Download Education through and for Change

Education through and for
Change
Alexandria Education Convention
16-18 December 2012
Steven Stegers, EUROCLIO – European Association of History Educators
A changing world.
The world we live in is constantly changing. And so are we.
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Beliefs, Ideas and Policies
Economy.
Technologies
The Environment
Institutes
Communities
Conflicts
Alliances
Level of interconnectedness
Education through and for change
Reacting to a changing world and the role of self
• How do we perceive these changes? Are the changes
negative, positive, or is it more complicated?
• Who is the driving force behind these changes? Can we
influence the change ourselves? To what extent? How?
Education through and for change
Diversity of perceptions rooted in a diversity of
experiences
There is no clear-cut answer to these questions. How people
answer these questions depends (amongst others) on their
beliefs, attitudes and personalities – and also on their
personal experiences, exposure to the information from the
media, communication with other people, formal education,
and the way people process this information.
Education through and for change
Is there a role for intercultural citizens?
One of the ideas behind intercultural citizenship education
is that there is role and responsibility for citizens to
contribute to society. Traditionally, citizenship has focussed
on issues within a national framework. At present, as the
world becomes more interconnected, and problems become
more global, there is a growing need for citizens to work
together.
Education through and for change
How to interact positively?
The main challenge to work towards communities lies in
the diversity within the human population. Beliefs,
attitudes, personalities, experiences and exposure and
access to information are very different from person to
person and from country to country. The situation becomes
even more complex, when conflict and tensions between
communities have led to negative perceptions, attitudes and
experiences toward the other.
Education through and for change
The mission
The defining feature of intercultural citizen is that he or she
contributes positively to society with respect for diversity.
Positive participation in society is something that goes
beyond the classroom. It is impacting people’s lives and –
to a certain extent – implies changing people’s behaviour,
perceptions and knowledge.
Education through and for change
Methodology
The main question of the chapter is which attitudes, skills,
and knowledge are needed in order to become an
intercultural citizen.
Education through and for change
Something to strive for: Stimulating people to contribute
positively to society with respect for diversity on the basis of
equality.
Positive interaction on
basis of equality
Negative interaction on the
basis of inequality
Vicious Conflict Cycle
Negative behaviors towards
Negatively Identifying with
Misunderstanding of
Negative attitudes towards
Negative interest in
Lack of understanding of
Indifference toward
Disinterest in
Cooperation and Conflict
Transformation
Positive behavior towards
Identifying with / Belonging to
Understanding of
Positive attitudes towards
Positive interest in
the “others” and the world we live in
ethnicity
health
age
language
gender
sexual orientation
religion
culture
the environment
citizenship
An example of negative interaction
Education through and for change
The Need for a Paradigm Shift
From
West
vs.
Moderates
vs.
The Rest
To
Education through and for change
Extremist
(Inter)group Dynamics
•Identity Theory (in and out-group)
•Intergroup Contact Theory (interaction)
•Social Dilemma’s
•Practices
• Radicalisation (for example Stormfront)
• Mediation / Conflict Resolution
Education through and for change
Identity Theory
Christine Ho, 2007
Education through and for change
Social Dilemmas
Education through and for change
Group Dynamics
• Identity and Perception: Providing multiple labels of
otherness whilst problematizing these labels.
• Knowledge: Knowledge (and understanding) of different
cultures and communities. Knowledge relevant for civic
activism on cross-border level.
• Attitudes: Curiosity, Openness, Tolerance for uncertainty.
• Values: Equality, Diversity
• Skills: Ability to identify the common interest, Ability to
differentiate between people who are directly responsible and
those who are not (by proxy). Ability to disagree peacefully.
Ability to differentiate between fact and opinion.
• Behaviour: Positive interaction.
Education through and for change
Group Work
• Form groups of manageable size.
• Get a pen & paper.
Education through and for change
Group Work: Criteria
• List as many possible criteria by which you can divide
groups. (for example man/women,
moderate/conservative).
• Create a card for each criterion that your group comes up
with.
Education through and for change
Group Work: Criteria
• Look at the criteria and try to group them in a meaningful
way.
• Discuss (for each group of criteria) which term describes
the group of criteria best and list them when there is
consensus.
Education through and for change
Does the problematization of the “labels” help?
Education through and for change