Inquiry Project : Peace Education, Social Responsibility

Inquiry Project final report

Michele Rajotte,
The Genesis Center





















photo: Kristen McKenna
photo of michele at her presentation

My name is Michele Rajotte. This is my seventh year teaching ESOL to adults at the Genesis Center. I spent a year abroad working in a MATEFL program in writing, research and computer skills. I have taught Italian and Japanese students during summer programs and have experienced teaching in an American high school as well as grammar schools. At present, I consider myself fortunate to work in this nurturing environment, and choose to teach adult learners because they are warm, appreciative, caring, and passionate about learning.

Genesis is a community-based school for learning the English language as well as the life skills needed to live in the United States. In my Project Opportunity class, the focus is employment. The Federal Independence Program, or FIP, supports the learners in this class. Also enrolled, at times, were learners who had recently lost their jobs and some who worked in the evening. The class is held from 9 - 1:30, Monday through Friday. This is a low to high intermediate level. We have open enrollment and usually have between 15 and 20 learners attending. During the year, some learners begin a new job, find a new program, or move on in life; those on the waiting list replace them. In June, six of the learners who started in September, graduated. Throughout this year, three learners advanced to Office Skills training, several found employment, a few transferred to other programs and two are on maternity leave. The countries represented were: Colombia, Dominican Republic, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde, Guatemala, France, Mexico and Haiti.


The Question:

Last year, I based the Inquiry Project on an introduction to the community. From that research, the learners ranked the three-day non-violence training as the most beneficial learning experience out of approximately 30 field trips and presentations. I feel this is because violence is part of our world; we live in a violent country and this community grows more violent each year. After September 11th, fear has become part of our lives and as we must accept this reality, we are searching for peaceful ways to cope with it on a daily basis. What can we do to make our home and community a safe place to live?

This year, my question was: "What happens when Peace Education is integrated into an ESOL class?" ("Peace" later changed to "Social Responsibility") Unfortunately, it was a good year for that question. Not only did we have September 11th, but also Afghanistan, the Iraq conflict; and the constant threats of war and terrorism displayed 24 hours a day by the media, causing more anxiety and uncertainty. Moreover, this also increased the need to find peaceful solutions, places of peace and peace within us.

It is said that we teach what we need to learn, and according to Freire (1998), "There is, in fact, no teaching without learning. One requires the other. And the subject of each, despite their obvious differences, cannot be educated to the status of object. Whoever teaches learns in the act of teaching, and whoever learns teaches in the act of learning" (p.31).

Nevertheless, the same question enters my mind each year? Do I have the right to teach this topic when there are other priorities in their lives? What about the learners' needs?

Upon much reflection this year, I believe these issues are important throughout life and for all people of all ages. If we learn to find peace within, we will also be peaceful in our lives and with those around us. Freire (1998) believes: "It's important that students perceive the teacher's struggle to be coherent. And it is necessary that this struggle be the subject of discussion in the classroom from time to time. There are situations in which the teacher's attitude or practice may appear contradictory to the students" (p. 95). In an ESOL classroom, discussion is necessary and learners benefit from it considering both the language and critical thinking skills. Discussions embrace disagreements, and conflict resolution is part of this curriculum. However, finding the appropriate time to integrate these issues when possible and make a meaningful connection to learners, their families, the community and the world, was trying.

From the book, In the Global Classroom, Selby and Pike state:

First, any curriculum relevant to students' needs should address the many issues, at all levels from local to global that are pertinent to their lives. Such issues would certainly include economic and political development, the environment, gender and race equity, health, peace and conflict resolution, and rights and responsibilities. Second, the issues themselves should be viewed as interconnected. Third, students should be helped to understand that their perspective on any issue is but one among many. Consideration of diverse perspectives, from a variety of cultural, social, and ideological vantage points, will provide a broad platform of ideas from which individuals can form far-sighted and fair-minded judgments. Encountering perspectives radically different from one's own can also be a catalyst for stimulating reflection on, and ultimately reforming, personal worldview Š a necessary process in a world of constant and rapid change. (p.13)


How can I integrate peace education into language instruction?

According to Heide Wrigley (2000) these are some principles that can be applied to adult education:

1. Language and literacy development are social processes that depend on interaction with others.
2. Language and literacy develop more deeply if ideas are situated in a specific context or theme..
3. Language and literacy grow through both emotional engagement and cognitive development..
4. Adult learning requires that learners take 'ownership' of what is to be learned..
5. The goal of adult learning is to help adults apply knowledge, skills, and strategies in real life.

I felt that these principles were applicable in this classroom. However, I was uncomfortable with the word "ownership". Will they take ownership of these issues? What happens if they don't? Do all learners take ownership of all that is taught?

There were times I felt uneasy about raising issues that could cause a range of emotions. Is this necessary? Is this a good learning environment or will these interfere with their learning? I consistently asked if they enjoyed the reading or the discussion and if they understood why we spent valuable time on it. My journal noted likes and dislikes during the year.


Journal Entry: (2/6/03) Yesterday I spent time discussing Colon Powell's presentation to the UN. . The TV was on, but the sound was off. We saw photographs of weapons, etc. This interested some of the learners, but I was distracted because some seemed bored. I asked these two learners if they did not want to discuss the war, but they said that it was important. They were exchanging information about a problem outside of school.


Maybe this conversation was necessary and they really were interested in this discussion. Of course, it would have been better for them to speak to each other during the break, but maybe it could not wait. I prefer that learners appreciate the time and effort it takes to plan lessons and, of course, for them to be interested. "We need to remind ourselves that as much as we crave approval from our students, a sense of well-being and long-term learning are not necessarily synonymous. A better indication of our effectiveness might be whether students leave with more questions than they came in with, wanting to know more and questioning core assumptions in their own socialization" (Bell, Love, Washington and Weinstein, 1997, p. 299).

Although I believe this to be true, time did not allow for me to teach socially responsible issues as often as I would have liked. I gave the learners a choice, and many times they chose work related issues, or using their grammar book. However, dictation was consistently popular and the content usually came from periodicals and newspapers.

Throughout the year, I integrated reading, writing, listening and speaking skills with the following topics: Workplace literacy, the environment, peace, conflict resolution, health, human and animal rights, justice, rights and responsibilities, tolerance and respect, gender and race equity. The definition of peace education does not include all of these issues; I have chosen to replace "peace" with the term, "social responsibility". Global education can also be used.

I attended a presentation in Baltimore at the TESOL 03 conference, by Douglas Brown, Director of American Language Institute at the University of San Francisco, called "The Moral Dilemma of Socially Responsible Teaching". Teachers there expressed the same apprehension as I had concerning teaching these issues in the ESOL classroom. According to Brown and Vieira (2003), research shows that teachers will embrace liberal agendas, but that we must be cautious and advises the following as all teachersÕ responsibilities in the classroom:

1. Teachers are responsible to see moral, social and ethical issues and to analyze all sides
2. Teachers are responsible for creating an atmosphere of respect for each otherÕs opinions, beliefs, ethnic/cultural diversity
3. Teachers are responsible for maintaining a threshold of morality and ethics in a classroom climate.

I was excited to learn that many teachers have made a decision to bring this content into the language classroom. This has helped me to validate my inquiry question and also made me feel more comfortable with what I choose to teach.

This year I chose to videotape a few events, but now wish I had taped more; nothing compares to the actual moment: the facial expressions and the true language. I documented most field trips and classroom projects using a still camera and kept a journal using descriptions of events, thoughts, and personal reflections. I used questionnaires, learnersÕ writing and group discussions.


The Research:

On many Fridays, a colleague and I went on field trips in the community. Our first field trip in a natural surrounding was apple picking. It was wonderful to see the learners relaxed, laughing and some reminiscing about their childhood. Although there was a practical reason why we were walking in nature, there was also a sense of freedom and lightness. "By walking in Nature we can look at our lives from a fresh perspective. While in communion with everything around us, we see clearly that we are but one voice in the grand chorus of Nature" ( Endredy, 2002). Connection was the thread that I wanted to run through this project; that we are all connected and therefore responsible for all things. Upon returning from the day in the orchard, a low level learner told me her apple pie recipe in English and that she would bake a pie upon returning home. She was usually quiet and did not offer information; this short statement was a breakthrough.

As part of the health fair, some learners donated blood for the first time. The Blood Center recognizes each participant with a celebration and poster stating that they have saved 3 lives by sharing their blood and being responsible in the community. This experience stressed the immediate need for blood in our hospitals, and that we, our children or friends might need it in the future. I have found my classes in past to avoid donating blood. Fear is primarily the reason most do not volunteer, however, they were proud to donate for the first time and were respected for doing so.

The Wall of Hope, more than 10,000 painted ceramic tiles in memory of September 11th, is a Providence treasure. Visiting downtown Providence, learners were engaged in reading the tiles and expressing their thoughts concerning violence, terrorism and peace. Some of their children attended the schools that were represented there. We also made tiles later that year during the art class. Nature and peace were expressed on most. The community of peace began at the Wall of Hope and continues to embrace all who walk past.

The Rhode Island School of Design museum exhibit, Crisis Response, was our next outing. The artists integrated creative art pieces concerning, conflicts around the world, past and present, including disturbing photographs from September 11th. "The result is a timely, earnest and often provocative show that cuts to the heart of one of the challenges posed by last fall's terrorist attacks: How do societies in general, and artists in particular, cope with moments of extreme public trauma and turmoil?" (Van Siclen, 2002, p.10). One learner chose the wall length photograph titled, "Terminal Velocity", "because IÕm remembering the September 11th catastrophe, the accidents from terrorists." Her feelings: "sadness". This chilling choice was surprising to me as I was feeling uneasy about introducing them to this emotional exhibit. I hoped this was part of her healing process. Other learners chose paintings or artwork that were non-violent and mostly beautiful. The international expressions of thoughts on violence allowed us to experience other places, know that we share the same problems, and turned our focus outside ourselves.

I wanted the learners to think about their community and then create a mandala (Eastern symbol representing a circle of life) using their selected choices. Using the mandala also invited a lesson on symbols. In past classes, they would choose eight important aspects of their personal lives and each section of the circle would represent them individually. I thought community to be more appropriate because they would look at life through a different lens. How can we make our community whole? What makes a community strong? What makes a community healthy? What does every community need? In your culture, what gives you the sense of community? Do you feel the same here?

An example of this work from a Dominican woman is the following:

The Center of the circle is labeled "My Community", and in the surrounding circle are eight sections. Each section represents the learnerÕs choices and a symbol they have created for each choice:

Health, Justice, Education, Family, Post Office, Fire Department, Activities (church, pharmacy, library, sports, shopping) and Park

In addition, they had to write a sentence describing why they had chosen these.

Family: The union of the family is very important for a good future.
Education: It is a good future for the people.
Justice: It is very important to respect the family and all people
Health: Health is necessary for you to feel good.
Park: We need the park for entertainment and to relax.
Activities: Everybody needs to feel good inside.
Fire Department: They are important because they can save lives.
Post Office: It is for communication to receive and send mail to friends, family and business.

The learners' mandalas were colorful and creative. They had similar symbols for their community needs. This lesson provides the learners to utilize their other strengths, such as their artistic and design abilities.

Although I had few learners on this particular Friday, two classes visited the first Baptist Church and BorderÕs Bookstore. Most learners are affiliated with a church, but they had not been inside this historic and beautiful structure. The comfort found here was what we needed during this time of uncertainty. For the learners who are hesitant about going out to experience various places, appreciation always follows. I become disheartened when learners donÕt see the relevance in visiting places in the community. Friday has generally been lower in attendance, but some learners are in Citizenship or Quilting class. I have learned to appreciate our outings and to take whoever is ready to go.

The City Garden is a soulful connection to many of the learners' native countries. They were truly engaged when taken on a tour to the oasis in the middle of the Providence. Some had relatives that rent plots at the garden and a few were interested in learning the technique and knowledge necessary to start one at home. They engaged in conversations with the gardeners working there and were at ease using their English. We visited in the fall as well as in the spring. They learned about the farmerÕs market during the summer months. The question, "Where does our food come from?" was solved. The conversations led to food production strategies in different countries, who has lived on a farm and what was different here? I think this environment offered a choice that many new learners did not know existed for them. Some of them felt more at home when they were in the garden and some of them delighted at the thought of having one. Also, their children can come and learn at the children's camp. The connection with the earth was evident once again. Weil (1994) found that "to train others in the art of living in peace with nature involves before all else re-establishing on human beings this holistic vision of their unseverable connection with nature"(p. 83).

Thanksgiving in this culture is a time that the Salvation Army needs help to sort food for the thousands of baskets that are delivered during the holiday. This has become a traditional volunteering event. The few hours in the morning is wonderful for the learnersÕ self esteem and it also helps the language of beginning classes. Reading labels, separating products and becoming aware of the large population of needy families was invaluable for community awareness. They learned about the history of the Salvation Army, what they do at present, and discuss helpful agencies in their own countries. Why are these places necessary? Why do we volunteer? How does it make us feel? Who benefits? They agreed that the giver and the receiver both benefit. One learner in my class had volunteered for the Red Cross in the Dominican Republic before moving to Providence. She proudly spoke about her experience there. Also, an important work aspect is adding this volunteer experience to their resumes. We also volunteered at another community agency before the Christmas holiday season.

I have experienced poetry to be a validating lesson in language learning. I introduced Haiku poetry and its traditional theme of nature. Today a photograph depicted a large oil spill in The Providence Journal. We discussed what had happened, the reasons for water pollution, if there are problems in their countries and what happens to the wildlife and beaches. What can be done and who is responsible?

Haiku is a positive language experience as it is not precise language, but focuses on pronunciation. The poem can be grammatically incorrect as long as there is meaning and the syllable count is 5,7,5. There is freedom in this language experience. The following are some examples:

The future will be
Marvelous and they can see
The fruits of studies

I love all people
There isn't a difference
Black, white, red are same

My life is peaceful
But it looks like big mountain
Sometimes go up, down

I have never found a learner to dislike Haiku writing. They are always pleased with their work and enjoy presenting it to the class.


Journal Entry: (12/2/02) Around this time I felt this class was chaotic and difficult for me to focus on this project. There were 4 learners in internships or trainings that missed several days every week and other issues that upset attendance needed to have a cohesive process. I focused much of this time on employment issues and grammar and continued with the learners who were present.


An interesting chapter in their grammar text focused on pet care in the United States as the main topic for the present tense. This issue led to a discussion concerning respect for animals and the cultural differences in this class. Some learners did not care for animals in their homes, with traditional beliefs that they are dirty and should be left outside. A Haitian gentleman said that animals are abused in his country. There was no reason for it other than it was accepted and normal behavior. I asked if he agreed with this and he replied, "No, I don't do that because I feel that they are life." Others expressed love for their cats and dogs, revealing sadness if they had left them behind in their countries. They treated them as they do their children.

During this discussion, the class learned two words: spay and neuter. This sparked interest as they had not heard these before and did not know the meaning in their languages. Luke mentioned that Providence does not seem to have an overpopulation problem, as there are no animals walking in the streets. It was an interesting observation and I informed them that 3000 companion animals were destroyed last year in Providence alone. Their faces revealed a shocking expression and their disbelief made me question why such facts are hidden from the public in this society. This fact was also unknown to an American middle school teacher; she had never heard that we kill animals due to overpopulation in the United States. I often discuss this project outside of school to enhance my own learning process, especially with other teachers.

We also had an Americorps volunteer artist teach the class once each week. I integrated peace and nonviolence into several of those lessons. During the year, it had occurred to me to change the question, replacing "peace" with "art". Art was a new content area in class and at times I was finding some learners resistant. "We are not learning English," was a learner's feedback after one of the first art classes. We had to work on literacy in the art class in order to create a language-learning environment. Each class was a learning experience for the learners, the art teacher and myself. To help them understand why we were having an art class, I found this quote and discussed its meaning: "Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart go together." The observations in the art class would have been an interesting focus, however, I felt that social responsibility was a more relevant topic.


Journal Entry: (12/10/02) "I also question whether or not I could use the art class as I am spending a lot of time discussing what works, or not, every Thursday afternoon. A conversation with Marybeth (art teacher) today revealed several interesting observations about the learners. She feels they are not interested in art because they donÕt want to take time to relax as they are so busy and in a routine, or that they donÕt know how to use this new freedom of expression. Also, they donÕt understand that this is a process that takes time to develop."


For a peaceful experience, the Cormack Planetarium at Roger Williams Park is an intriguing other world. We saw the earth from a different perspective and how small we are in comparison. They relaxed, asked questions and discussed their ideas concerning the earth's position in the universe. They inquired about prices for children and plan to bring them during the vacation.

Each year for the Christmas holiday, the Children's Giving Tree Program provides toys for children. Hasbro Toy Company donates one toy in exchange for each ornament donated and hung on the tree. This year they changed the ornament requirement to a written note stating an act of kindness one has performed, and to donate some food and place it beneath the tree. We discussed the meaning of kindness in class and they were instructed to write three personal acts of kindness that they had offered to others.

Examples were:

I volunteered at Salvation Army.
I donated clothes.
I helped the people study at Genesis.
I volunteered at Head Start.
I helped a person to find a job.
I gave a donation to my church.
I adopted a little dog.
I helped care for the elderly.
I helped an old woman to cross a street.
I volunteered with the Red Cross in the Dominican Republic.

The class appreciated this project and was familiar with Hasbro. Also, since we had recently volunteered at the Salvation Army to separate food for the Thanksgiving holiday, it was more meaningful for everyone to donate food and write thoughtful acts during this season of giving. The surprise came a week later when a learner brought in a letter she had received from the ŅGiving TreeÓ. She had an appointment to pick up a toy for her son on December 17th. I appreciated the circle this had completed, and the learners had seen a positive result from their positive actions.

A week before the holiday, we volunteered at South Providence Ministries to sort toys and clothing donated by church members to be given to the community. This added to the spirit of giving and kindness. While they were working, I sensed warmth and happiness, as they talked among themselves. It was what this winter holiday should reflect.

Each year Dr. Martin Luther King's nonviolence philosophy becomes a large part of the curriculum. I show a video of his life produced by the Oprah Winfrey Show, and we read several articles. Even our grammar book has chosen his story to focus on the past tense. All learners know who he is and what he had accomplished throughout his short life. During this time, we were preparing to make recycled paper during the art class. Although this paper turned out to be thicker than expected, it was used as a frame for a peace project. Their task was to find words or phrases in magazines, or paint words to express how they felt about the Afghanistan conflict, nonviolence, or peace. They were hung during the Martin Luther King Day community celebration held at South Providence Ministries along with other work from different schools. Americorps arranged to have this work exhibited. Also, these pieces were scanned and published in the winter edition of the class newsletter (Appendix A).

A coworker ordered the Rosa Parks video, Mighty Times, from Teaching Tolerance, an excellent teaching tool incorporating the facts around the Montgomery bus strike. This historical tape also provides an engaging, musical soundtrack relevant to that period in history. The film and lesson plans are available at no cost to all schools. The literature contains the copy of the police report and the segregation laws during that time. The learners performed a play that takes place on the day Parks would not give up her seat. This involved the entire class and the learning experience was evident by their cooperative work and comprehension of the material. It was an enjoyable presentation uniting language, history, film, cultural music and theater.

Learning the strong values of these 2 extraordinary people encouraged me to give the class a "Values Exercise Worksheet" taken from nonviolence training from "The Study and Practice of Nonviolence". There were required to check values that they felt were important to them. We read and discussed them first. The next step was to choose five that were the most important. Three groups were then formed and each group had to agree on the five most important values. The results are shown in Table 1:

Values

#1

To be an honest person
To feel a connection to God or higher power or spirit.
To have a loving family
To have a better relationship with parents
To be a successful person
#2:

To feel a connection to God or higher power or spirit.
To have a loving family
To feel good about myself
To be a healthy person
To have a better relationship with parents
#3:

To be an honest person.
To be a healthy person
To have a better relationship with parents
To feel a connection to God or higher power or spirit
To have equal opportunity for all people

As shown in Table 1, two groups agreed on honesty as the most important. To feel a connection to God or higher spirit was also high on the list for two groups. One group was more practical and realized that we had to be healthy in order to continue. All three groups chose to have a better relationship with their parents. Also, to have a loving family was important for two groups. Equal opportunity was 5th in group three.

Michele's report, continued


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