Developing Peace Consciousness through Co-operative Learning Strategies among Secondary Level Teacher Trainees of Kottayam District in Kerala
Introduction
The present world is in a state of confusion, conflicts and turmoil. In the journey to reach the apex of material development by the techno-scientific means, the people of modern society have lost their great asset called ‘Peace’. Today the whole world is in the grip of terror, deep sorrow and sufferings. The life of people has become so complex and miserable, that they want to get riddance from the present situation.
Concept and Meaning of Peace
The concept of ‘Peace’ has undergone changes throughout the history of mankind as individuals and different groups have struggled to realize a harmonious state of existence. Many people think of peace as the absence of war or violence or conflict. Some think, ‘Peace’ as a state of tranquility in an individual or in the environment. But in a comprehensive term ‘Peace’ is a positive concept which implies much more than the absence of war or violence or conflict rather it is the practice of love and necessary conditions for human survival.
Some people say peace is an ontological principle concerning the humanizing of human beings. It is an attitude towards life which by restraining violence, strengthens social cohesion and makes life worth living.
Peace is not something we can achieve at some point and neglect thereafter; it has come to be treated as a precondition of survival, growth and development of mankind.
Ian M. Harris (1988) explains the concept as; “Peace is a concept which
motivates the imagination, connotes more than the cessation of war, implies,
human beings working together to resolve conflicts, respect standards of justice,
satisfy basic needs and honour human rights.”
Peace is a state of mind. This is beautifully expressed in the preamble to UNESCO constitution.
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defence of peace must be constructed.”
The very word ‘Peace’ is inspiring. It represents whatever good there is in life. Peace is complimentary, fulfilling and most desirable embodiment of reverence, honour, adoration, admiration, dedication and devotion. Peace is the ultimate, absolute, everlasting and most desirable thing for human being.
Peace researchers have pointed out that peace has both a negative and positive connotation. In its negative meaning, “peace” implies stopping some form of violence following standards of justice, living in balance with nature, and providing meaningful participation to citizens in their government. People use various strategies to pursue peace. Some rely on the use of force to stop aggression. Others rely on nonviolence communication skills to manage conflict without the use of force. The pursuit of peace involves a worldly outlook that links local struggle to global aspects and vice versa.
“Peace has been defined by Joel Kevel as a state of existence where;
“Neither the overt violence of war nor the covert violence of unjust system used as an instrument for extending the interest of a particular nation or group. It is a world where basic human needs are met, and in which justice can be obtained and conflict resolved through non-violent process and human and material resources are shared for the benefit of all the people”.
On the whole, Peace has different meaning in different contexts, so it can be appropriately defined and understood, only in those contexts.
Individual Contexts
Peace has individual context which implies tranquility or calmness in the mind and heart of an individual. In very simple language, for an individual to live peacefully, he or she must be able to satisfy basic needs and resolve conflicts within family, friendships, work place and community in such a way that promotes the well being of all.
J. Krishnamurti elaborates the idea of Peace in an individual context, because he believes that man himself is a world, he is the only source of ’peace’ in the world. He explains the notion of peace in his book, ‘Total Freedom’ as; Fear, Pleasure, Sorrow, Thought of Violence
all are interrelated. Most of us take pleasure in violence, in disliking somebody, hating a particular race or group of people, having antagonistic feelings towards others. But in a state of mind in which all violence has come to an end there is a joy that is very different from the ‘pleasure of violence.’
J. Krishnamurti describes Peace as freedom from violence. An individual can be liberated from violence only by looking in himself. “If we know how to look at violence, not only outwardly in society- the wars, the riots, the national antagonisms and class-conflicts but also in ourselves, then perhaps we shall be able to go beyond it.”
The seers, monks or thinkers have attributed individuals to meaningful peace in the society, and hence in the world.
Acquisition of wealth and possessions do not pave the way to happiness. The example of U.S.A. that came down 23rd in the list of countries in recent ‘Global Happiness Survey’ indicates that it is true. Hence ‘Peace’ is the pre-condition of happiness in an individual.
In an individual context, peace is a subjective term and hence the concept of ‘happiness’ too. Peace is an experience of inner calmness or tranquility which can be accomplished by practice. So acquiring peace is an entirely individual effort and has less to do with external circumstances or external world. Even a wilderness or desert may be a paradise for a person having inner peace.
Education for Peace
Education for Peace is not a slogan or catchword that has been coined recently in this world but more precisely it emerged as a trend and an urgent call of world community around First World War. The people realized that education was the only means to regain peace in the world after the catastrophe of war. Since then, education has been tried several times but unfortunately failed. After the World War II creation of United Nations and its agencies like UNESCO was nothing but to establish peace in the world by educating minds of people. So much so the noble endeavor never fully succeeded because of the lack of will and commitment of people on one hand and the utopian nature on the other.However struggle to make peace through education continued and never stopped.
Peace Education
Peace Education is more important than ever in today’s global economy. Peace Education is a holistic, multifaceted and life affirming process of skill building that empowers children with creative and non-destructive activities. This emphasizes teaching of peace, non-violence, conflict resolution, social justice, economic well being, practical participation and environmental concerns etc. Peace Education is a psychological, social, political, ethical and spiritual state with its expressions in interpersonal, inter-group, international and global areas of human life.
Peace Education is essential because it provides culturally rich inputs to every learner. That alone would generate respect for the institutions of family and the society. Issues like social cohesion respect for traditions, beliefs and practice of others and advancement towards a well-knit society would be possible only in such situations.
In the years to come, there will be even sharper social and economic divisions in India. For example, a strong desire on the part of rural and tribal people to assert their own identity. This could give rise to greater tensions as the consciousness of human rights and the principle of equality of opportunities will increase. The conflicts and tensions prevalent in society will highlight the need for education for peace and social cohesion. Peace Education will become a major concern of system of education globally.
Truth, righteous, conduct, peace, love and non-violence are the core universal values which will have to be identified as the foundation stone to build a value-based education programme. There are universal values that represent the five domains of the human personality: intellectual, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. They also co-relate with the five major objectives of education, namely knowledge, skill, balance, vision and identity.
Every nation must strive to generate a feeling of awareness among its citizens about its own culture, heritage and national identity. As isolation and helplessness among individuals is increasing, it is necessary for every person to identify his or her own goals and objectives. The individual will have to live in harmony with society and nature as this would be required in all future social structures. Only those have developed a scientific temper, rational and logic can live in peace in time to come.
Peace Education is essential for human survival in the New Millennium. It is needed for individual, national and global peace. In the world of physical and natural violence, Peace Education has to be compatible with the idea of peace which excludes direct and structural violence. Peace Education has relevance also in this age of exploitation because it teaches about altruism which itself is peace.
Peace Education is also significant in today’s world of xenophobia and intolerance because it teaches about tolerance, which is to understand and respect diversity and accept differences. At present, Peace Education has a great demand in the world of violation of human rights because it concretizes the learners towards their total situations which enable them to fight for their liberation.
Peace Education is more effective and meaningful when it is imparted taking into account the social and cultural context enriched by its cultural and spiritual values and with universal human values. It should be globally relevant. Peace Education, hence, can be defined in many ways. There is no universally accepted definition as such.
Peace Education is an attempt to respond to problems of conflict and violence on scales ranging from the global and national to local and personal. It is about exploring ways of creating more just and sustainable futures. – (R.D. Laing 1978.)
Peace Education is holistic. It embraces the physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth of children within a framework deeply rooted in traditional human values. It is based on a philosophy that teaches love, compassion, trust, fairness, co-operation and all life on our beautiful planet. – (Fran Schmidt and Alice Friedman (1988))
Peace Education is skill building. It empowers children to find creative and non-destructive ways to settle conflict and to live in harmony with themselves, others, and their world………….. Peace building is the task of every human being and the challenge of the human family. - Fran Schmidt and Alice Friedman (1988)
Betty Reardon, one of America’s leading Peace Educators defines Peace Education as:
“The transmission of knowledge about the requirements of, the obstacles to, and the possibilities for achieving and maintaining peace, training in skills for interpreting the knowledge, and the development of the reflective and participatory capacities for applying the knowledge to overcoming problems and achieving possibilities.” (Reardon, 1999)
Critical words in the above definitions help to elucidate the essence of Reardon’s concept of peace; obstacles and possibilities of peace must be transmitted; a training in skills of interpretation must become part of Peace Education; development of reflective and participatory capacities must be enhanced; and a focus on applied knowledge for overcoming real life problems and actualizing alternative possibilities is crucial Reardon maintains that the transmission of knowledge and skills, enhancement of capacities, and a focus on real life problems and possibilities must propel the endeavors of Peace Education. The dimensions of Reardon’s comprehensive Peace Education include: an integrated holistic education, a focus on human context of relationships; ecological and planetary systems consciousness; and organic and developmental learning. (Reardon, 1988)
Ian Harris defines Peace Education as:
Teaching that draw out from people their desires for peace and provide them nonviolent alternatives for managing conflicts, as well as the skills for critical analysis of the structural arrangements that produce injustice and inequality. (Harris 2002)
According to Betty Reardon “Peace Education is a learning intended to prepare the learner to contribute towards the achievement of peace”.
This definition implies that, ‘Peace Education’ teaches skill of peace making. It trains the affective domain of personality and enables a person to resolve his tensions and problems of everyday life. Peace Education has been practiced informally throughout the world in different forms from hundreds of years. It was originated in the Western world as, non-violence in Christianity, the practice of non-violence by the ‘Quakers’ in
value of positive interdependence, social justice and participation England. In the East, teachings of Buddha, Mahavira, Gurunanak, Sufisaints and Seers, BhagawadGita and other Indian Scriptures carry messages of Peace Education.
Mahatma Gandhi and his followers discovered the dynamic ways to apply non-violence (ahimsa) in the political struggle; Satyagraha and Non-Cooperation Movements are such examples. He also emphasized on the non-violent means to solve everyday problems of individual as well.
In the last two and half decades, people have used educational means to promote the cause of peace movements, which later on took the form of ‘Peace Education’. The people who were interested and associated with peace actions and wanted to find the solutions for violent behaviours in the society and to bring peace in the world, turned their interest to ‘peace Education’.
Accomplishment of ‘Peace’ is an aspiration of mankind from time immemorial. Today the world community is endeavoring to establish peace at the global, national, societal and individual levels. Education for Peace has been considered as the best strategy to experience peace in this world.
Peace Education is an attempt to respond to the problems of conflict and violence on scales ranging from the global and national to the local and personal. It is about exploring ways of creating more just and sustainable future. It embraces the physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth of children and is based on the philosophy that teaches love, compassion, trust, fairness, co-operation and reverence for the human family and life itself in our beautiful planet. Peace Education is not mere learning; it is a social practice with shared values to which anyone can make a significant contribution.
Peace Education tries to inculcate higher human and social values in the mind of the child. It attempts to develop a set of behavioural skills necessary for peaceful living and peace building from which the whole human family will benefit. Peace Education does not teach students what to think, but rather how to think critically. Peace Education aims not to reproduce but to transform. Just as learning take place in the broader social context and not exclusively in the classrooms, so also peace education relies on families, communities, and social networks to affect positive and lasting changes. The notion “think globally, act locally” is central to Peace education in which it links theory with practice, and international issues to individual efforts.
Origin of the Problem
Today we live in a world, which is in the grip of many forms of violence both direct and structural. Violent conflicts in any form, takes lives and destroys harmony and peace. The diverse and interconnected threats currently experienced by innumerable members of the human family call for a much broader understanding of violence and the urgent need for peace in the world. The academic community partnering with one another and all sectors of society can play a central role to prevent and stop war by developing peace consciousness among the student community at various levels.
The importance of brining up children with positive values of tolerance and nonviolence was one of the concerns of early educators in India although such education could not reach most sections of the society. Though the Indians are proud of the fact that our democracy functions on the basis of the longest written constitution which explicitly spells out the operative purposes of the constitution, we can’t claim that we have really understood the basic spirit with which it has been created and succeeded in developing a just and peaceful society. Hence various commissions have been appointed which made meaningful attempts. THE NEW EDUCATION POLICY OF 1986 AND ITS PLAN OF ACTION 1992 stressed on Value and Peace Education. In 1995 UNESCO DEALER’S Report entitled ‘Learning a Treasure Within’ which emphasis the concept of ‘Learning through Living Together’ shows the importance of Peace Education.
NATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION 2000 AND 2005 BY NCERT emphasizes the need for Peace Education in all levels.
Need and Significance of the Study
The fast track material development of civilization has dehumanized us and we are so restless and miserable that, we have lost our energy and wisdom to realize and sensitize the feeling of ‘peace’.
We are not even able to identify and comprehend the factors which cause the induction of peace in an individual, society, and nation and in the world at large. Thus it has become inevitable today, to know what peace is and what the principle of being in peace are.