June 2002
Dear Peace by PEACE Volunteer,
Thank you for getting involved! Now the fun part begins.
The curriculum has been revised and expanded for the
2002-2003 school year. After a year of
revising, we have weeded through our games and role plays, added more detail to
our existing curriculum, and added in some new ideas like conflict strategies,
self-respect, dealing with bullying, negotiation, and mediation.
Peace by PEACE is based on active learning that uses inquiry rather than lectures. Often, the best way of learning is failure: when students are unsuccessful at a game, they may be in a better position to learn why. In keeping with Peace by PEACE policies, you should use rewards rather than punishments whenever possible, and use positive, helpful criticism when necessary.
The best way for you to be a good teacher is to be prepared. Meet with your co-teacher to plan the lesson (who will teach what, and how long it will take); set up a time to meet no later than the night before you will teach – allow ample time to get the materials together, including making photocopies. We have packed a lot of information into the lessons, and you probably won’t have time to cover everything. Based on what you know about your students’ needs and abilities and how long your class period is, you should plan out a lesson that will be interesting and appropriately timed.
Before planning a lesson, read over the goals at the beginning of each unit so that you will have a good idea of what the students should learn in your class. You may find it helpful to set other goals that are specific to your class as well. After you read the goals, read through the lesson carefully. You will find descriptions of all the activities and an outline of the discussion that follows each game or role-play; materials follow each lesson but often you will have to make copies. The discussion outlines (questions followed by potential answers in italics) are meant to give you an idea of what a discussion might sound like, but your actual discussion may be very different from this outline. These outlines should help you clarify your own thoughts so you are better able to lead a discussion with your students.
Please remember that you will be a representative of Peace by PEACE. Your actions – including showing up on time, signing in at the office, notifying your classroom teacher at least a week in advance of missing a lesson, and communicating well with your classroom teacher and with the Peace by PEACE co-directors – reflects on the program. More importantly, it makes a difference to students. Please be responsible, reliable, and respectful in interacting with the New Haven schools.
As a general guideline, be a moderator in a discussion between the students, not a lecturer. If you feel that the students have skipped over an important issue, bring up the topic in the form of a question you pose to the class rather than a statement. Give the students about five seconds after you ask the question before you call on anyone: this gives everyone a chance to think. It is also important to keep the discussion brief and, while letting the students guide the discussion to some extent, make sure you hit the main points and don’t go too far off-track unless you feel that a valuable lesson is being learned. In general, discussions should last no more than ten minutes so the students are able to concentrate, unless the discussion is particularly engaging. You will find that some discussions can last forty minutes.
Classroom control is usually the hardest part of teaching Peace by PEACE since we use lots of games and students may confuse that with playtime. Make sure to set and enforce classroom rules; giving rewards for good behavior works remarkably well. If you explicitly state your expectations, the students are more likely to follow them. You should make sure that under no circumstances do the students role-play escalating conflicts; the students should only practice resolving conflicts in a non-violent manner.
Beyond setting expectations and rules, the best way to maintain classroom control is to be well prepared, on task (post the agenda), and engaging – above all, when the students are interested, there are fewer problems with classroom management. Feel free to bring up controversial topics in order to engage the students as long as it is done in a respectful way. Before you enter the classroom, you should read the classroom management suggestions in “Teaching Suggestions,” below. If you have trouble keeping your students on-task, refer to the Focus Activities in Appendix 1.
Finally, one of your best resources will be the Peace by PEACE website, which has the curriculum, directions to schools, the teaching schedule, other suggestions on classroom management, and much more information. The website is www.yale.edu/peace, and most of the teaching details can be found under “Volunteer Resources.”
Peace by PEACE may be the most fun and meaningful experience you have at Yale. No matter what you teach your students about conflict-resolution, you will make a positive impact on their lives by showing up every week, by making connections with students, and by being a role model.
Have a terrific time with Peace by PEACE. Thank you so much for volunteering!
Good luck,
The 2001-2002 Curriculum Revision Committee