Educators' Comments on Workable Peace Teacher Training
"This
training is set up to provide practical ways of teaching about conflict. The
instructors and the course materials are both in tune with what teachers need
to keep students engaged as they learn vital life skills, while they practice
critical thinking, and learn history curriculum, all at the same time -- awesome!"
"I thought the time was very productive, reflective and dense with possibilities!"
"The Workable Peace curriculum [adds] immeasurably to my pedagogical skills as a teacher of interactive/cooperative and team learning/teaching."
"Role play and coaching are critical. Teachers need to be put into the situation that they ask kids to try."
"The materials are well-designed and challenging. They stimulate a great deal of interest in the process of managing conflict between groups - both at the international level and closer to home ... from what it takes to achieve peace in Hebron to what it takes to reach agreement on the prom committee."
"The
Workable Peace Institute is a workshop which provides a wealth of information
on international conflicts. It gives the teacher many resources to explore potential
resolutions with our students. Playing the roles puts the teacher in the role
we often demand of our students. Very informative, nonthreatening, and fun."
"'Feed the teachers or they'll eat the kids.' This project was a much needed smorgasbord for our teachers. We are getting to be old dogs and we desperately need to learn new tricks. This was a ... satisfying, deeply nourishing learning experience for the teachers."
"As a new teacher, this workshop gave me a lot of great ideas about how to approach the study of history in an engaging and interactive way. The curriculum materials are like a great, big, security blanket!"
"I was handed a very accessible framework and a comprehensible vocabulary that would provide a very simple way for my students to understand many of the current crises in international relations, and more importantly give them a way to demonstrate (role plays) their understanding."
"Working with current events was very good for Framework and classroom links."
"I have to confess that when I first heard of the project, it conjured up less than favorable images. Somehow it smacked of Birkenstocks, sandal-wearing, Harvard other worldliness. After meeting the people and especially after going through the training myself I was hooked and developed high hopes for the project."