9. Explain why the community should be involved in the school’s peace
promotion activities.
Efforts to promote peace start within the person, moving outwards to
involve his/her immediate surroundings and, later on, the community
that he/she is a part of. When the community is involved in peace
promotion activities, community members become active participants
of the peace process. This also allows the peace-related learnings that
students acquire in schools to be further reinforced when they go
outside their communities.
School-based activities can be “extended” outside the school to include
community members. This practice is essential as local peace efforts
can create more impact when community stakeholders are involved.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 159
10. Give three examples of how community members can be involved in the
school’s peace-promoting activities.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Community members can join discussions and meetings in school,
especially when peace-related topics are covered.
• Community elders may be involved in school meetings related to
educating learners on peace and respect for cultural diversity that
require decision-making skills.
• During the school’s Peace Week celebrations, members of the
community can serve as guests or judges, depending on the activity.
• Community members can act as volunteers in doing peace-related
work organized by the school, such as construction of physical
structures, peace bulletin boards, and the like.
• They can participate in the production of materials, such as
pamphlets and posters, that can be distributed in the community
or posted in key spots within the locale.
Other examples may also be considered. Discuss your answers with
your Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners.
160 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Lesson 1: Promoting a Culture of Peace and Respectfor Cultural Diversity through ResponsiveSchool Policies
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.1), pages 20-22
1. If you were Mrs. Farah, how would you have reacted?
If I were Mrs. Farah, I would feel hurt for my daughter, Amina. I
would find it difficult to understand why students could be so unkind
and unaccepting of the differences they see in their classmates.
2. Are the boys justified in doing what they did to Amina? Why/ Why not?
The boys were not justified in doing what they did to Amina. There is
no justification for any form of prejudice and discrimination, especially
in a school setting.
3. Did the situation reflect a respect for other people’s cultures? Why/ Why
not?
No, it did not. The situation showed how prejudice can be unkindly
manifested even by young students.
4. If you were the school head of Amina’s school, what would you do?
If I were the school head of Amina’s school, I would address the
situation right away. I would talk with the teacher to discuss with
her, her reaction to Amina’s complaint, and better ways of handling
it. I would also examine ways by which I can make my school promote
peace and respect for cultural diversity.
5. What would you tell Amina’s teacher?
I would tell her that being a teacher, she should make her classroom
safe and secure for all students. This way, learning can be encouraged.
Students who feel hurt and rejected would find it difficult to cope
and learn.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 161
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.3), page 27
Which of the following statements show a lack of respect for cultural diversity?
Identify the situations and place a line under them.
1. A teacher ignores female students in her class and responds only
to male students. Teachers who promote peace and respect for cultural
diversity treat all students in their class equally.
2. A student makes unkind remarks about what a classmate is
wearing. People shouldn’t make unkind remarks about the differences
observed in other people based on their cultural, religious, or other
backgrounds.
3. A teacher provides equal consultation time to all students,
regardless of their personal characteristics. This example shows
respect for cultural diversity.
4. A student hits another student because s/he thinks s/he acts weird.
People shouldn’t practice violent behavior in general. In particular, they
should not hit or make unkind remarks because others do not look, think,
talk or act like them. Diversity should be celebrated and appreciated,
not feared or reprimanded.
5. A teacher calls a student’s parent to a meeting to understand why
she does not seem to be attentive in class. This example shows respect
for cultural diversity.
6. A student writes anti-Muslim remarks on the school’s bathroom
walls. Writing or making remarks against a group of people because
they come from other cultural, religious, or other backgrounds goes
against the principles of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
7. A teacher makes remarks about a student having an unusual name.
People shouldn’t make unkind remarks about the differences observed
in other people based on their cultural, religious, or other backgrounds.
162 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Let’s Try This (Activity 1.8), page 53
Imagine that you are the school head who reviewed your school’s student
handbook. Write down your suggested revisions on the second column of the
Simple School Policy Analysis Table for Long Documents.
Simple School Policy Analysis Table for Long Documents
– for longer documents such as students’ handbook, teachers’ guide etc.
Type of School Document: Student Handbook
Observations related to thepromotion of peace and respectfor cultural diversity
Proposed Revisions
The handbook has no specificprovisions that mention the school asan institution that promotes peaceand cultural diversity.
Include specific statements thatidentify the school as aninstitution that promotes peaceand cultural diversity.
As the school has a required uniform,it has no provision that provide someflexibility for students who may haveto dress differently because ofreligious or cultural reasons such aswearing a hijab in class andexempting female Muslim studentsfrom wearing shorts during P.E.class.
Review the provisions of thestudent handbook and revise asnecessary so that some flexibilitywill be allowed for students’differences based on theirreligious or cultural background.Specific cases such as allowingthe wearing of a hijab in classand exempting female Muslimstudents from wearing shortsduring P.E. class may beincluded.
There are no guidelines provided forteachers on handling concernsrelated to differences in student’scultural, religious, or ethnicbackgrounds.
Provide teachers with guidelinesfor handling concerns related todifferences in students’ cultural,religious, or ethnic backgrounds.
There are no specific provisions thatpromote cultural appreciation andthe celebration of diversity.
Include provisions that promotecultural appreciation and thecelebration of diversity in thestudents’ handbook.
There are no specific provisionsagainst bullying and discrimination.
Prohibit bullying anddiscrimination, and providestrategies towards behaviormodification.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 163
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson?, pages 67-69
1. Enumerate five characteristics of well-crafted and peace-responsive school
policy statements.
You may provide any five of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly the same as mine.
Well-crafted and peace-responsive school policy statements:
• Are based on a clear statement of belief or purpose and arises from
goals aimed at building a culture of peace which have been adopted
for the school.
• Contain guidelines which provide a framework for achieving
clearly stated purposes on the promotion of peace and cultural
diversity.
• Explain what is wanted of sectors or individuals in a school as
agents of peace.
• Provide reasons why units and individuals in a school are required
to promote peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Provide a clear basis for the preparation and implementation of
rules and procedures related to the building of a culture of peace.
• Provide direction for teachers and administrators on how to build
a culture of peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Permit administrators and teachers to interpret in such a way as
to adjust for changing conditions without making any basic change
in policy.
• Provide a standard for evaluating performance.
• Are free of jargon, being written in a style which is readily
understood by all members of the school community.
• Must include statements that promote peace and respect for all
school members regardless of race, culture, religion, gender,
nationality, ethnicity, appearance, and other personal
characteristics.
164 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
2. Why is the promotion of peace and respect for cultural diversity important
in school settings?
When children are taught to value peace at an early age, they will
more likely grow up to become peace-loving adults. Education is an
important pathway to promote peace. It is at schools where the seeds
of a “Culture of Peace” can take root and get nurtured in the hearts
and minds of young learners.
3. Provide three examples of school activities that promote peace and respect
for cultural diversity.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Initiate and attend regular discussions for educators that allow
diversity-related issues to be discussed and understood;
• Monitor conflicts that arise in the classroom. Pay attention to the
factors that lead to unwanted incidents;
• Create a venue for ongoing discussions where students and teachers
can participate to discuss diversity-related issues;
• Arrange and conduct training programs on the understanding
and appreciation of cultural diversity for students and teachers,
using actual cases from your school;
• Document and discuss specific complaints arising from diversity-
related issues;
• Initiate experiential workshops for teachers and students to allow
them to confront their own ethnocentrisms on certain issues;
• Design curriculum and select reading materials and other resources
that reflect different backgrounds that meet the needs of the
student body;
• Observe “power struggles” in class by identifying which students
seem to dominate discussions or activities more than others and
what causes these disparities;
• Reach out to silent students;
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 165
• Make an issue of conflict a “teachable moment”;
• Treat each student as an individual deserving of respect and not
as a representative of a group;
• Declaring a “peace consciousness week” or a “cultural diversity
week” in support of the school’s efforts to build a culture of peace
and respect for diversity;
• Integrate peace concepts in various school subjects;
• Engage students in peace-promoting activities such as a “Twinning
Project”;
• Conduct special activities like workshops, seminars, and programs
that promote peace concepts; and
• Address immediately concerns that come up which violate the
school’s peace policies.
4. What are possible biases (personal characteristics and others) by which
students can be discriminated against by their fellow students or other
members of the school?
Students can be discriminated against by fellow students or other
members of the school because of their race, religion, ideology,
nationality, ethnicity, appearance and body structure, socio-economic
class, age, and gender.
5. The table that follows contains a sample answer. Your answer/table may
not be worded exactly like mine. As long as it contains similar ideas, then
give yourself a point. You may also discuss your answers with your Flexible
Learning Tutor for additional feedback.
166 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
InstitutionalGoals
Simple School Policy Analysis Table
VisionStatement
MissionStatement
SpecificSchool Policy
Document
Does thedocument
have specificprovisionspromoting
peace?Yes or No
Does thedocument havespecific provi-
sions promotingrespect for
culturaldiversity?Yes or No
Sample ofProposed Revisions
Yes. Peacewasmentionedbut notelaborated.
No We envisionourselves to be agroup of learnerswho are prepared toface challenges tothe building of aculture of peace,embodying the spiritof excellence andintegrity.
No No Our mission is toprovide educationthat will helpstudents becomeproductive andpeaceful members ofsociety who respectlife, globally andecologicallyconcerned, sociallyresponsible andrespecting of othercultures.
No No 1. To develop in thestudents the valueof peace andrespect for diversity
2. To teach peaceconcepts such astolerance,nonviolence,human dignity,and justice
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 167
Lesson 2: Teaching and Learning a Culture of Peaceand Respect for Cultural Diversity
Let’s Try This (Activity 2.3), page 85
For the given subjects below, provide four activities that integrate peace and
respect for cultural diversity.
Your answers may not be exactly like mine.
Information & Communication Technology (ICT)/ Computer Class
1. ICT has greatly increased the potential for global cooperation but
has also changed the way wars are fought. Students could use the
internet to do research on peace.
2. They can also design a multimedia presentation to present their
hopes for greater cooperation and understanding in the future.
3. Discussions can be held on the increased potential of war to kill
indiscriminately due to advanced technology and remote controlled
weapons.
4. Discussions on how technology can be used to promote peace and
respect for cultural diversity may also be conducted.
Foreign Languages
1. Students need to practice the language they are learning. You may
focus around issues of peace and war during their practice
exercises.
2. Being able to communicate across political and cultural borders
easily is a good way of ensuring that relations between and within
states do not deteriorate to violence. Learning to listen is another
key skill required for a more peaceful world. These can be practiced
in discourses held during language class.
3. To encourage the appreciation of diversity among the languages,
guide learners in tracing the development of languages through
time and the inter-relationships among the different languages.
4. Discuss contributions of specific languages on the language being
used by the majority in the community.
168 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
How Much You Have Learned From This Lesson?, pages 107-108
1. Why is there a need to use local issues as anchors for school-based peace
and cultural diversity activities?
Using local issues as anchors for school-based peace and cultural
diversity activities makes the topic interesting for students. This
encourages them to participate and become active in the task. Using
local issues also stresses the point that global efforts for peace start
with smaller, local initiatives.
2. Give six examples of strategies that can be used to integrate peace and
respect for cultural diversity in school activities.
You may provide any six of the following answers.
• Small group discussions
• Pairing with a discussion partner
• Visualization /Imagination Exercises
• Perspective-taking
• Role-playing
• Simulation games
• Problem-solving
• Considering issues/Issue poll
• Encouraging action
• Reading or writing a quotation
• Web charting
• Use of film and photographs
• Telling stories, including personal stories
• Song/Poem analysis
• Sentence completion
• Journal writing/individual reflection
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 169
• Go rounds
• Teachable moments
• Interview-research
• Expert resources
• Reciprocal teaching
• Twinning projects
• Dialogues
• Exposure trips
• Use of globes and maps
• Brainstorming
• Use of charts and graphs
• Case studies
• Collage-making and other art activities
• Show and tell
3. Provide three examples on creative ways to introduce the issue of peace and
cultural diversity in the subject Art/ Fine Arts/ Arts & Design.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Making of posters and flyers
• Painting or drawing peace symbols or objects
• Decorating the classroom with peace-promoting materials
• Organizing a peace dance festival
• Writing slogans, poems, and stories about peace
170 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
4. Why is peace education important in a school setting?
Education is an important pathway to promote peace. It is at schools
where the seeds of a “Culture of Peace” take root and get nurtured in
the hearts and minds of young learners. When children are taught to
value peace at an early age, they will more likely grow up to become
peace-loving adults.
5. Explain the Schema for Peace Education by discussing the relationship of
knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values (KSA/Vs) in teaching and learning
peace and respect for cultural diversity.
The Schema of KSA/Vs shows that it is not only the knowledge or
content area that is important. Holistic development is necessary. We
have to develop in our students the values and attitude that would
prod them to do the same thing about the situation of peacelessness
or violence.
Lesson 3: Sustaining a Culture of Peace and Respectfor Cultural Diversity in School and Beyond
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.5), pages 126-127
The corresponding number of the underlined items should be encircled.
These are just some of the activities that promote peace inside the
classroom.
1. The teachers start the class by detailing mistakes students had committed
the previous day. The class should start with a message of peace
and a peace-related activity. Harsh and unkind words as well as
focusing on mistakes without encouragement for improvement
should be avoided by teachers.
2. Students are asked to make various “peace posters” to be put up in the
classroom or designated places in the school. This activity promotes
peace inside the classroom by providing peace-related knowledge
to students. This, in turn, is expected to also have a positive impact
on their developing attitudes and values that promote peace and
respect for cultural diversity.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 171
3. The teacher ignores individual students that he/she feels do not share
the same beliefs and cultural practices of the majority of the class. This
does not promote peace inside the classroom. When a teacher does
not give students equal attention because he/she favors the belief
and cultural practice of the majority of the class, that teacher is
sending the message that some people have more value than
others. This may create tension among the students, as well as
between students and the teacher. To promote peace, all students
need to be respected and given equal attention by their teachers to
the best extent possible.
4. Students are encouraged to work together as a group for a class project.
This activity promotes peace inside the classroom by providing
students guided opportunities to interact with each other and work
cooperatively towards a common goal.
5. The teacher smiles at students as a way of greeting them. This activity
promotes peace inside the classroom by sending a nonverbal
message of acceptance, respect, and appreciation to students
regardless of their backgrounds.
6. Students are encouraged to express their feelings using appropriate
feeling words. This activity promotes peace inside the classroom
by enabling students to understand their own feelings as well as
others’.
7. Teachers do not do anything when students hit each other. Teachers
should immediately address the issue and help the involved
students resolve their conflict in non-violent ways.
8. A teacher takes sides in an argument. Teachers should treat all
students equally and must model among students the peaceful
way of resolving an argument.
9. A student’s opinion on an issue is put down by the teacher as lacking in
value. All students need to be respected and given equal
opportunities to express their opinions in a non-threatening
environment.
10. Competition is highly encouraged. Cooperation, not competition,
needs to be encouraged if the classroom is to promote peace and
respect for cultural diversity.
172 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Challenges in Involving the
Community
Means of Addressing the
Challenges
Community members are not
interested in participating in
peace-related activities.
Invite community members
during school meetings and
involve them in preparations for
peace-related activities.
Potential resistance from
community leaders.
Invite community leaders during
school meetings and involve them in
preparations for peace-related
activities.
Fear of community members to
incur additional costs
During the meetings, ways can be
discussed on how costs can be
minimized through sponsorships
from companies or businesses as
well as other means.
Disagreement of some
community members with the
planned activities.
Issues and concerns of the
community members can be
discussed and addressed during
the meetings.
Let’s Try This (Activity 3.9), page 140
In involving the community in the peace activities of your school, what challenges
do you think would come up? How would you address the challenges? Write
your answers in the columns provided.
How Much Have You Learned From This Lesson?, pages 144-145
Your answers may not be worded exactly as mine. Give yourself a check
mark when the thoughts expressed are similar.
1. Give three strategies to support a physical learning environment that
promotes respect and tolerance for cultural diversity.
a. Identify the socio-cultural backgrounds of your studentry
b. Examine the school environment if it is conducive to the expressions
of the student’s diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.
c. Create physical changes that would allow for inclusion of students
regardless of their socio-cultural and religious backgrounds.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 173
2. Why are school-wide peace activities important in sustaining peace education
efforts?
A whole school approach for peace education engages all the learning
areas, all the members of the school community (students, faculty and
staff) and the wider community. This approach also includes other
aspects of teaching and learning such as policies, schools structures
and interpersonal relationships. Having a school-wide approach in
peace education allows members of the school and even the community
to be part of the peacebuilding efforts. This way, peace promotion
activities and attitudes can be reinforced in many areas of school
function.
3. Name four strategies for involving the community in the school’s peace
activities.
You may provide any four of the following answers. Your answer
may not be worded exactly like mine. Other answers are also possible.
Consult with your Flexible Learning Tutor.
• Invite community representatives to join discussions and meetings
in school, especially when peace-related topics are covered;
• Invite community members to activities such as programs and the
like. During the school’s Peace Week celebrations, members of the
community can serve as guests, critics, or judges depending on
the activity;
• Enlist community members in tasks that require more energy such
as the construction of structures, peace bulletin boards and the
like;
• For United Nations Day parades and similar events, arranging a
route that goes around the community will drum beat the issues
being promoted;
• Involve community elders in school meetings related to educating
learners on peace and respect for cultural diversity that require
decision-making skills; and
• Produce materials such as pamphlets and posters that can be
distributed to community members or posted in key spots within
the locale.
174 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
4. Why is it important to involve the community in peace education efforts?
School-based activities can be “extended” outside the school to include
community members. This practice is important as local peace efforts
can create more impact as an integral part of the global effort to build
a culture of peace. Communities also experience various threats to
peace. Schools and the communities can engage in collaborative
activities to address these threats.
5. Describe four ways to create peaceable classrooms.
You may provide any four of the following answers. Your answer
may not be worded exactly like mine.
To create peaceable classrooms in your schools, you may do the
following:
• Ask your teachers to declare their classroom as a zone of peace
and establish rules to achieve it.
• Affirm students.
• Express feelings appropriately and encourage students to do so.
• Help your teachers to let peace begin in them.
• Encourage respect for and acceptance of differences.
• Employ more cooperative than competitive activities.
• Teach students how to resolve conflicts peacefully and
constructively
• Practice students’ skills of communication.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 175
How Much Have You Learned From This Module?, pages 146-150
To find out what you have learned from this module, answer the
following questions.
1. Why is the school important in promoting a culture of peace and respect for
cultural diversity?
When children are taught to value peace at an early age, they will
more likely grow up to become peace-loving adults. Education is an
important pathway to promote peace as it is where “teaching” and
“learning” of knowledge, skills, and attitudes happen. It is at schools
where the seeds of a “Culture of Peace” take root and get nurtured in
the hearts and minds of young learners.
2. Enumerate the characteristics of a peace-responsive school curriculum.
You may provide any five of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Are based on a clear statement of belief or purpose and arises from
goals aimed at building a culture of peace which have been adopted
for the school.
• Contain guidelines which provide a framework for achieving
clearly stated purposes on the promotion of peace and cultural
diversity.
• Explain what is wanted of sectors or individuals in a school as
agents of peace.
• Provide reasons why units and individuals in a school promote
peace and respect for cultural diversity.
• Provide a clear basis for the preparation and implementation of
rules and procedures related to the building of a culture of peace.
• Provide direction for teachers and administrators on how to build
a culture of peace and respect for diversity.
• Permit administrators and teachers to interpret in such a way as
to adjust for changing conditions without making any basic change
in policy.
• Provide a standard for evaluating performance.
176 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• Are free of jargon, being written in a style which is readily
understood by all members of the school community.
• Should include statements that promote peace and respect for all
school members regardless of race, culture, religion, gender,
nationality, ethnicity, appearance and other personal
characteristics.
3. Give three examples of strategies for implementing and operationalizing
school policies that promote peace and cultural diversity.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Initiate and attend regular discussions for educators that allow
diversity-related issues to be discussed and understood.
• Monitor conflicts that arise in the classroom. Pay attention to the
factors that lead to unwanted incidents.
• Create a venue for ongoing discussions where students and teachers
can participate to discuss diversity-related issues.
• Arrange and conduct training programs on the understanding
and appreciation of cultural diversity for students and teachers,
using actual cases from your school.
• Document and discuss specific complaints arising from diversity-
related issues.
• Initiate experiential workshops for teachers and students to allow
them to confront their own ethnocentrisms on certain issues.
• Design curriculum and select reading materials and other resources
that reflect different backgrounds that meet the needs of the
student body.
• Observe “power struggles” in class by identifying which students
seem to dominate discussions or activities more than others and
what causes these disparities.
• Reach out to silent students.
• Make an issue of conflict a “teachable moment.”
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 177
• Treat each student as an individual deserving of respect and not
as a representative of a group.
• Declare a “peace consciousness week” or a “cultural diversity
week” in support of the school’s efforts to build a culture of peace
and respect for diversity.
• Integrate peace concepts in various school subjects.
• Engage students in peace promoting activities such as a “Twinning
Project”
• Conduct special activities like workshops, seminars and programs
that promote peace concepts.
• Address immediately concerns that come up which violate the
school’s peace policies.
4. Give five characteristics of teachers of peace.
You may provide any five of the following answers. Your answers
may not be worded exactly like mine.
• The teacher of peace is a responsible global citizen, an agent of the
culture of peace who has the vision and hope towards the
achievement of positive change. S/He understands that education
should be a means towards constructive change.
• S/He is motivated by service and is actively involved in the
community. S/he is a responsible person in the society s/he belongs
to.
• S/He is a seeker of mutually enhancing relationships that nurture
peace and a sense of community.
• S/He is gender-sensitive and alert to any possibility of gender bias
in self or students.
• A Teacher of Peace is constructively critical. S/He uses criticism
as a tool towards constructive change.
• A Teacher of Peace intentionally develops the capacity to care by
knowing the learners in their change as individuals. This enables
him/her to respond to the differences in students’ learning styles
as positively as s/he is expected to respond to other human
differences.
178 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• S/He has the skills of reflective learning through which s/he
applies what is learned from teaching to deepen his/her own
understanding of the students and the learning process
• A Teacher of Peace has the skills of communication and conflict
resolution. These are important characteristics for building
community and peace-making.
• S/He practices cooperative learning by encouraging cooperative
learning tasks and discouraging negative competition or in-group
– out-group behavior (exclusion) among students.
• A Teacher of Peace inspires understanding of alternative
possibilities for the future and for a culture of peace. S/He helps
students to plan and act to achieve such a culture.
• S/He is a lifelong learner who continues to improve one’s own
learning abilities and to keep abreast of the field.
• A Teacher of Peace is an inquirer. S/He is more a raiser of questions
than a giver of answers. S/He poses instructive questions into the
conditions that impede and those that enhance possibilities for
achieving a culture of peace.
• S/He is both a transmitter and transformer of values. S/He is
critical and reflective agent of social and cultural transformation.
5. Give five ways to integrate peace education into teaching and learning
activities. Provide a short description for each one.
Your answers may not be worded exactly like mine.
• Constantly look for opportunities to “weave in” or introduce peace
and cultural diversity concepts in existing lessons being used in
classrooms;
• Use creative approaches to make learning fun and enjoyable for
the teachers and the students;
• Integrate peace-concepts into lessons across subjects and other
activities;
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 179
• Introduce unique instructional approaches aside from the usual
“talk and chalk” strategy; and
• Specifically cover conflict resolution as a learning or skills area for
development.
These are but some of the suggestions on how to integrate peace into
teaching and learning activities. There are many other creative
approaches that can be explored depending on the specific needs and
available resources of the school. Discuss your answers with your
Flexible Learning Tutor and co-learners.
6. Give three examples of ways to implement a peaceable classroom.
You may provide any three of the following answers. Your answer
may not be worded exactly like mine.
To create peaceable classrooms in your schools, you may do the
following:
• Ask your teachers to declare their classroom as a zone of peace
and establish rules to achieve it.
• Affirm students.
• Express feelings appropriately and encourage students to do so.
• Help your teachers to let peace begin in them.
• Encourage respect for and acceptance of differences.
• Employ more cooperative than competitive activities.
• Teach students how to resolve conflicts peacefully and
constructively.
• Give opportunities for students to practice their communication
skills.
180 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
7. Explain why the community should be involved in the school’s peace
activities.
School-based activities can be “extended” outside the school to include
community members. This practice is important as local peace efforts
can create more impact as an integral part of the global goal of peace
through the design and implementation of activities that involve
community stakeholders.
Part 2
8. Which of the following are school policies that she needs to review, if
available?
All the letters should be encircled.
The school’s mission, vision and goal statements, list of core values
that the school aims to instill upon its students, student handbooks,
faculty manuals and school curriculum are all important school policy
documents. These should be reviewed as they as they provide the
principles and guidelines on how the school functions as a provider
of learning and as an institution. When these documents specifically
support peace efforts and promote the respect for cultural diversity,
they can be used as reference or bases for developing peace-responsive
teaching and learning activities for students.
9. Mrs. Nguyen also has to ensure that the revisions she made on her school
policies are peace-responsive. Peace-responsive school policies are evaluated
on two grounds. What are these?
These are 1.) Form and 2.) Content.
Form refers to the physical appearance of the documents whether
they follow the correct format and other policy guidelines. Content
refers to the actual messages or the written instructions, guidelines
and principles provided by the documents.
10. Which of the following is not a way to introduce peace and cultural diversity
concepts in teaching students? Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
Option b. Use only tried and tested approaches is the correct answer.
Using only tried and tested approaches may not be effective. It is
suggested that creative and updated strategies be used. These may be
improvements on the learning approaches currently being used.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 181
11. Mrs. Nguyen wanted to introduce teaching-learning approaches and
activities into the various subjects being taught in her school by
“thematically weaving” them in. Give five examples of these activities:
Some of these activities are: small group discussions, pairing with a
discussion partner, visualization/imagination exercises, perspective
talking, and role-playing.
12. To develop her teachers into Teachers of Peace, which of the following can
she do? Draw a circle around the letter of the correct answers.
All the answers/letters should be encircled.
Helping teachers develop “inner peace” is important as peace starts
within oneself. Providing an open and continuous support to discourse
on peace and peace education allows peace to be constantly discussed
and reinforced. It is also important to foster the development of their
peace KSA/Vs through sustainable teaching and learning programs
as well as self-evaluations. Lastly, it is crucial to provide an atmosphere
of support throughout the process, within and outside school, as peace
efforts need to involve the school’s community as well.
13. To create peaceable classrooms in her school, which of the following should
Mrs. Nguyen not do?
You should have encircled the letters of the following options:
c. Restrict the appropriate expression of student’s feelings.
The appropriate expression of feelings should not be restricted as
open communication is essential to peaceable classrooms.
e. Discourage the acceptance of differences among students.
Peaceable classrooms promote the acceptance, respect, and
appreciation for cultural diversity.
f. Employ more competitive than cooperative activities.
Peaceable classrooms promote cooperation and discourage
competition.
182 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
14. What collaborative activities with stakeholders in the community can Ms.
Nguyen implement and how can she ensure that these activities are
sustained? Give three answers/examples.
You may have identified other collaborative activities to engage community
stakeholders. Discuss these with your Flexible Learning Tutor.
Proposed collaborative activity withstakeholders in the community
How to ensure sustainabilityof the activity
1. Community members can joindiscussions and meetings in school,especially when peace-related topicsare covered.
Ensure that communitymembers get invited todiscussions and meetingswhere their presence andinputs would be importantor necessary.
2. Community members can act asvolunteers in doing peace-relatedwork organized by the school suchas construction of physicalstructures, peace bulletin boards andthe like.
Create a pool of activecommunity volunteers forpeace and involve them inactivities. Regularly updatethe list.
3. They can participate in theproduction of materials such aspamphlets and posters that can bedistributed in the community orposted in key spots within the locale.
Create a pool of activecommunity volunteers forpeace. Regularly involvethem in peace-relatedactivities of the school.Regularly update the list ofvolunteers. Conduct a specialprogram or activity toexpress the school’sappreciation for thecommunity peace volunteers.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 183
Suggested Readings and Websites
Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (2001).
Education for a Culture of Peace: Source Book for Teacher Training on EIU.
Seoul, Korea: APCEIU.
Peace Education Center, Teachers College Columbia University. Website:
http://www.tc.edu/PeaceED/index.html
Reardon, Betty A. and Cabezudo, Alicia (2002). Learning to Abolish War:
Teaching Toward a Culture of Peace (Book 1). Website: http://
www.haguepeace.org/index.php?action=resources
Reardon, Betty A. and Cabezudo, Alicia (2002). Learning to Abolish War:
Teaching Toward a Culture of Peace Sample Learning Units (Book 2).
Website: http://www.haguepeace.org/index.php?action= resources
Reardon, Betty A. and Cabezudo, Alicia (2002). Learning to Abolish War:
Teaching Toward a Culture of Peace Tools for Participantion (Book 3).
Website: http://www.haguepeace.org/index.php?action= resources
United Nations (2009). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Website:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml/ap
University for Peace. The UN-Mandated Graduate School of Peace and
Conflict Studies. Website: http://www.upeace.org
Glossary
Advocate – promoter, one who works on or fights for something
Anchors - provides a foundation for, supports
Appropriately - fittingly
Arbitrary - based on decisions
Baby steps - small steps
Bullying - when persons intimidate others through harsh words or actions
184 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Collaborate - work together
Conceptualize - think about
Critical incident - an event or activity that makes a significant contribution
either positively or negatively to an activity or phenomenon.
Crucial - important
Cultural exchange - sharing of cultural experiences
Curricular - refers to the curriculum
Curriculum – an important school document that provides information
on knowledge, skills, attitudes/values to be taught per academic subject
Demographic - refers to characteristics related to age, sex, gender, and
other basic information
Denounces - puts down, Strongly disagrees with
Discrimination – when people treat others negatively because of their
characteristics or background
Disseminated – announced, broadcasted, shared with many
Diversity – state of having difference
Elimination – process of removal
Equity - getting a fair share based on one’s needs and capabilities
Ethical - adheres to good/accepted principles
Ethnicity – refers to race or geographic affiliation
Ethnocentricism - state where individuals believe that the only “normal”
way of thinking and behaving is their own culture’s way of thinking
and behaving
Exploitation - abuse
Forum – venues for discussion, meeting
Foster - take care of, sustain
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 185
Gender bias – discrimination based on gender, usually against females.
Gross Domestic Product - abbreviated as GDP - a measure of a country’s
economic output or value based on income and other resources
Haven - home, safe place
Highlighted – placed emphasis or focus on
Hijab - headscarf worn by Muslim women/girls
Homophobic - fear or hatred of homosexual persons
Humanization - process of promoting respect for and kindness to people
Ideology - system of belief, way of thinking
Immigration - permanent transfer to a new place of residence, usually
across countries.
Imperative - requirement
Integral – important
Interlocking - closely linked
Isolated - alone, separated from a group
Lawless – does not follow accepted codes of conduct or laws
Localization - focusing on local activities; making locally relevant
Marginalized - treated differently (usually negatively) from the majority
of the population
Maguindanaon - a Muslim ethnic group in the Philippines
Migration – movement of people
Multicultural - referring to many cultures
Nurture - take care of, sustain
Operationalize - work towards implementation
Passive - weak, opposite of active
186 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Personnel - staff members, workers, employees
Plotted – planned
Ponder – think about, reflect on
Power struggles - fighting for authority, superiority
Prejudice - negative attitudes, feelings towards members of a certain group
without adequate basis
Proactive approach - anticipatory
Psychological health - mental health
Regionalization - focusing on a geographical region
Schema - framework
Social Phenomenon - social reality, important event or movement in a
society
Stakeholders - persons affected by an issue, relevant people
Supplemental – additional, extra
Sustainable – can be made to last through time
Thematic integration - putting together, linking based on themes
Twinning - pairing
Turmoil - state of disorder or disarray
Universalization - focus on global concerns
Vandalism - inappropriately writing on surfaces such as walls
Vignette - short story, anecdote, case study
Vital - important, essential
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 187
References
Abid-Babano, Estrella (2009). Power Point Presentation on Peace Village.
Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (2007).
EIU Best Case Study, Series No. 5: Peace and Human Rights Education
through Education for Sustainable Development: Lesson from Four Case
Studies in the Philippines. Seoul, Korea: APCEIU.
Caldwell, B. & Spinks, J. (1993). The Self-Managing School: Education Policy
Perspectives. United Kingdom: Falmer Press.
Castro, Loreta Navarro- & Galace, Jasmin Nario- (2008). Peace Education-
A Pathway to a Culture of Peace. Center for Peace Education, Miriam
College, Quezon City Philippines.
Churarat Sangboonnum (2003). The Associated Schools Project Network in
Thailand. http://www.hurights.or.jp/pub/hreas/5/03churairat.htm
Cultivating Peace (2009). Website: http://www.cultivatingpeace.ca/
main.html.
Daisaku Ikeda (2009). Daisaku Ikeda Quote Site. Website: http://
www.daisakuikeda.org/
Department of Education (2009). The Governance of Basic Education Act of
2001 (RA 9155). Metro Manila: Congress of the Philippines.
Department of Education (2006). Executive Order No. 570: Institutionalizing
Peace Education in Basic Education and Teacher Education. http://
elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/index
Desillas, S. (1994). Managing Diversity: Strategies for Effective Education in
a Diverse Classroom. UNESCO International Bureau of Education -
Papers on teacher training and multi-cultural/intercultural education
Module # 36.
Gagliardi. R. (1994). An Integrated Model for Teacher Training in Cultural
Contexts. UNESCO International Bureau of Education - Papers on
teacher training and multi-cultural/intercultural education Module#1.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
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Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York:
Bantam Books.
Makati Hope Christian School (2009). Mission and Vision. Website:
http://makatihope.edu.ph/content/view/18133/
Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2004). Emotional Intelligence: Theory,
Findings, and Implications. Psychological Inquiry 15, 197-215.
Morawetz, Uwe (2008). Peace Education. Website: http://peace-
foundation.net.7host.com/article.asp
Murray, N. (2005). Peace Education: Personal Reflections Amid a Field of
Research in School Curriculum. (from EDUCATION RESEARCHES
INFORMATION CENTER in http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/
p o r t l e t s / r e c o r d D e t a i l s / d e t a i l m i n i . j s p ? _ n f p b = t r u e & _ &
ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED284803&ERICExtSearch_Search
Type_0=no&accno=ED284803)
Nikitina, A. (2009). SMART Goal Setting: A Surefire Way To Achieve Your
Goals. Website: http://www.goal-setting-guide.com/smart-goals.html
Office of the National Education Commission (2009). Thailand National
Education Act of 1999 (B.E. 2542). Website: www.edthai.com/
The Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace (2000). Peace Education Theory.
http://peace.ca/peaceeducationtheory.htm
ThinkExist (2009). Ghandi Quotes. Website: http://thinkexist.com/
quotation/if_we_are_to_teach_real_peace_in_this_world-and/
14282.html
United Nations (2009). Charter of the United Nations: Preamble. Website:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/preamble.shtml
Yahan Chin (2006). The Cambodian National Curriculum and Human Rights
Education. Website: http://www.hurights.or.jp/pub/hreas/6/
06Cambodia1.htm
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 189
ANNEXES
ANNEX A
The Associated Schools Project Network in Thailand - A Response
to the Call to Promote International Understanding, Human Rights,
Tolerance, and Peace in Thai Schools
By Churarat Sangboonnum
School curriculums in Thailand have been reformed many times since
World War II. Based on the Thailand National Education Act of 1999, the
new national curriculum emphasizes learning about neighboring countries,
the region, the world, the UN, human rights, and universal values. The
curriculum aims to promote independent thought, self-reliance, and
national and international cooperation...In the past decade, schools have
been asked to include globally-related content in their curriculums, such
as environmental protection, AIDS prevention, anti-drug abuse, human
rights and nonviolence in schools, etc. At the same time, schools have
always stressed learning about local and national values and culture.
Cooperation through the Ministry of Education with the UN and its
agencies such as UNESCO, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), etc. has inspired
many new ideas and changes in education.
Thailand became a member of the United Nations (UN) in 1946 and joined
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in 1949. In 1958, Thailand joined the UNESCO Associated
Schools Project in Education for International Understanding and
Cooperation. The Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) aims to
promote international understanding, human rights, tolerance, and peace
under the framework of UNESCO which supports the network. ASPnet
is under the External Relations Division of the Ministry of Education,
which serves as the Secretariat of the Thai National Commission for
UNESCO and as the coordinator of ASPnet.
Topics suggested by UNESCO—the UN and its agencies, human rights,
and countries of the world—were introduced into the schools’ curriculums,
190 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
and extracurricular activities such as exhibitions, debates, role play,
exchange of letters and documents, and special programs to celebrate
important days such as UN Day, etc. were encouraged. As one of ASPnet’s
key objectives is to establish a network of schools to develop new
approaches, methods, and resource materials to build a culture of peace,
it conducted the following activities related to the promotion of peace
and human rights:
• International youth seminar to conserve the cultural and natural
heritage (1994);
• Culture-of-peace festival for children in Asia (1995);
• Panel discussions on Education Toward Peace to commemorate
the 50th anniversary of UNESCO (1996), and on Human Rights
Education in Thailand to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of
the UDHR (1997), by ASPnet schools and the Center for
International Understanding;
• A students’ drawing and motto contest on the Culture of Peace
and a national seminar for ASPnet teachers (in 2000, the
International Year for Culture of Peace);
• National workshop to introduce the Peace Package (UNESCO’s
primary-school kit), including human rights education and child
rights, to ASPnet teachers (2001)
The ASPnet helps promote environmental protection, human rights
education, peace, and tolerance. The 21st-century programs and activities
of ASPnet schools are based on the four pillars of learning advocated by
UNESCO: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning
to live together.
Source: Churarat Sangboonnum (2003). The Associated Schools Project
Network in Thailand. http://www.hurights.or.jp/pub/hreas/5/
03churairat.htm
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 191
ANNEX B
The Cambodian National Curriculum and Human Rights Education
By Yahan Chin
After the conduct of free and universal elections under United Nations
supervision, Cambodia has achieved national reconciliation and political,
social, and economic stability, and opted for economic liberalization and
participation in the international free market. Foreign investment is now
flowing into Cambodia, which needs a labor force with technical skills at
all levels. The Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has to
meet this need as soon as possible. In the National Rehabilitation and
Development Program submitted to the International Committee for
Rehabilitation in Cambodia at its second conference held on 10–11 March
1994 in Tokyo, the government focused on the quality of education, since
it is the most important factor in consolidating national unity and identity,
and social and economic development. MoEYS created 19 programs and
72 priority action points. Committees were established to develop urgently
needed curriculums and textbooks.
The Cambodian national education policy focuses on providing skills to
all students. MoEYS thus started developing curriculums for primary and
secondary schools. Considering the Constitution, MoEYS strategies, and
the national situation, the committees adopted general education reform
policies, some of which are listed below:
• The subject areas will include as many competencies as possible
on human rights, tolerance, peace, hygiene, health, food,
environment, tourism, economy, business, computers, AIDS, civics,
etc.
• The curriculum will be based on concepts of humanization,
localization, regionalization, and universalization.
• Attention will be given to knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values,
with emphasis on… problem-solving skills, cooperation, and
induction/deduction) to create competent, dignified citizens,
creative people, environmentalists, and other socially useful people.
192 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
• The student-centered approach to learning/teaching will be used
parallel to the educational philosophy of “progressivism,” which
is applied by most countries, and gradually give up the teacher-
centered approach.
• Life skills and vocational education to develop labor with
appropriate skills for all areas will be promoted.
The philosophy of the curriculum extends from the philosophy of the
National Goals and Aims of Education of Cambodia, which seeks to
develop human resources holistically—simultaneously with the mind,
emotions, and body. This approach ensures the development of knowledge,
skills, experience, morality, tolerance, cooperation, solidarity, national
unity, national consciousness, love of justice, respect for law, respect for
human rights, environmental preservation, identity, and valuing of
national culture and civilization, self-reliance, self confidence, ability to
solve daily problems, creativity, industry, responsibility, ability to promote
one’s family’s well-being, and participation in national rehabilitation and
development based on democracy and pluralism. The education system,
therefore, has to train students in all levels of skills to meet social needs,
as well as train intellectuals in management, administration, and science
under the motto, “Nation, Religion, King.”
The national curriculum supports the goal of developing knowledge, skills,
values, personality, work experience, life experience, and useful habits of
learners so that they can take active part in national development in the
spirit of national unity and liberal pluralistic democracy.
Source: Yahan Chin (2006). The Cambodian National Curriculum and
Human Rights Education. Website: http://www.hurights.or.jp/
pub/hreas/6/06Cambodia1.htm
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 193
ANNEX C
Towards Peace Education – The Philippines’ Policy Context
The Department of Education - DepEd (formerly the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports [DECS]) - of the Republic of the Philippines
governs basic education in the country as provided for in the Basic
Education Act of 2001 or Republic Act (RA) No. 9155. This Act states
that it is the policy of the country to ensure that the values, needs, and
aspirations of a school community are reflected in the program of
education for children, out-of-school youth, and adult learners. The DepEd
was vested with the authority to ensure that peace and values education
is provided to school children.… The administration of President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order (EO) No. 570 on September
2006 entitled, “Institutionalizing Peace Education in Basic Education and
Teacher Education.” This policy mandated the DepEd to mainstream
peace education in the basic formal and non-formal education curricula;
utilize existing peace education exemplars and other peace education
modules; and enhance the knowledge and capabilities of supervisors,
teachers and nonteaching personnel on peace education through conduct
of in-service trainings. It also supported the mainstreaming of peace
education into teacher education programs. The DepEd encourages all
schools in the country to be culturally sensitive and exude awareness of
the religious rights of students. In support of RA 9155, it issued DepEd
Order No. 53, s. 2001. This is a policy that supports the constitutional
guarantee of the right of citizens to freedom of religion and non-
discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, creed, or color. Specifically,
the DepEd encourages all schools to re-evaluate their policies to ensure
that these are sensitive enough to respect the plight of Muslim student
who attend their schools. The policy was very specific to allowing Muslim
school children to wear their veils or headdresses (hijabs) inside the school
campus. Furthermore, in physical education classes, Muslim girls will not
be required to wear shorts and instead wear appropriate clothing in
accordance with their religious beliefs. The policy also indicates that
Muslim students should not be required to participate in non-Muslim
religious activities.
Source: Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International
Understanding (2007). Peace and Human Rights Education through
Education for Sustainable Development: Lesson from Four Case Studies
in the Philippines. Seoul, Korea: APCEIU.
194 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
ANNEX D
Building Bridges for Understanding and Peace, The Case of the
Center for Peace Education, Miriam College (2007)
By Helen Sophia Cha-Balderrama
Peace is a core value expressed in Miriam College’s Vision-Mission
statement as an educational institution. In 1991, the school committed
itself to becoming a Zone of Peace. In its declaration, the community
pledged to promote caring relationships, cooperation, non-violence to
conflict resolution, a simple lifestyle, and activities related to promoting
peace and social concerns. In 1997, the Center for Peace Education (CPE)
was formally established at Miriam College. Since then, the CPE became
instrumental towards the more systematic training of Miriam College
faculty members on peace education. Its mission was to help advance the
Culture of Peace through Education wherein the culture was defined as
a set of values, modes of behavior and ways of life that reflects respect for
life and human dignity; rejects violence in all forms; prevents violent
conflicts by tackling their root causes; and recognizes the importance of
cooperation, tolerance and dialogue.
Some of the “best practices” of the CPE in promoting a Culture of Peace
include:
Bringing Peace to the Heart of the Learning Process
The CPE is active in peace education circles mainly on teacher training
on peace education, student development, peace advocacy, and
networking (national and global). The students undergo training and
development in conflict resolution and peer mediation through trainings
and youth conferences. The CPE has formally launched the Peer
Mediation Program and published materials such as the Peer Mediation
Sourcebook and the Peace Education Teacher Training Manual. The CPE
was also instrumental in initiating peace education networks in the country
and actively participates in international groups for peace such as The
Global Campaign for Peace Education of the Hague Appeal for Peace
Events. In addition, it was the CPE which initiated the twinning project
between Miriam College and the Rajah Mudah High School which you
were introduced to in Lesson 1.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 195
To encourage students towards becoming peace champions, the twinning
between Miriam College (a private Christian school based in affluent Metro
Manila, the capital city of the Philippines) and the Rajah Mudah High
School (a public school in a conflict-ridden area in Mindanao, Southern
Philippines) was initiated. The theme of the project is “building bridges of
understanding and peace” and its long term goal is to enable both schools
to become Schools of Peace. As a preliminary objective, the project sought
to enable both Miriam College and Rajah Mudah High School students to
a gain better understanding of each other’s culture and break down
barriers of prejudice that currently exist between Muslims and Christians.
The Twinning Project supported the following activities:
• Letter Exchange —simultaneously launched in 2004 in the two
schools, the exchange of letters between students has been going
on for three years. It basically involves 6 to 7 monthly
correspondences among student participants that serve as a
venue for intercultural and interfaith understanding.
• Student- teacher outreach—during the Mindanao Week of
Peace celebrated every year, the CPE organizes the selling of
rice porridge to raise funds for the project. The proceeds from
the activity lead to the putting up of simple structures at Rajah
Mudah High School. School alumni also help in raising funds
for the project.
• Joint publication—the first joint newsletter of the project
(named “Pag-Asa,” a Filipino word which means hope) was
published in 2005. It featured reflection essays, poetry, and
drawings submitted by students from both schools. Their
contributions showed how much they appreciated the
experience of writing to and developing friendships with one
another as well as a deeper appreciation of the need for peace
across cultures. Since then, 44 essays, 25 poems, and one short
story written by students have been published in the newsletter.
• Joint seminar and sharing of experiences—In May 2005,
administrators and teachers from both schools worked together
in a seminar which provided a venue for exchange on peace
196 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
concepts and effective peace education teaching strategies. This
informal interaction also produced a joint plan of peace-
promoting activities for the coming year.
• Workshop on Youth Peace—held in November 2005, this
activity aimed to develop the capacities of students as agents
of peace in their respective spheres and encouraged schools to
become Schools of Peace. This activity also led to the formation
of the “Saura no kalilintad” (Voices of Peace) Club, a peace
club among Rajah Mudah High School Students.
The twinning project was evaluated to be effective in promoting the
appreciation of peace among the students of both schools. In addition, it
has also developed among the students participants the values of
cooperation, non-violent conflict resolution, and appreciation of the
diversity of cultures present in Philippine society.
Source: Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International
Understanding (2007). EIU Best Case Study, Series No. 5: Peace
and Human Rights Education through Education for Sustainable
Development: Lesson from Four Case Studies in the Philippines.
Seoul, Korea: APCEIU.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 197
ANNEX E
Peace Clubs
(Power Point Presentation on Peace Village
by Estrella Abid-Babano, 2009)
In the Philippines, several schools have put up such peace clubs. Members
of the club plan and implement peace-building activities in line with the
school’s peace education goals. They also regularly conduct activities that
promote appreciation for cultural diversity through exchanges, dialogues,
and programs. They also support art and literature activities (e.g., poster-
making, poetry-writing, short story-writing, orations, and even dance
shows) in their school. These peace clubs even organize programs in
collaboration with other learning institutions.
198 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
ANNEX F
Peace Village
(Power Point Presentation
by Estrella Abid-Babano, 2009)
Background
• UNESCO’s goal of promoting international understanding and
peace through education;
• 1996 Final Peace Agreement;
• In consonance with the EFA and MDG Goals 2015;
• Education can only be effectively attained in an environment of
PEACE.
Peace Education Initiatives
• Arabic Language & Islamic Values Education Program (ALIVE)
• Indigenous Peoples Education Center
• Peace Education Council
• Peace Campaigns
• Peace Fora and Interfaith Dialogues
• Peace Bulletins
• Peace Trainings
• Schools of Peace
- Peace Class
- Peace Parks within the school
- Lesson Exemplars
- Community Service and Immersion
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 199
Peace Village Objectives
1. Revisit values and attitudes towards diversity, cultural differences,
tolerance, and human dignity;
2. Manifest behaviors showing camaraderie and brotherhood with
fellow participants regardless of culture, tribe, creed, and socio-
economic status;
3. Promote the spirit of respect and understanding of one’s cultural
beliefs in a complex and culturally diverse society;
4. Develop social interaction skills to promote peaceful relations
among people of diverse groups and communities;
5. Demonstrate that there are alternatives to violence and develop
positive approaches to dealing with conflicts.
Peace Village Themes
Theme 1: Discovering Me. Getting in touch with “ME” to get a sense
of what one feels and thinks about non-violence and
violence and where lies one’s strength, potentials, and
weaknesses. Activities that leave the child feeling good
about himself or herself.
Theme 2: Living for Others. Developing social skills and abilities for
harmonious living. Activities that foster empathy and
understanding and respect – for others, diversity, and the
environment. Activities that develop or hone thinking,
listening, talking, and writing skills.
Theme 3: Committing to the Ways of Peace. Knowing and
understanding one’s rights, duties, and responsibilities,
committing to abide by them. Activities that develop
awareness of what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, and
encourage making choices and decisions, and assuming
responsibility for them.
200 Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities
Peace Village Key Activities
Shower of Peace
The peace advocates start the day with a “clean heart” devoid of biases
and prejudices, by taking a collective shower. It’s a symbolic gesture
of oneness in their vow to create a culture of peace.
Peace Congress
This event allows the young to learn how to solve problems and think
critically on issues of peace, conflict, and violence. They also develop
camaraderie and interpersonal relationships.
Peace Learning Hubs
Combining a place that serves as a center of activities that promotes
peace and respect for cultural diversity, learning, and fun. These
activity centers allow ample space for children to explore, express
themselves, discover, and learn with fellow learners. These hubs
promote activities that blend peace education with curricular content.
Peace Art/Peace Wall
The Peace Wall is an outdoor gallery of children’s art about conflict
and non-violence. The children render their visions of peace and their
ideal world in words and in drawings.
Peace Reflections
The young villagers cap the day with introspective contemplation on
peace. They share their musings on peace, recall experience, and
express their feelings toward peace – all as an exercise in self-
awareness.
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
The event offers a venue for cultural exchange to celebrate diversity.
The children showcase their rich cultures and traditions in the form
of dance, drama, songs, and rituals.
Promote Peace and Respect for Cultural Diversity in Schools and Communities 201
Kids Say No to Guns
Children bring and surrender their toy guns in exchange for seedlings.
The activity symbolizes the conversion from “ARMS to FARMS” and
the children’s care for the environment.
Implications
– Promotion of the Culture of Peace, respect, and tolerance in a
multi-cultural diversity.
– Healthy co-existence regardless of cultural differences, religious
beliefs, and multi-racial ethnicity
– Establishment of a sense of unity and belongingness
– Develops leadership skills, other talents, and potentials of students
Challenges and Future Directions
� Institutionalization of peace education in all levels of basic
education institutions;
� Strategies integration of peace education in the school curriculum;
� Development of peace education instructional materials;
� Peace education training courses;
� Comprehensive and multi-sectoral approval to institutionalize
peace;
� Full support from local government units/ stakeholders;
� Massive advocacy through tri-media exposure;
� Logistical support;
� Establishment of linkages and tie-up on related programs with
NGOs, GOs and International Civic Organizations.