Teachers Blog
4th Animations for Peace Award – (Spain)
Posted by CR Ed on Jan 22, 12
The aim of the Animations for Peace Award is to create a compilation of animated films related with peace culture and to promote awareness on peace education. This year’s slogan is, “We create peace day by day.” The award has two modalities (Spot, for animations of 1 minute maximum and Short, for animations of 1 minute minimum) and two categories (Junior, for people under 18, and Senior, for people who are 18 or above). There’s also the Public award. Winners will be included in a DVD that will be published on the Internet and on TV, and exhibited in cinema and animation festivals. The economic prize is of 300 Euros for the Spot category, of 600 Euros for Shorts and 200 Euros for the Public award. Works in all languages will be accepted, with subtitles in at least one of the following languages: Catalan, Spanish, English. The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2012. Get more details at the Peace Award Website.
MTV casting High School Students Looking for Mediation
Posted by CR Ed on Dec 18, 11
MTV auditions for teens - Dec. 14, 2011
Now casting teens in high school who had a falling out with another high school teen or classmate.
MTV is casting for a new teen docu-series that helps high school students solve problems with their friends and schoolmates. The new MTV show will use a trained mediator to talk to the teens and try to get them to resolve their issues with each other.
MTV is now casting teens that are 16 to 19 years old for this show.
If you are in an ongoing dispute with a friend, ex-friend, or classmate, MTV would like to hear your story and maybe you and your story will be featured on the new MTV show.
Here are examples of the types of stories that MTV and the shows producers are looking for:
* Do you have a friend that always borrows money and never pays you back?
* Did someone start a rumor about you that has had lasting effects?
* Did a fellow student bring uninvited guests to your party then they trashed your home or disrespected you?
* Did an ex vandalize your property, like keying your car?
* Have you been defamed on-line by someone in your school and your reputation will never be the same?
Are you looking for a resolution between you and your friend? MTV may be able to help!
To be considered for the show, you MUST be in high school, have a great personality and have a genuine, real-life issue at-hand that could benefit from mediation and that other people could learn from. You should also appear to be between the ages of 16 and 19 years old.
To apply for the show you will need to email the following information as well as a photograph of both you and the person you are having a problem with.
*Your Name, Phone Number and Email Address
*Your School/Location/City/State
*Every story has two sides, right? What’s your story? What is the issue at hand? What happened?
*Please give DETAILS:
-where and when the incident took place (if it’s one particular event);
-who the other person involved is and what your relation is to that person;
-why this issue is a big deal to you;
-whether or not it’s a big deal to the other person and if you think they would be willing to participate in the mediation process;
-what you would hope to get out of the mediation experience, etc..
*Are there other people in your lives who have an opinion on the matter? Who? How are they involved? Would they be willing to share their perspective and participate in this project? Again, please give details.
*Why is it important for your story to be told? Why would you want to participate in this show?
Email all the above to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Also, don’t forget to email the 2 photos(one of you and one of your foe). To improve your chances of getting selected by MTV producers, be as descriptive as possible about your situation, what happened and any other details that you think may be helpful.
Join Teachers Without Borders for a Peace Education Webinar on Monday, December 19
Posted by CR Ed on Dec 14, 11
You are invited to join Teachers Without Borders for a webinar on Peace Education!
Topic: Alternatives to Bullying and Intolerance
Presented by: Laurie Woodward
When: Monday, December 19, 2011 at 10:00am Pacific Standard Time
Where: Web Ex
Cost: FREE!
Sign up here.
Webinar Description: The goal of this presentation is to explore the idea of expanding roles for teachers to include the facilitating of empowerment of children; as well as providing at least two lessons participants can bring to their own classrooms. Using the Dean and JoJo Alternatives to Bullying and Intolerance DVD, which tells the story of one man’s friendship with and advocacy for a wild bottlenose dolphin named JoJo, as an opener, strategies to promote compassion in children are introduced. When children view the scenes of the dolphin being attacked by bullies or Dean cradling the injured animal, they immediately can relate the experience to their own lives.
This gives students the opportunity to find positive ways to resolve conflict while encouraging healthy dialogue amongst them. They learn to accept differences, improve listening skills, break the re-active cycle, and learn to disagree without animosity. This builds confidence in recognizing win-win solutions, helps them process anger and other emotions, and solve problems.
One activity tilted Peace Cards empowers students to use art as a means of communication if they have a disagreement with a classmate. The webinar also features student volunteers in their role as Dolphin Ambassadors for Peace using the skills they had learned along with the Peace Cards, DVD, and a script specifically written for the program these children go into other classes to teach their fellow students how to use the program to resolve conflicts peacefully.
About the Presenter:
Before becoming an elementary school teacher, Laurie Woodward earned a social work degree and worked as a coordinator for a rape crisis agency. In addition to being bilingual in Spanish and English, she is CLAD certified and Montessori trained. She has always believed in creating a positive environment and redirecting her students to make good choices, but it wasn’t until she teamed up with Dean Bernal two years ago to collaborate on his Alternatives to Bullying and Intolerance DVD, that she was able to share her ideas with other teachers. After a featured article in 2010 about her work, Laurie received a Care and Share grant and used the funds to bring the program to all Santa Maria schools. She currently is leading a strategy team for peace resolution in the classroom. Laurie also recently completed the TWB Introduction to Peace Education online course, in conjunction with the National Peace Academy.
If you have questions about this webinar, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
October 2011 Stop Bullying - Speak Up Comic Challenge
Posted by CR Ed on Oct 03, 11
As part of Bullying Prevention Month, Bitstrips for Schools is teaming up with the Cartoon Network to host a comic-based challenge on preventing bullying. The event is being called the “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Comic Challenge.” As Suzie Boss reports in a blog post over at Edutopia,
Each week during the campaign, Bitstrips will release a new comic template that sets up a different situation, such as cyberbullying or cell phone bullying. Students start by using online drawing tools to create their own avatar, which is dropped into the template as the “star” of the strip. Students then respond to the situation by finishing the comic strip with dialogue, new characters, or special effects. Different activities might cast students’ avatars in the role of bystander, victim, or even a bully who has to face the consequences.
The initiative is geared toward students in grades 3-8.
3rd Edition Conflict Resolution Education Activity Calendar now available
Posted by CR Ed on Sep 29, 11
We are pleased to announce that the 3rd Edition of the Conflict Resolution Education Activity Calendar (starting with September 2011) is now available. A heartfelt thanks goes out to our talented volunteer editorial team from MappingChange.com and the Conflict Resolution Program at the University of Delaware. You can view the 2011-2012 calendar online or grab a smartboard-friendly pdf copy with active weblinks.
Hard copies can be ordered online from the Association for Conflict Resolution or by using this form. Individuals and schools and youth serving organizations qualify to receive free calendars (1 per individual or 5-pack for educational orgs) and everyone is invited to sponsor the distribution of calendars by donating $15 for a 5-pack to be sent to yourself or a deserving organization. Help “Spread the CREd” today!
2011 K-12 Poetry Contest Theme - Demonstrating Respect
Posted by CR Ed on Jul 27, 11
The Conflict Resolution Day annual poetry contest theme has been set for the 2011 contest held during October.
Details below.
Participate in the third annual Conflict Resolution Day Poetry Contest!
The Conflict Resolution Day Poetry Contest is Accepting Entries Oct 1 - Nov 1, 2011
Students are invited to submit a poem on the theme:
“Demonstrating Respect – at home, in school, or in the community”
Examples may include:
- Gaining respect peacefully
- Showing consideration when we disagree
- Importance of respect
- Connecting peace and respect
- Peaceful conflict resolution when we are disrespected
- What it feels like to be respected
Win Cash Prizes!!!
Poems will be judged Prizes will be awarded in three Grade Categories 3-5th; 6-8th; and 9-12th
1st Place in each category wins $100
2nd Place in each category wins $75
All Poems must be submitted in English Maximum of 20 Lines
Full contest rules available at http://www.acrnet.org/crday or
http://www.creducation.org/cre/crday/poetrycontest/
Join an Interesting Discussion - You Might be Teaching Peace If…
Posted by CR Ed on Jun 22, 11
A discussion started by Cheryl Duckworth on ways that teachers weave the concepts of peace education into their everyday teaching is happening over at the Peace and Collaborative Development blog. Perhaps you’ve got some ideas to add to the list? Have a look at You Might be Teaching Peace If…
Detroit Public School students participate in virtual peer mediation summit with New York students
Posted by CR Ed on May 25, 11
Partnership with Children, a New York-based, not-for-profit agency, faciltated a first-ever virtual Peer Mediation Summit via Skype on Wednesday, May 25 with students at Golightly Career and Technical Center in Detroit and the students at Global High School in New York City.
The non-profit has been working with six Detroit schools to bring its extensive experience in the area of social and emotional learning to nearly 100 inner-city Detroit students, including leveraging the free video conferencing technology, Skype, to train and monitor teachers in collaboration with Partnership with Children’s Center for Capacity Building.
The event included a Q&A where Detroit and New York City Public School students asked brief questions about each other’s experience with peer mediation, schools and cities. Students will also participate in “Peer Mediation Jeopardy: Detroit vs. New York City” and then engage in a “Peace Pact” to discuss how they are going to use Peer Mediation in their everyday lives.
The program is part of the DPS Conflict Resolution Initiative, a $2.5 million program aimed at equipping students, teachers, principals and parents with the skills needed to resolve school-based conflicts, increase tolerance and ward off behaviors that can lead to bullying. Every school in the district is being paired with a partner company that will work alongside school staff to implement the initiative, which is being funded through Title I, Title IV and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The Event Media Advisory provides more details.
Content Submissions Requested for 3rd Edition of CRE Activities Calendar - May 31 Deadline
Posted by CR Ed on May 08, 11
Dear Friends of Conflict Resolution,
Got a notion on sharing emotions? Have a song that helps us get along? Maybe a scheme to achieve a dream? We want ‘em.
We’re looking for the ideas that are bouncing around your head – and your classroom – to motivate, move and make students think about the awesome power of conflict resolution to make a difference in their lives.
Many of you know and have used our first two editions of the Conflict Resolution Activities Calendar in your classroom. Some may only recently have heard about this student-centered resource for teaching CR skills and concepts in K-12. By all accounts, it’s been a well-received tool that warrants a third year with even wider distribution.
That’s where you come in. We need the energy and ideas our community has to fill in the gaps and expand our coverage for some important concepts and critical CR skills. Any activities you have used, read about, thought about, or just imagined right now while reading this letter are fair game. They should be specific activities and curriculum modules that K-12 teachers can weave into their classroom experience and actively engage students.
Submission is easy. Send us your ideas in a clear, concise format – approximately 250-300 words, perhaps with a weblink or two to a fuller description or necessary handouts/videos, etc. Because this is a free and non-commercial initiative, there should be no need for the teacher to have to buy a special curriculum to use the activity, although a story-activity that requires a specific book wouldn’t necessarily be inappropriate. We expect to have a classroom Smartboard-friendly special edition this year, so interactive online games or online videos that can be tied to an activity are welcome. Original artwork and photographs that could be used without royalties in the calendar would also be appreciated.
Need a nudge in the right direction? Here are some areas we could use your help in developing:
• Problem-Solving Skill Development
• Negotiation, Collaboration and Consensus Skills Development
• Peer Mediation Concepts and Skills
• Bridging Activities Tying Together Age/Grade Levels Around a CR Theme
• Art Projects Promoting CR and/or Peacemaking
• Emotional Awareness Activities (dealing with Anger, Embarrassment, Frustration, etc.)
• Anti-bullying Skills
• Community-Building Activities
• Restorative Justice in the Classroom
• Conflict Resolution Jokes for Students
• Tips for Teachers/Parents Maintaining Their Own Center During Challenging Interactions
Credit Where Credit’s Due. We love sharing the names of our contributors with a nationwide audience. Tell us it’s OK and we’ll put your name in our calendar. And any training organization that donates a curriculum activity and makes the related handouts freely available can have a link pointing back to their site along with our gratitude.
Help us, please. We need to your submission no later than May 31st, 2011 so please send in your activitites, art work, photos or inspirational quotes ASAP. It’s a chance to have fun, share what works, make a difference on a national scale and gain the personal satisfaction and recognition that comes with making the world and our precious classrooms, youth serving organizations and families better for all.
It’s easy. Use our online form found here http://www.creducation.org/cre/goto/calideas. Your submission will be reviewed to the 2011-2012 Calendar Team. Any appropriate submissions not chosen for this year’s calendar will be considered for use in future calendars. Any appropriate submissions that cannot be used in their entirety (given space considerations) will be presented in full on the http://www.creducation.org website.
Thanks,
The CRE 2011-2012 Calendar Team
Residential Summer Institute Fellowship for K-12 Educators - (July 25 – August 8, 2011)
Posted by CR Ed on Feb 02, 11
Readers may be interested in this Residential Summer Institute Fellowship for K-12 Educators: “Journeys of Nonviolence: Gandhi and Chávez” – Ahimsa Center at Cal Poly Pomona, CA, USA (July 25 – August 8, 2011)
The fourth in a series on Education about Nonviolence, this Institute will focus on two major proponents of nonviolent action for social change: Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) and Cesar Chavez, (1927-1993). It will provide an extraordinary opportunity for educational leadership by integrating in school curricula the lessons based on critical understanding of Gandhi and Chavez, especially their respective journeys of nonviolence in seeking freedom and social justice. The Institute is open to all K-12 educators throughout the United States. Forty participants will be selected to receive residential fellowships. Application deadline: March 21, 2011.
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