With financial support from the Daphne III Programme of the ......We live in an age of great changes...

With financial support from the Daphne III Programme of the European Union


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PEDAGOGIC AND DIDACTIC MANUAL FOR TEACHING PROSOCIALITY

IN PRIMARY SCHOOL


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Table of Contents

1 Prosociality against violence ................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Defining prosociality ..................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Prosociality in the changing scenario of education ...................................................... 6

1.3 Pedagogic relevance of prosociality ................................................................................... 9

1.3.1 How educators can be active in promoting prosociality ................................................ 9

1.4 Preventing violence through building a prosocial environment ..................................... 11

2 The Prosocial Peace Code ................................................................................................... 14

2.1 The Code ..................................................................................................................... 14

2.2 The importance of the reference values ..................................................................... 16

2.2.1 Values in the world .............................................................................................. 16

2.2.2 Our common values ............................................................................................. 20

2.3 Highlights ..................................................................................................................... 22

2.4 Values vs Educational Axes ......................................................................................... 25

2.5 Prosocial applying keystones ...................................................................................... 27

2.6 How to use the Code as an educational tool .............................................................. 31

3 The Educators Caring Communities (ECC) .......................................................................... 32

3.1 What are the ECC and what is their role in the perspective of prosociality ............... 32

3.2 The meaning of the re-construction of the educational community ......................... 33

3.3 How to rebuild the Educating Community ................................................................. 35

3.4 Main strategies for the ECC implementation ............................................................. 38

4 Teaching Prosociality: from pedagogic literacy to didactic methodology ......................... 39

4.1 How and where to teach Prosociality ......................................................................... 39

4.2 The role of the school staff motivation ....................................................................... 41

4.3 Three propaedeutic activities ..................................................................................... 42

4.4 The operational didactic protocol ............................................................................... 43

4.5 Welcoming spaces and activities ................................................................................ 44

4.6 The Listening Points .................................................................................................... 46

4.7 The setting of the classroom ....................................................................................... 47

5 The Prosocial Educative Tools ............................................................................................ 51


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5.1 What are the Prosocial Educative Tools ..................................................................... 51

5.2 Methodologies and activities ...................................................................................... 53

5.3 Some Tools for each prosocial area/keystone ............................................................ 56

6 Assessment instruments of prosociality and group dynamics ........................................... 98

6.1 The Moreno Sociogram ............................................................................................... 98

6.2 The drawing of the class............................................................................................ 101


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1 Prosociality against violence

1.1 Defining prosociality The term Prosociality is the specular definition of what in psychology is defined as prosocial

behaviour meant as the set of actions that benefit other people or society as a community or a

group of people characterized by the act of helping in which the helper does not benefit from the

result of his/her actions.

As a consequence, the “Prosocial behaviour” can be defined as voluntary actions intended to help

or benefit another individual or group of individuals without any expectation of a benefit return.

While these actions benefit the recipient, they can also be costly to the giver. One is thus faced

with the decision to help others at the expense of oneself. When considering prosocial behaviour,

the external, explicit actions are emphasized; as opposed to the internal, implicit motivations for

those prosocial actions. Prosocial behaviour entails both the physical and mental amelioration of

others.

Along this idea of pro-social behaviour resides the concept of prosociality.

The scientific basis are well defined by the so called “game theory” that can be considered one of

the greatest contributions of experimental economics.

This theory is the development of experimental protocols (“games”) that measure human

preferences in a standardized fashion. These games can be used to measure differences between

individuals, contexts and cultures at behavioural level, providing a valuable complement to self-

report surveys. Instead of merely asking someone about the importance of helping others, for

example, an experimental game reveals whether they actually do help others in situations that

involve real financial loss and gain.

In practical terms, when an individual has to face an economic challenge, he/she is naturally

pushed towards equilibrium.

This equilibrium is reached when the challengers are next to be satisfied by their own positions.

The characteristic of the cooperation is the term that can be defined as social capital to be

referred to the benefits that can be obtained from social relationships, similar to financial capital,

physical capital (e.g., a dwelling) and individual capital (e.g., an education). Those tangible

substances namely good will, fellowship, sympathy, and social intercourse among the individuals

and families who make up a social unit....The individual is helpless socially, if left to himself.... If

he/she comes into contact with his/her neighbour, and with other neighbours, there will be an


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accumulation of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his/her social needs and which may

bear a social potentiality sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the

whole community. The community as a whole will benefit by the cooperation of all its parts, while

the individual will find in his/her associations the advantages of the help, the sympathy, and the

fellowship of the neighbours.

An act is prosocial when it is addressed not to a personal interest but it is done in order to

guarantee a general interest and with this act the individuals are aware to be in an area where

rules are respected (even if they are not written), commonly accepted and which guarantee the

well-being of the social group or community the individuals feel to be part of.

The prosocial acts can be defined as:

physical and psychological help

sharing the emotions of others (empathy)

meta- verbal approach towards the problems of others addressed to

increase a sense of safeness

defending the others against threats

taking into account and appreciate differences and the points of view

of others and

In this approach the prosocial acts have to be referred to a specific Community which can be

defined as an Educating Community. The social area related to this community is given by the

assumption that all the social actors share the same educational goals. Therefore, the “educational

conflicts” are overcome or managed.


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The world is quickly changing:

We are going in “LiquidModernity” (Z. Bauman)The social composition and relationships changes

The need for education increases

(“Learning: the Treasure Within "J. Delors)The educational needs are changing

Education and

Training 2020 (ET

2020)A strategy for an intelligent,

sustainable and inclusive

growth

3. Promoting equity,

social cohesion and

active citizenship;

1.2 Prosociality in the changing scenario of education

We live in an age of great changes

which require new educational

policies and strategies. The EU is

tackling this problem through the ET

20201.

The present age is characterized by

“time compression”, followed by an

acceleration process and by the “reduction of physical distances” due to an efficient transport

system and, mainly, to the International web net. Communication and information technologies

are transforming the economic dynamics (especially the Internet), social rules, as well as the

culture itself which is becoming “dynamic and global” (P. Levy).

The “global village” theorized by Mc. Luan in the ‘60s is now reality. We shifted from 20th century

modernity, characterized by the adjectives “hard” and “heavy” and by “quantity” as a way of doing

things, to 21th century post-modernity, represented by “soft” and “light” ideas, pursuing the aim

of “quality”.

A.Giddens described it as the age of “extreme modernity”, whereas Z. Bauman spoke about a

“liquid modernity”, where it is possible to see the dismantling of institutions (shell institutions A.

Giddens) and “weak ties” both in social and personal context.

In order to understand the new emerging dynamics and educational needs important to define

the new role of the School as institution, it might be useful to stress the great contradictions of

our present time.

1st contradiction: Wealth and Poverty.

Wealth and Poverty, characterizing respectively the Northern and the Southern parts of the

world, are the basic socio-economic problem; but when referring to the school system and the

teaching world in particular, even the joint richness of information is opposed to the individual

poverty of knowledge.

The scientific research makes knowledge obsolescent within three/four years, so that,

consequently, a person feels unfit to the society of Knowledge. The easy-to-use technology and

1 Decision of the Council, from May 12th 2009, regarding strategies about the European cooperation in the

fields of teaching and education (ET 2020) [Gazzetta ufficiale C 119 del 28.5.2009].


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the iconic language are conquering more and more space in our everyday life and causing a

cultural impoverishment (the poor language used in TV programs is a typical example).

In such a structured context it is easy to understand how little use has a conservative-

communicative school.

Although the picture doesn’t appear good, the emerging of a series of new needs is setting the

school in a new central position. Today, the need of learning to learn is evident right from the

beginning of one’s education, in order to acquire the right skills to “learn” all lifelong (LLP UE).

Therefore, the priority seems to be the

creation of a new teaching-learning

environment.

However, the shortening of physical

distances against the increase of cultural

distances is one of the main key points in

this innovation: fast global contact given

by Internet clashes with the great

migratory streams, therefore there

doesn’t seem to be enough time left for

mediation. This forced living-together

often drives to cultural opposition, more

than to inter-culture. In this context, on

one hand we have social tensions (rising

fundamentalism), and on the other the

need of an inclusion-educating program

based on the great value of universal

brotherhood.

Standardization and loneliness, typical

of the world of global communication and hi-tech mass media, are the main contradictions of our

society and cause tensions in sharing the “main values of a common civil life”. Overcoming these

contradictions means uniting our “I” and our “WE”, in order to gain autonomy through liberty and

creativity, to realise how building ties with other people is a matter of responsibility and

acknowledge the sustainability of our actions in the environment. Therefore, our society needs a

new type of school which works on both educating and creativity and teaches responsible

relationships with one another.


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When we talk about interpersonal boundaries we refer to an ever changing “liquid society”, where

old certainties such as State-Nation, family and job are no longer part of it and long term plans are

less appealing.

The “carpe diem” strategy is the easiest answer to a world with no values and finding one’s

identity is getting more and more difficult and at the same time necessary.

The definition of who we are is described by the tension between the presumed adherence to

virtual communities, where telephone books are turning into friend-circles, and the solidarity of

the individual reduced to a simple consumer and object of consumption (Z. Bauman).

Since the school environment is the main socializing player it bears the responsibility to promote

socially-integrated behaviour models functional to social and personal wellness, through an

International systematic action: the so desired

“Emotional Literacy”.

Berne says that “Individual behaviours depend mainly on the representation we have of ourselves

and other people and on the way we are seen by other persons” and Buber (1957) argues that:

“…members of human society shape their qualities and personal skills according to different scales

of values; a society is as human as its members confirm their qualities to each other”.

Therefore, the guiding criterion is the approach

to a civil life-in-common as an educational

process, aimed to sharpen mentality and accept

both oneself and the other along the relational

axes. All educational processes shouldn’t be

isolated from the ordinary learning process but

be included in every moment of school life. The

key-issue, starting from a constructivist point of

view, is to propose an interactive process so

that people can learn from each other. J. Bruner

states that: “it is typical of Man’s nature to start

a community where learning is the fruit of a

mutual

Exchange”. This brings a change in the relationship teacher-student and within the student group

itself; it is evident how a new method based on action, examples and identification is becoming

very important. In this context, techniques have to be active, dynamic and convivial. In the field of

peace and democratic life-in-common, play is doubtless the most important strategy. By playing,

life experiences can be gradually converted into true knowledge useful to establish contacts with

R. Plutchik's Map of the emotion


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other individuals and interact in the community, to gain self-confidence and mould one’s identity,

to learn to think it over and plan possible future projects. In Winnicott’s work “Playing and reality”

Playing is an ever creative experience ... an essential way of life…while playing both child and adult

can be free in using the whole personality and only by being creative the human being can discover

himself; playing is the basis of cultural experience.

M. Montessori, Bruner and Piaget had already underlined the importance of playing in the psyco-

physical development of children for living experiences which gradually become authentic skills.

To create a positive relationship habitat it is therefore essential to re-discover ourselves in a

person-structured community: teachers, students, school staff, parents who agree in carrying out

a common educational project, according to shared values, based on a productive pedagogical

agreement (co-responsibility agreement) involving also the territory.

The scheduled activities follow the threading line widely recognized by psychologists and

pedagogues (Rogers, Maslow, Piaget, Bruner, Montessori, Winnicott …) for building a peaceful

behaviour useful for both individuals and the society.

The above mentioned macro-social picture highlights the need of re-building the “educating

community”, a need felt also by our territory as “micro-social dynamics”.

1.3 Pedagogic relevance of prosociality

Many educators are seriously concerned about bullying and aggression. It is equally important to

nurture positive alternatives—children’s prosocial feelings and behaviour toward others - to the

“invasive” images of violence and aggression proposed by the media.

The answer to this general attitude can be promoting Prosocial behaviours which can also include

cooperation, including others in play, giving a compliment, and comforting a child who is upset.

These behaviours have to be characterized by voluntary will. If children are forced to “be nice and

to share” or told to “say you’re sorry,” then their behaviour is not voluntary and cannot be

considered prosocial. The prosocial approach entails and highlights that a child’s prosocial

development can be actively promoted without being forced.

1.3.1 How educators can be active in promoting prosociality

Educators can promote prosocial development by building secure relationships, creating

classroom community, modelling prosocial behaviour, establishing prosocial expectations and

supporting families.


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The pedagogic areas of relevance are:

a -The Classroom is a place where it is easy to be happy

When teachers intentionally create secure relationships, making the children feel safe in their

classroom, they can contribute positively to their well-being. Children who are brought up in a

prosocial family usually are more caring with their peers. There is good evidence that young

children who have warm relationships and secure attachments to their parents and teachers are

more likely to be empathic and prosocial (Kestenbaum, Farber, & Sroufe 1989; Zhou et al. 2002;

Campbell & von Stauffenberg 2008), probably because children are more likely to notice and copy

the behaviour of adults to whom they feel a close connection.

Regarding the experience and the role of the teachers, whether or not a child’s parental

attachment has been secure, when teachers have warm, secure relationships with the children,

those children show more empathy and behave more positively toward others in the classroom.

(Pianta & Stuhlman 2004; Spinrad & Eisenberg 2009).

Teachers can develop positive and prosocial relationships using different “small” pedagogic

strategies (mostly intuitive): responding sensitively to children’s everyday needs, interacting in

emotionally supportive ways, listening and conversing with sincere attention.

b – The origins of the Community are in the classroom (from the classroom to the educating

Village)

The first step towards rebuilding the “village” - meant as a system of caring relationships - is to

create a caring community of learners. Just as warm educative relationships produce children’s

prosocial skills, being a member of a close-knit learning community can also favour children’s

prosocial development.

Humans are social creatures, and even subtle changes in children’s social environments can make

them more aware of their connection to the group.

“There is some evidence that children who spend time with very prosocial classmates are likely to

become more prosocial themselves; over time, they come to adopt the more helpful, caring norms

of their peers” (Eisenberg, Fabes, & Spinrad 2006).

However, it is usual to observe the situation in which the less-prosocial children tend to spend

their time with one another, thus having fewer opportunities to learn from more-prosocial

classmates.

It can be suggested to the teachers to intentionally counteract the separation of less prosocial

children from the more prosocial by pairing and mixing up children for various activities (Bodrova


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& Leong 2007), creating more ways for children to experience prosocial and empathic behaviour of

others.

c - Learning prosocial behaviour form the adults: examples

If an adult is prosocial and responsive, children are especially likely to notice and imitate aspects of

their behaviour. Thus, teachers who have those characteristics have a good chance of prompting

children’s empathic, helpful, caring, generous behaviour by demonstrating that behaviour

themselves. Opportunities present themselves every day: helping a child put on a new jacket that

buttons-up differently; expressing loving concern when a child’s parent has been ill; and offering

some materials that will help a child finish a project. To highlight this modelling, teachers can

comment on what they are doing and why (“Do you have a problem with that. How about if I help

you? It makes me happy to help children out when they need it.”). Teachers can also promote

these skills by modelling kindness and consideration in their interactions with colleagues and

families.

d - Be clear with children (in our community prosociality is expected to be our way to interact

with others)

Children are more likely to develop empathy and prosocial skills if adults make it clear that they

expect (but do not force) them to do so. Polite requests for children to be helpful and generous

are effective and often necessary prompts for prosocial behaviour (Eisenberg, Fabes, & Spinrad

2006).

Sometimes adults may think that they should articulate more their requests, but children—

especially toddlers—may need clear prompts or cues.

In many cultures, including most non-Western ones, children are often expected to do real work

that helps the family, care for brothers and sisters, even share their toys with brothers and sisters,

and generally be more cooperative members of the community. Teachers may notice differences

between the behaviours that emerge from families’ culturally influenced prosocial expectations

and may see these behaviours reflected in children’s pretend play and interactions with peers.

When a class includes children who are growing up within such cultures, other children may have a

chance to learn more cooperative and caring ways of relating to their peers.

1.4 Preventing violence through building a prosocial environment

Our society more and more shows alarming signs about aggressiveness and violence.


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Violence is the most primitive and irrational answer to the inability in running and canalizing one’s

own reactions, provoked by emotions such as rage, dissatisfaction, repression, frustration,

resentment, etc. It is synonymous with the inability in communicating in a civilized way, it means

that instinct prevails over reason. Violence depends on the values and lifestyle changes in today’s

society.

However, from a genetic point of view, people can’t be changed in only one generation. Their

education has changed. It is the personal growth process induced by the present society that

makes us less and less competent in emotions and relations.

Often in schools the problem of violence is approached from a repressive point of view. Services

and activities are organized to “remove” aggressiveness from bullies. The problem is that these

teenagers are lacking in emotional and relational competences. For example they can’t practice

empathy: “to walk in someone else’s shoes”.

Therefore, it is necessary to prevent and not to treat. Interventions are difficult. Our experience

says that the “gym of emotions” is necessary since nursery school and that the emotional and

relational competences will grow in people who are willing to get to know each other. (J. Delor).

Emotional switches will be functional and effective for those teenagers who have these

competences structured in themselves.

From our experience and research (Salfi, Monteduro 2004) it emerges that interaction between

two people can take place following a series of dynamics:


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STYLE MEANING EFFECTS ON SENDER EFFECTS ON RECEIVER

AGGRESSIVENESS Behaviour to get a personal object that does somebody harm.

Satisfaction Self esteem Self-uncontrolled expression Scorn of other people Sense of fault

Humiliation Offence Frustration Mistrust Fear Counterattack Removal Refusal

COMPETITIVENESS Two people pursue the same aim.

Satisfaction Self esteem Self-acceptance

Dissatisfaction Sense of inferiority Frustration Rage Avoid the competitiveness

ASSERTIVENESS Pursuing a personal object in the respect of the other person.

Self-satisfaction Self esteem Right self-expression Self-acceptance

Self-satisfaction Self esteem Self-acceptance Opening Right self-expression

PASSIVENESS Behaviour of renunciation or submission to somebody’s will.

Humiliation Anxiety Inhibition Self-refusal Self-disesteem

Disesteem with the other person Sense of fault-rage Self-affirmation that does somebody harm Disease Removal

PROSOCIALITY Behaviours that, without external recompenses, favour other people and increase the possibility in generating a positive reciprocity and solid relations, defending the identity, the creativity and implicated individuals’ initiative. (Roche)

Self-satisfaction and with others Self esteem Right self-expression Self-acceptance

Self-satisfaction Self esteem Self-acceptance Opening Approach Right self-expression Positive feelings with oneself and others

Prosocial behaviour is different from other styles listed in the above table since it is the only one to

bring positive effects both on the sender and on the receiver. Moreover, it distinguishes from

solid and altruistic acts because it refers to actions directed to help or profit individuals or groups,

without waiting for external rewards. Pro-social actions allow experimenting the benefits of these

behaviours and the author feels his/her own competence and effectiveness, to the advantage of

self-esteem. For this reason, the ultimate end of a pro-social behaviour is not generating “good

Samaritans” or heroes, but helping the other to enter upon and maintain positive interactions in a


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continuous way. The aim is creating a social cooperation where to own and needs of others are

given the same importance.

2 The Prosocial Peace Code

2.1 The Code Prosocial behaviour means positive actions that benefit others, prompted by empathy, moral

values, and a sense of personal responsibility rather than a desire for personal gain.

The school's role in building students' prosocial skills is fundamental, but also the involvement of

the community and of who, aware or not, can have a lasting influence on the students' social

growth (sport trainer or coach, neighbours, members of religious organizations….). In order to

teach and model social skills, the Prosocial Peace Code represents a list of rules and behaviours

generally accepted by the members of the community and contained in a specific agreement,

created in order to prevent social disorders and violence. These plans are addressed to all the

social groups that are involved (directly or indirectly) in the education of the children. The Code

defines the fundamental principles that can drive pro-social actions addressed to students,

teachers and all the “communities of educators” and underlines what is positive of the other and

what can enhance mutual comprehension.

In the age of an “educational emergency” the Code can be a valid tool for the creation of a path

towards the reconstruction of an “Educational Community”, in order to realize that it is possible

to find a “Treasure within Learning” (J. Delors).

The code embeds the emotional and relational skills which are fundamental tools for preventing

violent behaviours and for helping our children to become active and responsible European

Citizens.

The process towards the creation of the code can be summarized as follows:


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The definition of the Prosocial Peace-code (PPC) stems from the definition of the reference values-

frame, which defines the belonging to a community in an ever quickly changing world. To have an

effective educational action the PPC will be then structured and communicated according to some

educational axes shaped on the characteristics of in-learning subjects.

The Values

- - -

Peace Democracy

Unity Solidarity Tolerance Inclusion

Environmental Sustainability

The “ Pro - social Peace code (PPC) ”

2 Listen to us

3 Let’s make the peace way

5 I am you – you are me

6 Everybody’s got a special talent 7 Don’t worry, say sorry ’

8 Get@cclimatized

Preventing violence Develops inclusive

growth

The

values

…

The Educational Community

generate the “ Pro - social Peace Code ”

The Shares

Frame the community

generate the “ PPC ”

generate the “ PPC ”

Equality Brotherhood Freedom

Hyman Dignity 1 Greeting is great!

4 The word is a sound, the example is a thunder

Define a new concept of

(intercultural) dynamic

community :

Shared and practiced

values define the

community (Who is “us” /

who is the “other from us”)

Rebuild the educational

community:

• To answer to the

emergency education(emergenza educativa)

• To build social inclusion

Common framework

Analysis and comparison of

social change in the contexts

of the various partners:•Share the analysis method

•Do analysis

•Share results

(integrated in WORKSTREAM 1)

“To educate a child it takes a village”:(African proverb)

The “Peace code” as an

educational tool:

• ... doesn't make it static

• … but makes it as an active

tool for accelerating the

belonging dynamics dinamiche di appartenenza

(Australian experience)

Preventing violence

Develop inclusive

growth

The world is quickly changing:…

educational strategies


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2.2 The importance of the reference values Is it possible to educate without a value picture of reference?

Our experience brings us to the statement that in the global, cosmopolitan society (A. Giddens)

we are building, the community cannot be defined by religion, neither by skin colour or physical

characteristics, but it is the sharing of values that shapes us all. Moreover, being the community

the educating subject, the shared values, which determine it, are the starting point to plan the

educational process.

We could imagine education as a trip, undertaken by the in-learning subject, using the tools of

“assimilation and accommodation (Piaget), on his own nature and culture (J. Bruner).

The traveller will surely go faster if:

he/she is guided/ supported by the educating community which proposes a destination

(the goal , in this case, is represented by the cosmopolitan global society (A. Giddens);

the way is marked by pole stars, found in the moral values of the “community” (Z.

Bauman) we long to reach.

In a liquid society (Z. Bauman) with such weak boundaries, as the present one, to recognize and

share the value picture is essential in order to catalyse the educational process. Without any (or

few) reference values we find ourselves in n “educational emergency” and just wonder around

without a destination. Values are emotions’ children (D. Goleman). For example, it is possible that

those who are very empathic in the in-learning age, will have great values in solidarity and

brotherhood.

Is it possible to define a number of shared values to orient the educational process?

The school or other educational institutions, which operate in the National, European or

International context, and which consider values as ideas, principles of their mission, can refer to

some basic Right texts.

2.2.1 Values in the world

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. ”

(Universal declaration of Human Rights, Preamble) The first value is surely the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the

United Nation General Assembly in Paris on 10th December 1948. The Universal Declaration was


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the result of the UN Charter itself (San Francisco, June 26th 1945, 51 states) . In this document the

member states expressed their commitment in preserving International peace and safety,

developing friendly and cooperating partnerships with each other, encouraging the respect

towards men’s rights and basic liberties without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,

language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other

status.

Adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN provides an equal standard for every

country.

States engage in assuring all persons, rich or poor, strong or weak, men or women the same

treatment. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Everyone has the right

to life, liberty and security of person; everyone has the liberty of expression; no one shall be

subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; everyone has the

right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals; all are equal before the law and

are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law, everyone has the right of

movement, to have a nationality, to get married and build up a family, to have equal wages for the

same work.

Although the declaration is not a binding act, it has a great moral importance since it has been

adopted by many countries. The UN adopted also numerous international treaties, among which

the most important are the two International Treaties:

The first one refers to economic, social and cultural values; the second one deals with political and

civil rights. The Declaration, the Treaties and optional Protocols build up the so called International

Charter of Human Rights. (cfr. http://www.un.org/fr/rights/overview/index.shtml )

We should consider here that in recent years, according to several authors among which Antonio

Cassese, the Universal Declaration does not consider the plurality of the original aspects of a

culture. For example, the African communities, or those from Asia.

We should find the courage to live and to educate

towards mutual sharing which is the basic paradigm

of openness and giving to the other; this would

be a revolution both in interpersonal dynamics and in

the establishment.

(Ricoeur, 1997)

http://www.un.org/fr/rights/overview/index.shtml


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In Paris, in September 19, 1981, the UNESCO declared the Universal Islamic Declaration of Human

Rights followed by the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1980). Both documents reflect

the understanding of Islamic people and community. The first article of Cairo’s declaration states:

(a) All human beings form one family whose members are united by submission to God and

descent from Adam. All men are equal in terms of basic human dignity and basic obligations and

responsibilities, without any discrimination on the grounds of race, color, language, sex, religious

belief, political affiliation, social status or other considerations. True faith is the guarantee for

enhancing such dignity along the path to human perfection. (b)All human beings are God's

subjects, and the most loved by Him are those who are most useful to the rest of His subjects, and

no one has superiority over another except on the basis of piety and good deeds.

On March 8, 1999, the General Assembly adopted the “Declaration on the Right and Responsibility

of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized

Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms” (Resolution 53/144). This document is important since

it reasserts the importance of international cooperation and its main aim is to bring to the global

attention the issues of rights and the responsibility of individuals, group and official bodies in

promoting and protecting freedom and universal human rights.

Article 15 says:

The State has the responsibility to promote and facilitate the teaching of human rights and

fundamental freedoms at all levels of education and to ensure that all those responsible for

training lawyers, law enforcement officers, the personnel of the armed forces and public officials

include appropriate elements of human rights teaching in their training programme.

And article 16 says:

Individuals, non-governmental organizations and relevant institutions have an important role to

play in contributing to making the public more aware of questions relating to all human rights and

fundamental freedoms through activities such as education, training and research in these areas to

strengthen further, inter alia, understanding, tolerance, peace and friendly relations among

nations and among all racial and religious groups, bearing in mind the various backgrounds of the

societies and communities in which they carry out their activities.

How then do teachers, educators and whoever is responsible for education in general act as

defenders and institutional promoters of human rights, in particular those of children since they

are both students and persons?


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The Declaration of the Rights of the Child (November 20, 1959) proclaims that human kind has

the duty to offer children the best it can; since a child is physically and intellectually immature it

needs special care and protection both before and after birth.

This entails deep changes at educational level and

above all the quest for more coherence between

moral principles and practical actions.

(ManIntyre, 1988)

Since there are many children throughout the world who live in precarious conditions it is

therefore necessary to pay them special attention taking at the same time into consideration their

traditions and cultural values. Therefore, The UN General Assembly adopted in 1989 the

Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention was ratified by 151 countries – except the

U.S. and Somalia. Italy formally ratified the Convention with law no. 176 – May 27, 1991

committing to adapt its legislation to the values and principles of the Convention.

Children then become a value for all the International Community.

Article 3 says: The best interests of children must be the primary concern in

making decisions that may affect them. All adults should do what is best for children. When adults

make

decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children. This particularly applies

to

budget, policy and law makers.

According to article 28 States Parties recognize the right of the child to education, and with a view

to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular

make primary education compulsory and available free to all.

Article 29 proclaims that States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:

(a) The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their

fullest potential;

(b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the

principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;


20

(c) The development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language

and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from

which he or she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own;

(d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding,

peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious

groups and persons of indigenous origin;

(e) The development of respect for the natural environment.

And article 30: In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of

indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be

denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own

culture, to profess and practice his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language.

January 25, 1996, in Strasbourg, the European parliament organizes the UN European Convention

on the rights of children. In 1978 (October 15) the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights was

proclaimed in Paris. Also nature and animals have rights; animals should be understood, respected

and loved right from birth.

Article 1: All animals are born equal and they have the same rights to existence.

Article 2

a) Every animal has the right to be respected.

b) Man, like the animal species, cannot assume the right to exterminate other animals or to exploit

them, thereby violating this right. He should use his conscience for the service of the animals.

c) Every animal has the right to consideration, good treatment and the protection of man.

(Source,http://www.un.org/fr/documents/udhr/; http://www.un.org/fr/events/humanrightsday ,

http://www.unicri.it/ )

2.2.2 Our common values

The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all

countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the

rule of law and cultural co-operation. It was founded on May 5, 1949 with the Treaty of London

and has 47 member states.

http://www.un.org/fr/documents/udhr/

http://www.un.org/fr/events/humanrightsday

http://www.unicri.it/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_law


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The headquarters of the Council of Europe are in Strasbourg, France.

The aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve a greater unity between its members for the

purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and principles which are their common heritage

and facilitating their economic and social progress. Its actions are not binding and have to be

ratified by all the Member States.

Among its aims are the safeguarding of human rights, parliamentary democracy and guaranteeing

rule of law, developing a European identity based on shared values which transcend cultural

diversity, concluding European agreements in order to harmonise social and legal practices of the

Member States. The Council of Europe has nothing to do with either the Council of the European

Union or the European Council, which are both EU bodies.

The world is the space in which we express

our identity.

(Tonino Bello)

The European Union is founded on values regarding the respect of human dignity, freedom,

democracy, equality, rule of law and the respect of human rights – also those parts of an ethnic

minority. These values, proclaimed in articles 1 and 2, are common to all Member States.

Moreover, society of each Member State is characterized by pluralism, non-discrimination,

tolerance, solidarity and equal opportunities for women and men. These values are especially

important since they are the preliminary requirement for joining the EU (as stated in article I-58)

and because their breaching could entail the suspension of the right of being part of the EU (article

I-59).

The Treaty which adopts the UN Constitution signed in Rome on October 29, 2004 includes the

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and a set of new values such as human

dignity, equality, rights of ethnic minorities.

Article I-1 Establishment of the Union. 1. Reflecting the will of the citizens and States of Europe to

build a common future, this Constitution establishes the European Union, on which the Member

States confer competences to attain objectives they have in common. The Union shall coordinate

the policies by which the Member States aim to achieve these objectives, and shall exercise on a

Community basis the competences they confer on it. Reflecting the will of the citizens and States

of Europe to build a common future, this Constitution establishes the European Union, on which

the Member States confer competences to attain objectives they have in common. The Union shall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Council


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coordinate the policies by which the Member States aim to achieve these objectives, and shall

exercise on a Community basis the competences they confer on it.

Article I-2 The Union's values The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity,

freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of

persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in

which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women

and men prevail.

2.3 Highlights

The spiritual and cultural heritage of Europe is based on a combination of Greek philosophy,

Roman law, Christianity, humanism and the Enlightenment. Spiritually, The European common set

of values and thinking are based on a unique mutual exchange and influence of three approaches:

the Franco Rationalistic, the Anglo-Empiric, and the German-Idealistic.

Freedom, human dignity and responsibility and solidarity are the central values that the

democratic institutions seek to protect and strengthen. All those elements are part of the common

spiritual and

cultural heritage.

The European Union is based on values - such as the respect for human dignity; fundamental

rights, including the rights of communities and families; freedom, democracy, equality, and the

rule of law. The member states' societies - in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance,

justice, solidarity, responsibility and gender equality prevail - share these values.

The European integration process has to overcome the artificial concept of nation-statehood by

putting the principle of subsidiary into political practice. Europe also needs to strengthen its

naturally and historically developed communities in which find their roots and to which they feel

they belong. By doing so, the principle of subsidiarity can lead us to the realization of Europe as a

"community of communities".

Let’s shapes the values:

Freedom


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It is said that freedom involves three aspects: a person must be able to make a choice, must not be

prevented and must be able to act. More specifically we can refer to freedom of movement,

freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of opinion and expression.

Democracy

In a truly democratic society the majority of the population plays an active rather than a passive

role. Democracy is also a social arrangement in which the rights and obligations of individuals are

understood and respected. The term 'democracy' is often equated with political liberalism, thus

making it synonymous with fundamental rights, such as freedom of religion, of speech, of

association, and equality before the law.

Human dignity and respect of human rights

All human beings have the right to be respected and treated fairly, regardless of their race, gender,

origins, social status, language, religion, political opinions, age, and health. The European Union

respects fundamental principles for the safeguard of human rights as well as fundamental

freedoms as guaranteed by the European Convention, (which was signed in Rome on November 4

1950)and also as foreseen by common Member State constitutional traditions, such rights being

the founding principles of the communitarian law. The European Constitution explicitly supports

the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

The Constitutional State (Rule of Law)

The rule of law implies that a government may only exercise authority in accordance with the

nation’s laws.

Solidarity

The European Union promotes solidarity inside its borders, providing support to disadvantaged

people and areas, and outside its frontiers contributing to the fight against poverty in the weaker

countries.

Tolerance

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us

pardon reciprocally each other's folly – that is the first law of nature. This is what Voltaire writes


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about tolerance in his 'Philosophical Dictionary. Human beings have different genetic inheritances,

environment conditions and cultural identities. Although some differences are positive, others

might not be to our liking. We need to understand that social life obliges us to tolerate even things

we do not like, and that this is to our advantage. The only way to live in peace with others is to

learn to accept differences. But what is the limit of tolerance? If someone comes in the room and

starts smoking, should you be tolerant? And if you go to another country do you have to accept

the local customs? What if they are against your principles? In a democracy, the majority decides.

So how do minorities ensure that their views and values are respected?

Equality

“In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society

makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law." (Charles de

Montesquieu, political philosopher) The principle of equality was established during the

Enlightenment. Today, it forms part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 1 reads

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".While in principle we are all equal,

in reality we can see so much inequality around us.

Peace

Philosopher Immanuel Kant already taught us that peace should not be confused with a mere

"temporary absence of war" more than two centuries ago. Real peace is "the impossibility of war"

and it may be achieved through the complete removal of war threat. But this goal will be reached

only when conflicts will no longer be resolved through the use of force but on the basis of law.

All this would become possible only if world nations created an international organisation (the UN

- United Nations - may be considered a first step in this direction) and if they decide to give it the

power to settle disputes, making of it a venue for justice for all nations, a place like the court for

citizens within a single country. The Italian Constitution (article 11) repudiates war and accepts

limitations of sovereignty in order to be part of international organisms which promote peace and

justice among Nations.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's pro-democracy leader and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

She said: "It is now widely seen that peace should be more than the mere absence of war: it

should be a positive force that counters violence as a means of resolving the problems of human

society. Justice should not only aim at controlling the negative traits in human nature, it should

work to promote a sense of fairness, compassion and universal brotherhood". The European


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Union pursues the goal of peace promotion through its foreign and security policy and through the

placement of its military forces at the disposal of peace keeping and peace enforcement

operations. A mission in the Republic of the Congo has just been accomplished with the support of

the EU army while EU soldiers are currently present in Bosnia Herzegovina on an on-going mission.

Source: http://www.centroineuropa.it/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=122,

http://futurum2005.eun.org/ww/it/pub/futurum2005/values/values.htm

2.4 Values vs. Educational Axes For the realization of the Peace Code, each value can be shaped into educational axes. The

educational axes are learning/educative vehicles in order to experience, actualize and practised

the values.

Among the four pillars of education stated in the report “Learning: the Treasure Within”, of the

International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, chaired by Jacques Delors we

have:

- learning to know, that is acquiring the instruments of understanding;

- learning to do, so as to be able to act creatively in one’s environment;

- learning to live together, so as to participate in and co-operate with other people in all human

activities;

- learning to be, so as to better develop one’s personality and to act with ever greater autonomy,

judgement and personal responsibility

The Commission has put greater emphasis on the one that it proposes and describes as the

foundation of education: learning to live together.

The educational axes are practical and real educative elements that can enable children to acquire

the skills essential for

- creating awareness about the importance of living in harmony with each other and with the

environment;

- developing the skills of interpersonal communication in order to promote understanding,

acceptance and tolerance;

http://www.centroineuropa.it/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=122

http://futurum2005.eun.org/ww/it/pub/futurum2005/values/values.htm


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- enabling children to give and receive;

- creating awareness of solidarity and human relationships.

The educative axes are based on a variety of approaches, techniques and resources to ensure that

they are taught in the most meaningful and effective way.

In the following table the Values are shaped into educative axes:

Reference Values Educational Axes (oneself and the other)

Human dignity: -Liberty -Unity - Equality -Respect -Diversity

Welcome & Recognition of the other Development of one’s personal and social identity (relational) To experiment Freedom through self-consciousness


Education for a civil and democratic life in common.

Unity Solidarity Inclusion

To develop: -Loyalty -Responsibility - Empathy

Human dignity: Uniqueness of the person Diversity as a richness

To accept one’s mistakes and those of others. To take advantage of problems in order to become a better person. (defeat management)

Respect for other persons and things. (own and of the others)

Environmental care Develop the sense of common good Willingness to share and care


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2.5 Prosocial applying keystones The Educational Axes become the basic element of the Peace Code. Therefore, the process for

the realization of the Code translates the values into a “conduct code” which implies ideas,

principles and actions through which the values can be embedded in the educational process.

The code indications are then converted in applying keystones, easily understandable by the

children in a very empathic and emotional way.

The following table shows the process through which the educational axes become keystones.


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Reference Values

Educational Axes (oneself and the other)

Code Applying Keystones


Welcome & Recognition of the other Development of one’s personal and social identity (relational). To experiment Freedom through self-consciousness

To enhance people’s behaviour To recognize the other To listen actively to ourselves and the others To enhance our own identity To enhance identity of others

1 Greeting is great 2 Listen to us


Education for a civil and democratic life in common.

To practice civil and democratic life in common To give others and the situation the right time To reflect the thoughts of others

4 Let’s make the peace way 3 The word is a sound, the example is a thunder

Unity Solidarity Inclusion

To develop: -Loyalty -Responsibility - Empathy

To develop Loyalty , Responsibility, Empathy to prevent violent behaviours, accepting difficulties and the happiness of the others


Human dignity: Uniqueness of the person Diversity as a richness

To accept one’s mistakes and those of others. To take advantage of problems in order to become a better person. (defeat management)

To accept one’s mistakes and those of others. To take advantage of problems in order to become a better person.

6 Everybody’s got a special talent 7 Don’t worry, say sorry!

Respect of other persons and things. (own and of the others)

To practice environmentalist behaviours aimed at the respect of everyday life objects, and also of the animals

8 Get acclimatized


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The applying keystones are:

GREETING IS GREET

Greeting is a healthy, simple foregone sign and therefore it is sometimes forgotten. It is a sign that makes

who gives and who receives feel good. Our cities, more and more “anonymous and liquid”, are populated by

people who do not know each other; even just a greeting sign is enough to establish a link, a reciprocity. <Be

kind with people that you meet going up, because you will meet them going down> (W. Miener)

LISTEN TO US

Listening is an exchange: listening to other people could seem useful only for them, but when you become a

good listener, you are also helping yourself.

Listening benefits are various: you show respect, you build relations, you can generate new ideas, you found

confidence between parties.

“When you listen, stop every other activity. Give the other all your attention and stare at him while he is

speaking”.

LET’S MAKE THE PEACE WAY

Perhaps it is impossible to love everybody, but you can be kind with everybody and express, with a sign, a

thought, an action, your attention.

Good manners are at the heart of intelligence, the scent of civilization. They weren’t invented by chance, but

to live together with others, without striking each other (E. Loewthal).

THE WORD IS A SOUND, THE EXAMPLE IS A THUNDER

The writer D. Lawnolte wrote, “ Children learn what they live”.

Our society is lacking in positive influential reference models. School shouldn’t just teach, but it must also

offer a good education.

I AM YOU - YOU ARE ME

Empathy is the ability to recognize emotions and feelings. It means perceiving somebody else’s inner world

as if it would be ours, with the awareness of its uniqueness, compared to our points of view.

“Empathy is the main inhibiter of human cruelty” (Goleman).

EVERYBODY HAS A SPECIAL TALENT


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Everybody has positive qualities. It is important to help children and adults… to discover, cultivate and

develop them. Feeling esteemed helps to achieve trust in oneself, avoiding aggressiveness in order to make

one’s way in the world.

DON’T WORRY, SAY SORRY

“Practice makes perfect”, the saying goes: these words are often forgotten. We must consider mistakes as

learning moments, as a step towards the object. The possibility in making mistakes and mending them,

without a negative feeling, strengthens self-esteem and trust in one’s own abilities. Present society aims at

denying the possibility in making mistakes thus causing frustration.

GET @CCLIMATIZED

The virtual and electronic world reminds us that “We are the earth, people, plants and animals, rains and

oceans, the breathing of forests and sea flux” ( Earth Charter EARTH SUMMIT , ONU ,1992).

Earth is the mother environment we should understand, love, respect and preserve, since it is the home of 7

billion people. These inhabitants bring economic and social problems and they should learn to share the

planet’s wealth and difficulties. Helping a child to respect the environment he/she lives in is the first step to

educate in taking care of our planet.


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2.6 How to use the Code as an educational tool

'Education is an important element in the struggle to help our children and people rediscover their identity and thereby increase self-respect. Education is our passport to the future.’

Malcolm X Values are intrinsic to all learning and education, whether at school, at home or in any other place children

live. Values must be experienced and the keystones can be a values-based virtual box for this exploration.

For these reasons a values-based atmosphere has to be created.

That means making some preparatory actions such as the creation of welcoming spaces and activities, the

setting of the classrooms in a prosocial way, the work on techniques such as active listening, methodical

work on greetings, on respecting roles, on positive evaluation of the others.

The educative approach has to be experiential, participatory and flexible, allowing and encouraging the

practice of the values. The pro-social educative approach must also be used systematically.

For the description of a series of prosocial educative tools please see chapter 5.

The tools contain practical values activities, prosocial games and a range of methods for teachers, educators,

facilitators, parents and caregivers to help children to explore and develop the eight keystones of the Peace

Code with their related values.

Through these tools children can see the values “at work” and they become the actors of the Peace Code in

action. Children can also practice the value in a very empathic and emotional way.


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3 The Educators Caring Communities (ECC)

3.1 What are the ECC and what is their role in the perspective of prosociality

The term “educating” placed before the term Community relates to a group of social organizations (both

formal and informal) involved in an educational path.

Generally, members of this social context are adults who are educators, their role formally recognised by the

institutions (the teachers) or playing this role without having any specific institutional or legal recognition.

The target of this educational activity are young members of the community or children.

The Educating caring Community has its core in the system of social relationships in which the young interact

and from which they acquire their (also spontaneous) code of behaviour.

The relationships which develop inside an ECC are circular: all individuals exchange their experiences with

one another and in this way carry out the various tasks needed for the management of a community.

However, this system is complex but at the same time one of its positive characteristics is that each

individual is aware of the environment he/she is in. In turn, this awareness avoids educational conflicts:

those who belong to this community know their place in the system (e.g. sport trainers) since if their

messages are not on the same wavelength as those of other teachers educational conflicts may arise.

The ECC is therefore a sort of village in which bridges and roads represent social relations which have a

direct effect on a child’s education and protect him/her from the kind of violence that could arise in this

context.

Just as the tradition of the European local communities, in the educating village adults are educators and

teach young members the sets of values of their own community, exercising a permanent educative

“pressure”.

This shows the ECC to be an open system: internally it shows the dynamics of conflict and enrichment in a

relational-linguistic context; externally it involves the cooperation of traditional learning, families and the

territory.

Being part of a ‘community’ is different from being part of a ‘group’: the core of the community is the

awareness of being educators and the sequence of relations stems from participation. Participation implies

that the actors do not delegate the task of educating only to schools but operate with them in a circular way.

This perspective, the ECC I san “articulated and complex” system operating a continuous evolution in order

to be adapted to the organizational model that fits better with the role the members have in it.


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The world is quickly changing:…

The education

and training are

key factors for

personal and

social growth

The values

guide the

educational

process

“The values are

the children of

the emotions "

(D. Goleman)

“To educate a child

it takes a village”:

(African proverb)

The "peace code"

can be an

efficient tool for:

Re-building the

educational community

to improve education and

training for:

3. Promoting equity, social

cohesion and active

citizenship

3.2 The meaning of the re-construction of the educational community

Education is the activity which

aims at the development of

mental, social and physical skills.

Its etymology derives from the

Latin verb educare (to pull),

which stems from the verbs

educĕre (to take out, to get out

sth from sth else) and ducĕre (to

lead). The word education is

often considered as

complimentary of the word teaching. The difference is that: education concerns a “communicative” way of

teaching, whereas teaching includes a wider way of educating, involving techniques aimed to enhance

qualities and discover hidden talents.

To educate means “to start from” and not “to achieve something”, since the arrival point depends on the

learning subject. To educate is a way to make a person “more person”, a way towards the humanization of

individuals. To educate means supporting a person during the construction of one’s own culture.

Regarding this aspect J. Bruner pointed out that man’s evolution is composed of two “histories”: the genetic

one, which made mankind competitive and the cultural one, since every man builds his culture from the

culture of pre-existing generations.

This characteristic makes our species adaptable and allows it to be winning (or maybe loosing since, at times,

man can be its own enemy).

Thinking about it, there’s only one generation separating modern man from barbarity.

If the opportunity of educating oneself suddenly did not exist any longer man would have to start from

scratch, from the stone age, despite its self-educating skills.

Therefore, to educate means helping an individual to self-build culture, and pedagogy and didactics are the

main sciences which can achieve this goal. In order to learn we need emotional and relational competences


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and in modern day society, in which culture is dynamic and global (P. Levy), it is necessary to change the

traditional teaching approach from transitive to cooperative.

To better understand why we deem necessary

to re-build the educating community in order

to develop learning processes, we should give

a brief description of the dynamics that arise

in the educational environment.

At its centre there is the learner acquiring

information through interaction with other

learners and with the environment.

To educate a child we need a village (African

proverb); the Community educates, not the

teacher. A learner is nourished by formal

education through school, by non-formal

education through family and social

organisations etc. and by informal education

such as the environment in which he/she lives. The learner has innate learning skills (Montessor’s absorbing

mind) and finds the cooperation between teacher and educational group an incredible catalyst.

Our idea of educating community is broader than that of Don Lorenzo Milani (a Catholic priest and

pedagogue who in the 1960s promoted mutual and cooperative learning in a rural school in Barbiana, Italy)

whose ideas are central in the modern western approach to education.

Define a new concept of

(intercultural) dynamic

community :

Shared and practiced

values define the

community (Who is “us” /

who is the “other from us”)

Rebuild the educational

community:

• To answer to the

emergency education(emergenza educativa)

• To build social inclusion

Common framework

“To educate a child it takes a village”:(African proverb)


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3.3 How to rebuild the Educating Community A strong need to rebuild an Educating Community is felt

both at local and global level: the school alone cannot take

the responsibility of the education of children since

nowadays they live in a complex and ever changing society.

Social elements often act in a different and sometimes even

in a contradictory way; this has a negative impact on

children.

Therefore, it is paramount to increase opportunities for

dialogue and for the search for common educative ways.

We must re-launch the idea of an ‘educating community’

(which refers to the idea of ‘belonging’) as a school and out

of school integrated educational context which can help to

develop social competences: these are in fact the dynamics

of ‘active citizenship’.

This implies that:

• teachers and school staff should have and practise a positive relational interpersonal style, a style that

arises from mutual recognition and from active appreciation of the ‘other’ (we teach ourselves);

• we should introduce methodological innovations in education in order to systematize this approach with

students, families and the local community;

• we should promote a wider dialogue between school, families and the local community in order to boost

social dynamics;

• we should design and activate pathways for personal grow through the recognition, the representation

and the handling of our emotions;

• we should promote the culture of legality through operational situations in which students can experiment

and discover the necessity of commonly accepted rules, rules conceived as ‘ordered freedoms’ and based on

two essential principles: the principle of ‘right’ and the principle of ‘duty’;

• we should extend this process from local to global aiming at constructing the ‘cosmopolitan global

community’ (A. Giddens) by promoting the values of universal brotherhood and meeting the needs for

inclusion which characterize our times.


36

Within an approach like this, it is evident that the school has to change radically: it should have a new central

position in society to

design and develop knowledge tools which

can enable the students to understand

the natural, social, cultural, anthropological contexts

in which they will live and operate in the future;

pursue a double formative mission both

in horizontal and in vertical continuity.

The vertical dimension expresses the need for

training that could continue for a lifetime;

the horizontal dimension points at the need

of a well-organized collaboration between

the school and extra-school educating actors;

constantly pursue the aim of building

positive relationships, based on the recognition of everyone’s

roles and in harmony with community educational goals;

be and act as the consciousness and the driving force of the ‘Educating Community’ to train people able

in handling their existential actions and therefore to invest in the education in order to be active citizens.


37

Therefore, the aim of prosociality includes building an Educating community BECAUSE:

Education is not just about traditional educational problems, such as curriculum, assessment and

tests.

SCHOOL only makes sense within the broader

context of goals that the community seeks to

reach through its trust in education

THE AIM IS TO CONNECT MORE AND MORE SCHOOLS

WITH THEIR TERRITORIES, IN ORDER TO:

share a common value framework

activate educational processes fully and

consciously shared

develop the concept of ‘common interest’ at school

raise awareness of the culture of legality, of ethics and solidarity.

promote training,

support projects,

spread partnership

Foreseeable long term outcomes, as the main goal of the project’s educational process, refer to the areas

beyond the school context:

School vs. Parents and families

The interaction between the school, the families and the wider community is meant for:

Sharing of children’s educational courses

Getting involved in Action Research activities

Signing the “Patto educativo di corresponsabilità” (agreement signed by parents and school, based on

shared values and strategies)

Meetings to discuss and clarify the subjects students will face in class.


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3.4 Main strategies for the ECC implementation

Strategy 1. Create a Caring Community

The implementation Strategy 1 of the Caring Community aims to create a caring community working towards

involvement and inviting all stakeholders to participate in the changing process of the school. This includes

all school personnel, students, families and community. When everyone has a voice in the negotiation of the

values and the creation of the school’s action plan, this increases active involvement in the implementation

of school change and sustainability over the long term, which have a positive impact on the students’

outcomes.

Strategy 2. Give Values Voice, Hands and Feet

Strategy 2 aims at giving values voice, hands and feet through intentional interactions and use of best

practices that make the five core values concrete and visible in all aspects of the school’s culture and

climate. This includes direct teaching of the five core values in the classroom, modelling of the values by

adults, and using the school environment as strengthening of the five core values.

Strategy 3. Share Responsibility with Families, Community and Students

Strategy 3 is to share responsibility with families, community, and students for creating a School Caring

Community. While strategy 1 is about taking the initiative to reach out to and include families and

community, strategy 3 is about moving the community and the families from guests to members of the

community itself.

Strategy 4. Share Leadership

Strategy 4 is to lead the Caring Community through modelling, empowerment and shared leadership.

Whether he knew it or not, Mahatma Gandhi’s suggestion to “Be the change you want to see in the world,”

is excellent evidence-informed advice for school leaders who want to positively change their school culture

and climate. This Caring Community strategy advises school leaders to model change of the core values and

the implementation strategies with students, teachers, school staff, families and community members since

it influences behavioural change in those who observe it.

Strategy 5. Empower Values With Practice and Policy


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Strategy 5 is to empower the five core values with intentional best practices that are evidence based and

proven, along with specific policies which address the institutional factors that create sustainable school

culture and climate change. Policy puts the concept on paper so that it becomes part of practice.

4 Teaching Prosociality: from pedagogic literacy to didactic methodology

4.1 How and where to teach Prosociality A prosocial behaviour brings positive effects both on the sender and on the receiver.

In this framework, the school is the best ground where children and teenagers, in addition to learning

important issues for their personal development, can experience activities for building relationships both

with adults and people of their same age.

School experience can favour the development of pro-social behaviour through an intentional and

systematic education realized with specific planned curricula.

RESULTS OF PRO-SOCIAL ACTION SITUATION

ENVIRONMENT

Social values and rules

SENDER

PRO-SOCIAL ACTION

RECEIVER


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However, it would be really illusory thinking you can “educate to pro-sociality” limiting and implementing a

series of didactic units, leaving unchanged the gap that distinguishes the behaviour of educator from

teaching as proposed to the pupil. The latter is constantly stimulated by the educator’s behaviour, both

directly when he/she is in relation with children, and indirectly when the pupil can observe his educator’s

interactions with other people, both in school and extra-school situations. The teacher who understands the

other’s point of view and emotions, who wants to pursue own purposes respecting others, who can voice

his/her own opinions and emotions, who creatively faces and solves his own problems, tensions and

interpersonal conflicts, who takes decisions involving a satisfaction delay, he will really increase the

probability that his pupils interiorize and have similar pro-social behaviours (emulation learning).

At the centre of a child’s learning there isn’t only the school. It is important that the values of prosociality are

found also in the environment the child lives in: family, sport association, social context, formal and informal

education. What is needed is a village (African proverb): who educates the child is not the teacher but the

‘community’.

A learner acquires his/her competences through formal education from the school and at the same time

informal education through the educational organisations in the territory (family, parish recreational centres

etc.).

Educating towards prosociality implies sharing the prosocial peace code purposes which in turn means:

- Increasing the frequency of positive conducts;

- Favouring communication and positive development;

- Developing collaboration;

- Increasing empathy;

- Developing the ability in solving problems and relational

creativity;

- Promoting an emotional “schooling”, that is the activation of a

personal growth process through the recognition, representation

and management of emotions;

- Promoting living together universal values (“values are

emotions’ children”, D. Goleman):

solidarity, peace, sociality, sharing, cooperation, respect,

reception and recognition of diversity, wealth, psychological

wellness, unity;

-developing the sense of belonging and increasing learning

competences.

Model approach

(tentativo di codice condiviso)

(a possible e-book chapter summary)

Same possible social scenes (scenari sociali)

A new concept of community

A model to rebuild the educational

community

Model for developing social

inclusion

Model "code of dynamic learning

community" more suited to a

dynamic social system and weak

ties

Prevention of violence

Education and Training 2020

(ET 2020)3. Promoting equity, social

cohesion and active citizenship;


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All this aims also at training a “citizen” who accepts the challenges of the current age, towards a more

multicultural, multi-ethnic and multireligious society.

These actions allow students to know the rules on which social organizations are based and the value

frameworks.

It’s also possible to create the basic elements to understand, share, help and cooperate, according to the

fundamental values of our Constitution and the European one.

“Giving and receiving, receiving and giving” are two important actions that could be put into practice in our

society.

4.2 The role of the school staff motivation

Since the school is the centre of the prosocial process, motivation of the school staff becomes an essential

element in order to reach the educational goals.

The Prosocial Peace Code:

i. Develop professional and human competences of the school staff

ii. Give school a major role

iii. Set the school at the centre

Transition towards a ‘fluid society’ (Z. Bauman) gives young students new opportunities but at the same time

attenuates the values and the teaching practices needed to build and manage positive relationships with

others. This phenomenon has increased during recent years and has brought to an educational emergency.

In primary school, for example, there are more children who show difficulty in concentrating and paying

attention; they have also little motivation and they are so self-centred that they are unable to acknowledge

the emotions and needs of others. All this generates aggressiveness and disrespect which are the first signs

of bullying.

A traditional educational approach centres on decisiveness, rewards, punishments, compromises,

reproaching and an endless flow of words that result in a waste of time from both sides. Teachers are often

disappointed and feel they haven’t pursued the right path.

Experiences from the use of the Prosocial Peace Code can help to tackle the problem by


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Developing educational strategies centred more on prevention. A prosocial approach allows to positively

modify relational dynamics amongst students and between students and teachers. This helps

communication and learning.

This in an important approach also in communicating with the families and the out-of-school organisations

since it allows spreading trust and collaboration. It is never easy to talk about children’s problem with their

parents without them becoming defensive.

Sharing experiences from school and out-of-school and organising them in one behavioural code becomes a

good tool to be used for educational purposes and a way to think and enrich oneself.

In other words, the Prosocial Peace Code “IMPROVES THE PROFESSIONAL LIVES” of both teachers and school

staff in a period in which being a teacher is quite difficult. It also gives the school a major role and puts it at

the centre of the community.

4.3 Three propaedeutic activities In order to carry out a prosocial method we should take the following important steps:

a. Draw up the necessary documents for the schools in every participating country

b. Develop sharing within the educational team. Relational competences are learnt through emulation, the

educational path of PPC will not have any efficacy if not shared by the team. For instance, greeting

techniques and active listening will not produce good results if not continuously put into practice by the

school staff together with the parents and amongst parents themselves. It is therefore necessary to

develop a first level training programme for teachers to allow them to share a vision on social dynamics

as well as an educational mission thus making the best use of their professional skills.

c. Develop a communication strategy.

Another element to increase success is the implementation of a communication strategy, both internal

and external, as well as those documentation processes which are very important for both a widespread

prosocial approach and for the reaching of active involvement by an increasing number of social-

educational actors.


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4.4 The operational didactic protocol The didactic operational protocol is developed through a number of activities enacted before didactic

experimentation:

how to organise the classroom

Classrooms should be organised before didactic experimentation in a “cooperative” setting rather than

in a “frontal” one. The development of the students’ sense of autonomy and responsibility is “induced”

also by how space and furnishing are arranged (this subject will be dealt with later on).

include the Peace-Code in the curricula

This is a “kaleidoscopic” approach, the PPC represents the base on which the activities are founded.

These are moments when the themes are dealt with in a “frontal” approach (introductive lessons,

weekly meetings, etc.) but in general terms the PPC is used as an integration frame work in which

didactics are developed. The Code is present during all activities and in all disciplines. It must also be a

uniform practice for both teachers and school staff.

kindle emotions (values spring out of emotions)

it is advisable that a structured activity be carried out for at

least some hours followed by a more comp0lex daily routine

on the subject. It would be a good practice to work for

10/15 minutes at the opening of each school day on the

welcoming of the students and on creating a good relational

atmosphere. In this way, relational competences favouring

an improvement in learning could be acquired.

The “metheomood” and “emotion” hats (see details under Didactic tools) or any other daily opening

routine can allow the teachers to quickly assess the students’ mood of the day and intervene if

necessary.


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4.5 Welcoming spaces and activities To create a school environment that is welcoming to families is an important element to establish

connections and relationships between the school and the parents of the pupils.

Feeling welcome at school can encourage families to become more involved in prosocial activities.

It’s also important to plan regular events to bring families and school staff together for positive interaction in

support of learning and prosociality.

Planning social events that bring together school faculty and staff with families is an effective way to create a

family-friendly school environment.

Schools can create effective ways to build a bridge connecting teachers and families. The message these

strategies convey to parents should be: “You are welcome, you are important to us, and we want to work

with you to educate your children”. An Educational Pact of Co-Responsibility between the School and the

Families should also be created.

Working Group of Parents and Teachers

Promoting a Parents active participation to the school’s activities Work together with Joy for a common goal It can be an example for our Children


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WELCOMING The school welcomes you as you are, as a person, since before being a boy, a girl, black or white, you are unique, rich in values and autonomy.

SETTING UP THE PARENTS’ AREA

ACTIVITY Preparing the classrooms

OBJECTIVE Foster a good climate in order to live relationships, work experiences and learning paths positively. .

LOCATION Entrance, classrooms, corridors etc.

SCHEDULE Period preceding the start-up of activities with the students.

MATERIALS Posters, balloons, paint, carpets, cushions, etc.

DEVELOPMENT

Teachers organise the rooms in order to favour a positive emotional approach.

USEFUL TIPS

All teachers should agree and be operative in the welcoming approach.

WEB

Italian, PE, Arts


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4.6 The Listening Points

The listening points are boxes into which parents, children, non-educative staff can post letters of complaint

or letters of appreciation

the letters showing a complaint will be marked with

the letters showing an appreciation will be marked with The school can single out two (or more) teachers with the specific task of:

Gathering the letters

Answering if it is the case

(The folder can be anonymous or can have the name of the sender)

Close to the box, a sign can be hung in order to show the rules:

be kind, not offensive (even if you are very angry)

never be your letter just a tool to show your being upset, but a way to improve the school

environment

be kind with everybody you are addressing the complains to

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Teachers assess the reaching of the objectives through methodical observation and conversations. This is achieved if the students are happy when entering the school.


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4.7 The setting of the classroom According to the prosocial activities, a new approach to the school setting has to be realized.

Students need to be close enough to interact and they also need to have enough personal space to

accomplish their own tasks. Students also work more effectively in well-organized classrooms rather than

cluttered ones.

Eye-to-eye contact should be maintained, materials shared without bumping into each other, and

communication easy. Barriers should be minimized: pupils must be able to hear and see the teachers

instructions from their workstations and in the meantime they gave to be able to work and stay together.

The class set up should be flexible enough for students to work separately when necessary.

When pupils work together, within each group students still need to have a sense of personal space. Each

group member carries out a task to meet the group's common goal. Personal space gives each student

within the group room and freedom to perform the tasks.

Some basic ideas about the setting of the classroom could be the following:

- allow both group and individual work

- let all students see and hear the instruction from the teacher from their workspace

- facilitate interaction and freedom of movement by removing unnecessary barriers between students both

over and under the work surface

- any adjustments of the configuration must be simply changed by the students and teachers in a short

amount of time with little noise

- allow also students with special needs to work in the groups


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Setting of the classroom and of the activity areas

The school welcomes you as you are, as a person, since before being a boy, a girl, black or white, you are unique, rich

in values and autonomy.





MATERIALS Posters, balloons, paintings, carpets, cushions, etc.

DEVELOPMENT


USEFUL TIPS


WEB

Italian, PE, Arts



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SCHOOL IS WAITING: A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS

The school welcomes you as you are, as a person, since before being a boy, a girl, black or white, you are unique,

rich in values and autonomy.





MATERIALS Posters, balloons, paintings, carpets, cushions, etc.

DEVELOPMENT


USEFUL TIPS


WEB

Italian, PE, Arts



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5 The Prosocial Educative Tools

5.1 What are the Prosocial Educative Tools

The general objectives of the tools are

a) revive the idea of “teaching community” as an integrated educational school-after school context aiming at

the development of rational competences which are the basis of an “active citizenship”. This implies a series of

intermediate results such as:

a new interpersonal and positive approach by both teachers and school staff which stems from the active

acknowledgment and enhancement of the other (teaching ourselves);

the introduction of new methodologies in order to make this approach systematic with both students and

families;

the promotion of a better relationship among the schools, families and the territory in order to revive the

social dynamics of an “teaching community”;

the setting up paths for personal growth through emotional identification, representation and

management in a socially efficient method in order to find a value framework of reference (Values stem

from emotions – D. Goleman)

to promote the culture of legality through a series of processes in which students are able to experiment

and discover the need of shared rules meant as “orderly freedom” based on two main assumptions: “rights”

and “duties”.

b) extend this process from local to global aiming at building a “global cosmopolitan community” (A. Giddens)

and promoting the values of universal brotherhood and the need of inclusion required by our day and age;

The specific objectives of the tools are:

For the School staff

Refine the way of relating with the team, the families and the students.

Promote a positive relationship based on empathy, respect and cooperation.

Create the right conditions to foster the active participation of both students and their families to

school activities.

See oneself as a positive reference model in the school


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For the Children:

- Emotional and relational axes

Taking care of oneself

Develop a good relationship with oneself and acknowledge one’s

mistakes as an experience to learn from

Acknowledge one’s own actions and their consequences

Promote a positive relationship based on empathy, respect and

cooperation

Listen and respect others

Interact through dialogue and debate

Solve conflicts being civil

Recognize one’s own emotions and learn how to manage them

Learn how to transform negative thoughts into constructive ones

- Democratic participation axes

Discover the first social rules: family, friendship, play, school

Promote responsible attitudes towards oneself, the other, the school

Encourage constructive debate

Enhance team work by respecting roles

Foster relational dynamics based on mutual respect and on peaceful solutions of conflicts

Acquire behaviours based on legality

Acquire awareness of equal social dignity and equality among all citizens

Learn the rights and duties to become active and responsible citizens within the framework of the

principles defined in the Constitution

Learn about the UN, UNICEF, FAO, EU, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Child

Learn about the main forms of political organisations: Municipality, District, State and European Union

Learn to respect the rules of the Highway Code and those pertaining to safety at home, at school and in

the workplace

For the Families

Increase their participation to school activities

Coherently practice with the school the shared educational model (also through the signing of an

educational co-responsibility pact and/or a “peace-code”).


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For the Local community

Sign territorial pacts aimed at integrated actions of a “teaching community”

5.2 Methodologies and activities

The activities follow a general Road-map that can be summarized as follows:

1. General organisational process of the school included in the curricula

2. Setting of relational dynamics within the educational team and school board (work in progress)

3. Classroom organisation and space management:

a. Setting up a “Welcoming Area” in the schools taking part in the project

b. Setting up the classroom

c. Communication in outside locations

d. Communication in out-of-school locations

4. Methodical work on perception/recognition/relation

a. Methodical work on Greeting

b. Methodical work on Active Listening

5. Structuring activities fostering “Emotional training”

6. Structuring activities fostering the rebuilding of the

“Teaching Community”

a. Common slogans

b. School-family and pro-social activities

c. Parent and teacher training

7. Methodical external communication

8. The Peace code

a. Shared setting up of activities with families and out-of-school operators

b. Respect of shared rules

9. Graduated and shared development with the educational communities on all axes according to

the students’ characteristics and those of the community.

10. Assessment of efficiency and efficacy of education with shared indicators

11. Re-planning and modifying interventions


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MAIN EDUCATIVE METHODS

Simulation activities

Linguistic-expressive activities and workshops

Use of the circle time as a tool for self-regulation

and to develop the power of thought

Debates in order to analyse and compare

experiences (narration and argumentation)

according to the following four steps:

o Narrate one’s own experiences

o Sharing them

o Connecting their meaning

o Extracting rules from the debate with others

Building civil common living at school through a shared set of rules

Gathering specific information and documentation (reports, drawings, posters, books etc.)

ACTIVITIES

Informative lessons

Meetings with experts and representatives from the local authorities

Team work and simulations

Direct experiences

Guided tours

Personal accounts

Free discussions and debates of daily experiences

Conferences and debates

External cooperation: the Police, Local Authorities,

Civil Protection, territorial associations…

Preparation and signing of the peace code

Preparation and signing of territorial pacts for integrated actions by the “teaching community”

LOCATIONS

The first tool to structure the activities is the setting of the

classroom and of outside locations.


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A space to welcome the parents

Rearrangement of the school rooms to fit the purpose of the activity

Outside locations: garden, Community Centres, churches, areas inside the town, neighbourhood.

SOME TECHNICS

Active listening: meta verbal behaviours and attention attitudes that express a patient

reception, but directed to the contents voiced by the interlocutor in a conversation..

Me message: I talk in first person giving an objective description of what is happening (mirror of

what I observed) without adding any own valuations .

Mirroring: I repeat the content and/or I take emotions and feelings expressed by the other

person. I show my interest and I indirectly encourage him at finishing what he wanted to

express.

Problem – solving: use of specific formalities to acquire a right formality in running

problematical situations or conflicts.

It is up to the teachers to identify for every area of the code the didactical strategy they intend to

adopt. They can choose among the tools presented in this manual or create their own tools

The following example can give an overview about how to organize the prosocial educative path

during one school year:

Methodical work on GREETING, WELCOMING, ACTIVE LISTENING, SELF-MESSAGE, SELF-REFLECTION.

Teachers choose a subject on which to work:

“THE CALENDAR OF PRO-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES” which every month

foresees a shared training on a “theme” expressed through a

slogan that the school shares with all the community. This activity

involves teachers, students, parents and School District.

Operational time-table:

1 Greeting is great

2 Listen to us

3 Let’s make the peace way

4 The word is a sound, the example is a thunder



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6 Everybody’s got a special talent

7 Don’t worry, say sorry!

8 Get acclimatized

1. At the beginning of the school year, the educational team, working together with the Head of the

school, decides how to develop the themes and sets a schedule.

2. During a meeting with parents are informed on and involved in the educational path for a

worthwhile and active cooperation.

3. Teachers then organize periodical meetings with the students where they propose themes to work

on. These are followed by a free debate and the students create a slogan – individually or in small

groups – which will describe the theme.

4. Following the brainstorming method, all slogans are written down and the most representative is

chosen according to the age and maturity of the students: it can be chosen by the teachers, chosen

at random or decided together.

5. The slogan is then created on paper or material and hang at the school entrance or in the garden in

order to make it as visible as possible for all the community.

6. Families are involved in this activity thorough a

monthly card describing the rule of the month and

the slogan decorated by the students.

7. Before working on another theme, an assessment

and self-assessment meeting is organised before

working on another theme during which everyone

talks about their own experiences.

5.3 Some Tools for each prosocial area/keystone


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code: GREETING IS GREAT Being an informal and continuous action, greeting requires a methodical approach. Teachers should dedicate the beginning of their lessons to this activity, being the first to give the example.

Game: greeting with one’s body

ACTIVITY A game to get to know each other.

OBJECTIVE Help students to get to know each other and learn about physical contact. Build a positive climate.

LOCATION Garden, gym, main rooms...

SCHEDULE 10/15 minutes.

MATERIALS None.

DEVELOPMENT

The students walk about freely while the teacher gives them indications on how to greet one another: “greet with your nose, with your thumbs, with your elbows, with your feet”, basically using every part of the body.

USEFUL TIPS

At the end of the game the teacher makes the students sit in a circle and express the emotions they felt.

WEB

PE -Arts


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ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when each student spontaneously greets one another in different ways (i.e. showing empathy).


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code: GREETING IS GREAT Being an informal and continuous action, greeting requires a methodical approach. Teachers should dedicate the beginning of their lessons to this activity, being the first to give the example.

Game: the world upside-down


OBJECTIVE Help students to get to know each other and learn about physical contact. Build a positive climate.



MATERIALS None.

DEVELOPMENT

While walking, students must greet as many friends as possible by shaking their hand, but in a strange way: they must walk with their heads to the ground and shake hands through their legs.

USEFUL TIPS

This game can be played by students from the same class and/or bigger groups in order to wider their circle of friends.

WEB

PE - Science

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Teachers assess the reaching of the objective through methodical observation. The objective is reached when everyone knows each other’s name.


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code: LISTEN TO US One of the main interpersonal needs most felt by both children and adults is being part of a group. For this to happen the prerequisite is that they are called by their first name, have a place in the group and be in physical contact with its members.

Game: BALL-NAME


OBJECTIVE Helping students to learn the names: stress on attention and listening.



MATERIALS Medium size soft ball.

DEVELOPMENT

Both students and teachers are set in a circle facing its centre. One student holds the ball and before throwing it says: “I am … and you?”. The game continues until everyone has thrown the ball. Then follows an assessment of the emotions which have arisen.

USEFUL TIPS

It is important that the teacher is not invasive and carefully observe that the children include each school-friend in the game: in order to facilitate collective participation. This activity can then be described graphically.

WEB

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code: LISTEN TO US One of the main interpersonal needs most felt by both children and adults is being part of a group. For this to happen the prerequisite is that they are called by their first name, have a place in the group and be in physical contact with its members.

ACTIVITY:THE CALENDAR OF EMOTIONS

ACTIVITY Recognize and express one’s emotions.

OBJECTIVE Help students to understand and communicate their emotions. Guide students to detect the emotions of others who are around them.

LOCATION Classroom.

SCHEDULE This is a daily activity and is carried out at the start of the school-day.

MATERIALS Posters, photos, ready-made posters with emoticons.

DEVELOPMENT

During the first days of school, students draw a calendar adding their photograph. Every first day of the month they add to their photo the emoticon corresponding to their mood (happy, sad, angry, worried etc…) Instead of emoticons, they can colour the boxes on the calendar according to a colour scheme previously agreed upon: for each colour an emotion/mood

USEFUL TIPS

The teacher must understand the choice of symbols/colours. In this way he/she will be able to help the student to face the day with a positive attitude.

WEB

Italian – History – Arts - Maths

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when the students are able to verbally express their mood and detect the emotions of others.


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code: LISTEN TO US Silence encloses such deep thoughts which can teach you the essence of life, if you are able to understand them.

ACTIVITY: RELAXION

ACTIVITY Guided relaxation activities

OBJECTIVE Understand the benefits of guided relaxation; learn how to listen to your body.

LOCATION Gym or a wider area with curtains or little light

SCHEDULE Min 30 minutes

MATERIALS Cushions, mats, carpets, relaxing music, relaxation text such as a book on fairy tales, stories …)

DEVELOPMENT

Students lie where they choose, close their eyes and take deep breaths trying to drive away tension from their bodies. Background music will accompany the teacher’s reading from the book they have chosen.

USEFUL TIPS

At the end of the activity it is important to leave some time for the “time of the circle” and talk about the emotions felt.

WEB

Language 1 – Arts – PE – Music.

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT

The objective is reached when all students manage to concentrate and express an opinion about the activity.


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code: LISTEN TO US Non-verbal communication is the silent weave of interaction

Game: Smiling is contagious

ACTIVITY Game of cooperation.

OBJECTIVE Build empathy; reflect on the universality of laughter.

LOCATION Gym or any other wide area.

SCHEDULE Not given.

MATERIALS None

DEVELOPMENT

One student lies with his/her back on the floor. Another one does the same but rests his/her head on the first one’s stomach. A third student does the same with the second one until all are on the floor and have created a chain of bodies. The first student starts laughing or says: “Ah!”; the second says “Ha, ha!” and so on. Laughter is contagious and soon the chain starts jolting.

USEFUL TIPS Students should swap positions so that each one can be at the beginning of the chain.

WEB PE


The objective is reached when everybody is emotionally involved in the game.


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code: LISTEN TO US Nonverbal communication is the silent weave of interaction

ACTIVITY: I Have a Message for…

ACTIVITY Energizer for getting to know each other better

OBJECTIVE To energize children, make them exchange places and mix between themselves and accept the other

LOCATION Classrooms

SCHEDULE 15-20 minutes

MATERIALS Spacious room, chairs

DEVELOPMENT Participants sit in chairs in a circle. One person stands in the centre of the circle, their goal being to get a seat. The person in the centre says: “I have a message for those who…” and adds something that applies to some members of the group (for example, wear glasses, have long hair, speak English, have read…). Whoever it applies to have to get up and change seats. The person in the centre tries to find an empty seat to sit on. The participant who is left without a seat stands in the centre and continues the game.

USEFUL TIPS Children should be in circle. The game can be played with different ages and groups.

WEB PE-Literature

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The goal is reached when each child has had turn in the game.


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Code: LISTEN TO US

ACTIVITY: SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

ACTIVITY Pupils are writing topics about proSAVE and publishing them in school newspaper on

the Internet.

OBJECTIVE Strengthen cooperation, build empathy, encourage readers to do same acts.

LOCATION Computer classroom.

SCHEDULE From September to June.

MATERIALS Photos, computer.

DEVELOPMENT

Pupils write different proSAVE topics for the school newspaper. They also present different activities that they have done at classroom. Next step is that other students also do these activities, because they have a kind of “manual” in the school newspaper.

USEFUL TIPS Articles have to be simple and clear. Photos help to understand an activity.

WEB Slovene language, art, design.

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when pupils who are not cooperating in the project, start talking about proSAVE and do different activities, because they liked them.


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code: LET’S MAKE THE PEACEWAY “Children, as poets, think by images” (U. Saba)

ACTIVITY: BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS... (reading ”The Story of A Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly” by Luis Sepùlveda)

ACTIVITY Reading a book in stages followed by a good and meaningful written and verbal summary

OBJECTIVE Increase the frequency of positive behaviour. Develop cooperation and the ability to solve problems. Favour quality communication and enhancement of the positive. Develop an inductive method by codifying the most significant passages in the book.

LOCATION Classroom, main room.

SCHEDULE One hour a week, from October to May

MATERIALS Book, paper, felt pens, pens, pencils, crayons, recycled materials.

DEVELOPMENT

Teachers read the book to the students in a number of stages singling out the generosity of the characters and matching them to human behaviours. Then follows a personal revision through drawing and writing activities describing the story.

USEFUL TIPS Students are set in a circle and a positive climate is built.

WEB Italian – Arts – Constitution and Citizenship – History - Geography

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when the students have internalized the values: love for nature, uninterested generosity and solidarity also among “ who is different”


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code: LET’S MAKE THE PEACEWAY!

ACTIVITY Painting workshop.

OBJECTIVE Stimulating pupils’ sensitivity for the nature’s beauty in the spring; developing the pupils’ artistic creativity and sensitivity; discovering and developing the pupils’ artistic skills; encouraging non-violent and prosocial behaviour and attitudes just like the Orthodox Christian saints did.

LOCATION Classroom.

SCHEDULE 45 minutes.

MATERIALS Colour patterns of churches and images of the saints the pupils studied in Religious Education class; painting brushes, water colours, drawing sheets.

DEVELOPMENT The pupils are guided by the two teachers into choosing the peace way and the way of good understanding in any situation and, especially, in the conflicts that may appear when they are in school. The Religious Education teacher gives the pupils examples of saints who chose the peace way. The pupils, with the help of their teachers, identify the most efficient ways of avoiding or resolving conflicts that may appear when they are in school or when they are with their friends. The pupils choose the Christian saints they would like to draw.

WEB Arts – Religious Education.

ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT Every pupil will present his/her drawing and will explain his/her choice. An exhibition will be organized. The exhibition could be called LET’S MAKE THE PEACEWAY!


69

Code: THE WORD IS A SOUND THE EXAMPLE IS A TUNDER “Start with doing what is necessary, then what is possible. Suddenly, you’ll be surprised you’re doing the

impossible” St. Francis of Assisi

GAME: Circles within circles

ACTIVITY Cooperation game

OBJECTIVE Cooperate and develop creative strategies; join self-knowledge and reflection with the ability to create.

LOCATION Main room, garden.

SCHEDULE 15/30 minutes approx.

MATERIALS One or two hoops

DEVELOPMENT

Together with the teachers, students hold hands and form a wide circle. They pass the hoop to each other without leaving hold of their hands (at the beginning the first student has the hoop on the shoulders). The hoop must pass through each student as quickly as possible.

USEFUL TIPS

You can use two hoops simultaneously or form two circles, one within the other. The game is more fun when parents are also involved.

WEB

PE - Science

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when everybody has found a way to pass through the hoop without leaving grip of the hand.


70

code: THE WORD IS A SOUND, THE EXAMPLE IS A TUNDER

Each adult was once a child (Antoine de Saint-Exupèry)

ACTIVITY: WATCH THE CROCODILE!

ACTIVITY Game of cooperation

OBJECTIVE Cooperate and develop creative strategies

LOCATION Main room, garden.

SCHEDULE 15/30 minutes approx.

MATERIALS Chairs

DEVELOPMENT

The teacher draws on the floor the banks of a river with coloured chalks. Inside the river he/she puts the pictures of some crocodiles. Then sets a row of chairs along the banks, divides the students into two groups and explains that a river is flowing between the two banks and it is infested by crocodiles. The students are asked to wade across the river without putting their feet on the ground. Each student then stands on a chair and helps who is next to him/her to get on the same chair and move the free one across the river. The game ends when each student has managed to cross the river by moving the free chairs.

USEFUL TIPS

Students must cooperate in order not to leave anyone divided from the group alone on the bank or at the centre of the river. Also parents could play.

WEB

PE - Science


The aim of the game is to get everyone safe to the other side of the river.


71

code: THE WORD IS A SOUND, THE EXAMPLE IS A TUNDER Feeling appreciated helps self-confidence and allows to overcome failure and frustration without being aggressive.

Game: THE BLIND CATERPILLAR

ACTIVITY Game on trust

OBJECTIVE Experiment trust in others, deserving trust.



MATERIALS Blindfolds, chalks.

DEVELOPMENT

Each team is composed by six members who position themselves in a single file, blindfolded except for the last in line. The latter guides the others along a path drawn in chalk. The guide cannot talk but communicates by pre-set non-verbal signals: ex .a clap on the right shoulder indicates to turn right, one on the neck to go straight on …)

USEFUL TIPS

Since some members might feel anxious being blindfolded, this game is not compulsory. In the case of a team composed by younger students it is advisable to put the guide at the head of the line.

WEB

PE - Geography

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when all students are ready to change roles.


72

code: THE WORD IS A SOUND THE EXAMPLE IS A TUNDER

Feeling appreciated helps self-confidence and allows to overcome failure and frustration without being aggressive.

Game: POOL RING

ACTIVITY Game of trust

OBJECTIVE Experiment trust in others and in the group.



MATERIALS Ropes fastened to a ring, tennis ball, blindfolds, cones to mark the start and finish lines and on which to put the ball.

DEVELOPMENT

The number of participants is the same as the number of ropes. The teacher puts the ball on the ring above the cone. Players stretch the ropes and move the ball without letting it fall to the ground until it reaches the second cone. Some of the players are blindfolded and have to overcome the obstacles trusting the other players’ guidance.

USEFUL TIPS

Some may not feel comfortable being blindfolded, therefore roles can be chosen.

WEB

PE.


The objective is reached when everybody is playing and is cooperating.


73

code: THE WORD IS A SOUND, THE EXAMPLE IS A TUNDER

Non-verbal communication is the silent weave of interaction.

Game: A present for…


OBJECTIVE Develop self-enhancement and that of others; minimal verbal interaction.

LOCATION Gym or any other wide area

SCHEDULE 15/30 minutes

MATERIALS Big cardboard box

DEVELOPMENT

Students sit in a circle. The teacher is in the centre and pretends to drag a big box: He/she looks for something inside it, finds it and hands it to one of the students. The student then goes to the centre, rummages inside the imaginary box and pretends to find something else to give to another student

USEFUL TIPS Check that everyone has received a present

WEB Language 1- Arts – PE

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when everybody is emotionally involved in the game


74

code: The word is a sound, the example is a thunder If only you tried, you’d know what you’re able to do!

GAME: Circles within circles

ACTIVITY Cooperation game.

OBJECTIVE Practising communication, cooperation and team work skills; respecting game rules; improving relationship among pupils; involving pupils in their own civic education; personal and creative development; expressing one’s own emotions and feelings.

LOCATION Gym, sports field.


MATERIALS Two hoops.

DEVELOPMENT Pupils hold hands forming a circle. They pass the hoop from one another without letting go of their hands and try to move as quickly as they can. At the end of the activity, they speak about their feelings during the game.

USEFUL TIPS It is recommended that the hoops are made of light materials (e. g. plastic tubes) so that the children don’t get hurt during the game.

WEB PE.

ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when every pupil finds an ingenious way to go through the hoop without letting go of their hands.


75

code: THE WORD IS A SOUND, THE EXAMPLE IS A THUNDER

ACTIVITY: TRUST ME!

ACTIVITY Pupils are in pairs; one has to close his eyes, the other one is a leader. They have to

walk in the room but are not supposed to touch anyone. They can’t speak. The leader leads the “blind” one with tapping on his shoulder or back. If he taps him on his right shoulder, the blind one has to turn right; if the leader taps the blind one on his left shoulder, he has to turn left; if the leader taps him on the middle of the back, he has to go straight.

OBJECTIVE Pupils have to walk around the classroom and are not allowed to speak or to touch/bump into someone else. They have to trust his leader.

LOCATION Classroom.

SCHEDULE From September to June.

MATERIALS /

DEVELOPMENT

/

USEFUL TIPS They go into pairs as they wish.

WEB P.E.


The objective is reached if the activity ends in peace and calm atmosphere.


76

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME One of the main interpersonal needs most felt by both children and adults is being part of a group. For this to happen the prerequisite is that they are called by their first name, have a place in the group and be in physical contact with its members.

Game: TELL ME WHO YOU ARE … WHAT DO YOU LIKE?


OBJECTIVE Helping students to learn their friends’ names and their preferences; encourage attention, listening and memory.



MATERIALS Medium size soft ball.

DEVELOPMENT

Both students and teachers are set in a circle facing its centre. One student holds the ball and before throwing it says: “I am … and I like … and you?”. The game goes on until each student has said his/her name and expressed his/her preferences. There can be also a further round in which the students repeat the name and the preferences of the friend coming before them. Then follows an assessment of the emotions which have arisen.

USEFUL TIPS

It is important that the teacher is not invasive and carefully observe that the children include each school-friend in the game: in order to facilitate collective participation. This activity can then be described graphically.

WEB

PE – Italian - Arts

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Teachers assess the reaching of the objective through methodical observation. The objective is reached when everyone known each other’s name.


77

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME Feeling appreciated helps self-confidence and allows to overcome failure and frustration without being aggressive.

Game: THE KNOT

ACTIVITY Game of trust and cooperation

OBJECTIVE Experimenting trust in others, cooperation and sharing.



MATERIALS None

DEVELOPMENT

The teacher divides students into two groups and tells them to slowly walk to the centre with their eyes closed while raising a hand and trying to hold that of a friend. When everybody is holding two hands they can open their eyes and try to unknot the jumble of hands without losing the grip. The whole group must cooperate until all knots are undone and a circle is formed.

USEFUL TIPS

It is important that the teacher remains outside the circle and that he/she checks they do not bump into each other. The game is successful after it has been repeated a several times.

WEB

PE - Geography

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when everybody has managed to unknot themselves and have formed a circle following the rules and cooperating with each other.


78

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME One of the main interpersonal needs most felt by both children and adults is being part of a group. For this to happen the prerequisite is that they are called by their first name, have a place in the group and be in physical contact with its members.

GAME: THE LORD OF THE WINDS


OBJECTIVE Favour the spirit of observation and getting to know preferences of others. Build a positive climate.

LOCATION Indoors or outdoors.


MATERIALS Chairs.

DEVELOPMENT

The students sit on chairs in a circle. One student stands in the middle of the circle (at the beginning it could be the teacher). Who is in the centre is the Lord of the Winds and he/she recites “the wind blows on … all students who are wearing blue trousers”. At this point who is wearing blue trousers stands up and runs to a different chair while the Lord of the Winds runs to find a chair for him/herself. Who is left with no chair becomes the new Lord of the Winds and the game goes on until the students get tired of it. And then it starts again with other statements such as “… who loves ice-cream, who is wearing trainers … who has long hair etc.)

USEFUL TIPS You cannot sit on the chair next to you. The more the game is animated the better

WEB

PE - Arts

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when the students play happily without the teacher’s help.


79

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME “We must strive for the impossible for it to happen” Heraclitus

ACTIVITY: “LEARNING TO FLY” (permanent activity: from nursery school to junior)

ACTIVITY Creating the main character from The Story of A Seagull and The Cat Who Taught Her To Fly

OBJECTIVE Increase the frequency of positive behaviour. Develop cooperation and the ability to solve problems. Favour quality communication and enhancement of the positive. Develop an inductive method by codifying the most significant passages in the book.


SCHEDULE Six hours divided into two phases.

MATERIALS Coloured cardboard, wooden pegs, glue, paints, felt pens, scissors.

DEVELOPMENT

To make the seagull: students paint a peg white; cut out the body, head, beak and legs gluing them to the peg and fixing its wings to the back.

USEFUL TIPS

Primary school students help the younger ones.

WEB

Italian – Arts – Constitution and Citizenship

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when all students work together helping each other.


80

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME Feeling appreciated helps self-confidence and allows to overcome failure and frustration without being aggressive.

Game: THE MANNEQUINS

ACTIVITY Game of trust

OBJECTIVE Inspire and trust others, accept physical contact from friends.



MATERIALS None.

DEVELOPMENT

The game is set in an imaginary window in a clothes-shop where the window-dressers are dressing the mannequins. The students stand in front of each other in couples. One pretends to be the mannequin while the other the window-dresser. The latter moves the mannequin twisting and untwisting it with an imaginary screwdriver working on the screws that fasten the articulations. The mannequin mustn’t move by itself but has to keep the positions given by the dresser.

USEFUL TIPS

Role Exchange is important and every student must say which role they preferred and what they felt.

WEB

PE – Language 1 – Language 2.


The objective is reached when everybody is ready to swap role.


81

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME Non-verbal communication is the silent weave of interaction

Game: The Big Hug


OBJECTIVE Build empathy; use non-verbal communication

LOCATION Gym or any other wide area.


MATERIALS None

DEVELOPMENT

The students are set standing in a circle holding hands. The teacher invites two of them to unlock their hands and then invites all the others to join in a general hug like a spiral around one of the two students.

USEFUL TIPS

The game can be repeated separating a new couple. There are no constrictions.

WEB

PE.

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when everybody is emotionally involved in the game.


82

code: I’M YOU – YOU ARE ME

ACTIVITY Watching a PPT presentation about Dumbo the elephant and discussions

about discrimination.

OBJECTIVE Raising awareness of the importance of promoting and respecting the children’s rights without any discrimination according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

LOCATION Classroom

SCHEDULE 60 minutes

MATERIALS PPT Presentation about Dumbo the elephant; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ; videos about discrimination; a ball; coloured pencils; sheets of paper

DEVELOPMENT

The students watch a PPT presentation about the story of Dumbo, the elephant with big ears. Discussion about Dumbo’s situation and similarities with real life situations involving children. The students, divided into groups of 5, watch a few videos and have to identify the rights that were violated. The same groups of children will make a drawing representing The Rights of the Child.

WEB Civic Education - Arts

NALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The activity finishes with a game. The students stand forming a circle; a student holds a ball and expresses his/her thoughts on the activity and throws the ball to another mate who will express his/her ideas and so on until everyone speaks.


83

code: EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT Helping a student to be self-confident implies appreciating his/her positive qualities, helping him/her to get to know one self and to recognize one’s own abilities.

ACTIVITY: THE QUALITY STAR

ACTIVITY Enhancement game

OBJECTIVE Increase the ability to enhance others

LOCATION Classroom

SCHEDULE min 20 minutes.

MATERIALS Paper, felt pens, a card with the drawing of a star

DEVELOPMENT

The students are divided into groups of five and set in a circle. Each student chooses a felt pen and writes his/her name in the centre of the star and a quality in one of its points. He/she then passes the star on to the friend sitting at his/her right who in turn writes down another quality. To be completed, the star must be go round twice. The owner of the star will be happy to read the list of qualities written on it.

USEFUL TIPS

Once the activity is finished, the stars can be hang on windows, walls, ceilings.

WEB


ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when the students try to express the qualities they have been given.


84

code: EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT Helping a student to be self-confident implies appreciating his/her positive qualities, helping him/her to get to know one self and to recognize one’s own abilities.

ACTIVITY: THE TREE OF POSITIVE THOUGHTS


OBJECTIVE Increase the ability to enhance the others observing and assimilating the positive actions

LOCATION Classroom, main room, garden

SCHEDULE Not given

MATERIALS Paper to make a big tree (h 1.60 approx.), paper, felt pens, pen, pencil.

DEVELOPMENT

The students draw and colour a big tree which will be hung on the wall in their classroom. Each time they observe a positive quality of one of their friends they write his/her name and the actions on a piece of paper, colouring it as they please. These pieces of papers will then be used to decorate the crown of the tree making it colourful and rich as the emotions they have felt.

USEFUL TIPS

Teachers should stimulate students in finding positive traits in all their friends

WEB


ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when all students spontaneously hang their cards


85

code: EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT Students work in mixed groups and discover their potential and that of others

Workshop

ACTIVITY Creating posters which teach students to understand that the main values of common life are common to all people.

OBJECTIVE Strengthen cooperation for a common goal by developing identification and projection in relation to famous people who have given a great contribution to humanity.


SCHEDULE Two months – once a week.

MATERIALS Paper, paints, sponges, glue, scissors, felt pens.

DEVELOPMENT

Drawing the continents – colouring with sponges and paint – each student paints his/her self-portrait, cuts it out and glues it on the poster.

USEFUL TIPS

Before starting the poster teachers have talked about the universal values of Man. Research, debate about famous people such as: Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King…. Research on the internet, brainstorming, circle-time, individual work.

WEB

Language 1 – Arts – Geography – History and Common Life – Science –



86

code: EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT

Students work in mixed groups and discover their potential and that of others

GAME : SHEET-BALL

ACTIVITY Cooperation game.

OBJECTIVE Strengthen cooperation to achieve a common goal.

LOCATION Wide areas.

SCHEDULE Min 30/40 minutes.

MATERIALS A bed sheet, ball, net, rope.

DEVELOPMENT

Two teams of at least eight players each. The field is divided in two by a net/rope. The ball is placed on the bed sheet and one team throws it over the net/rope by holding the sheet by its corners. The opposing team throws it back the same way.

USEFUL TIPS

It is important to coordinate the movements of each team.

WEB

PE.


The objective is reached when each team has learnt to work together.


87


Say it with a flower…

ACTIVITY Gathering poppy buds and guessing the colour. For each of these colours, students match feelings and emotions.

OBJECTIVE Strengthen cooperation and the ability to express verbally in a simple way one’s own feelings.

LOCATION Classroom, garden. SCHEDULE Not given. MATERIALS Poppy buds, paper, pencils, felt pens. DEVELOPMENT

During a school trip in the country, students gather the buds. Once back in class they open them and divide them according to their colour. To each colour group they match an emotion and a mood. Then follows a written elaboration.

USEFUL TIPS

Teachers guide students in expressing their emotions, both verbal and written.

WEB

Science – Arts - Italian.

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when all students are able to detect their own feeling and those of their friends.


88


ACTIVITY: Secret Story

ACTIVITY Children have to write something important to them and share it with others through the mouth of one of their classmates.

OBJECTIVE To encourage children share their experiences, be honest with each other and be acquainted with each other’s interests.

LOCATION Classrooms SCHEDULE Several times through the term MATERIALS Paper, pens DEVELOPMENT Each participant writes down on a piece of paper a funny story from their

childhood (or, for example, a funny story from the life of the class or from the holidays). The pieces of paper are collected and mixed. Each participant draws a piece of paper and has to find out who wrote the story on it, without using the words in the story or reading it to the others – the participant can ask the person they think wrote it only a single question, but using words different from those in the story.

USEFUL TIPS Children will share when they feel comfortable and secure so the teacher should facilitate the process.

WEB Literature ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The goal is reached when every child has shared a story and this story has been

told.


89

Code: EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT

ACTIVITY: HAPPY BOOK

ACTIVITY Big poster similar to very popular Facebook; pupils stick good wishes to each

other’s; they stick their own photos on it. OBJECTIVE Strengthen cooperation, affection and the ability to express verbally in a simple

way one’s own feelings to another. LOCATION Classroom. SCHEDULE From September to June. MATERIALS Paper, photos, pencils, drawing pins. DEVELOPMENT

At first we encourage pupils to write down their good wishes to each other. The next step is to tell these wishes orally.

USEFUL TIPS It is important to tell children that only positive wishes are allowed on the poster. Pupils have to feel good when reading messages.

WEB Art, Slovene language. ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Pupils like the idea of posting short messages on the wall; sometimes it is easier

to write down something that to say it.


90

code: DON’T WORRY SAY SORRY Helping a student to be self-confident implies appreciating his/her positive qualities, helping him/her to get to know one self and to recognize one’s own abilities.

Game: THE WEB OF FRIENDSHIP


OBJECTIVE Increase the ability to recognise one’s positive qualities and offering them to the others.

LOCATION Classroom, garden, gym, main rooms …

SCHEDULE Min 20 minutes.

MATERIALS Poster or wrapping paper, a ball of wool, cello tape, felt pen.

DEVELOPMENT

The students gather around a sheet of paper and one of them completes the following sentence “I’m offering the class …” indicating one of his/her own qualities and writing it down. Then he/she uses a piece sticks the end of the ball of wool next to the quality. He/she throws the ball of wool to a friend who continues the game.

USEFUL TIPS

At the end of the game there will be a web of strands of wool which will be hang on the wall for all to see.

WEB

PE - Arts



91

Code: GET ACCLIM@TIZED

Let nature surprise you

ACTIVITY: CHASING THE WIND

ACTIVITY Game of perception

OBJECTIVE Understanding that perception varies from person to person.

LOCATION Wood, park, glade.

SCHEDULE 20 minutes

MATERIALS Handkerchiefs or tissues.

DEVELOPMENT

The students hold their handkerchiefs high up in their hands trying to ‘catch’ the wind. They are free to move and at the end of the allotted time they meet up in a circle and express their emotions.

USEFUL TIPS

This activity triggers a reflection: the environment is perceived differently according to personal information and knowledge or to how we relate to it.

WEB

Science -PE - Italian

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when everyone participates actively and manages to express their emotions and thoughts.


92



ACTIVITY: THE BIG RECYCLING

ACTIVITY Let’s clean “the world”

OBJECTIVE Awareness of the environment and promotion of correct behaviour.

LOCATION Outside school and surrounding areas.

SCHEDULE Approx. 3 hours.

MATERIALS Binbags, gloves, overalls, hats.

DEVELOPMENT

At the beginning of the activity the students take part in a meeting with experts during which they learn about the importance of preserving a clean and healthy environment. They are then taken for a walk in town and taught how to carry out waste separation with the correct instruments: clothing and tools.

USEFUL TIPS

Make the students aware that life is better in a clean and healthy environment.

WEB

Cross-disciplinary activity

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The objective is reached when each student has learnt to respect the environment by keeping it clean.


93



ACTIVITY: LOOKING AT THE WORLD FROM ABOVE

ACTIVITY Trip to the mountains

OBJECTIVE Explore the common traits of the human and natural environment perceived under and ecological point of view. Educate to sensible exploitation of natural resources and to critical consumption

LOCATION Open-air activity surrounded by nature

SCHEDULE Variable – 1 hour or the entire day

MATERIALS Binoculars, paper, pens.

DEVELOPMENT

The students are taken for a walk along a mountain track and are asked to observe things down to the smallest details, take notice of their emotions which are awoken by objects, colours, perfumes. During the breaks the teacher will offer them ideas for a deeper analysis of the activity.

USEFUL TIPS

Teachers should already be familiar with the area they are going to visit in order to be able to thoroughly exploit every opportunity it may offer. Make the students think about all the positive and negative consequences of man’s activities in the environment.

WEB

Geography –History- Science – Italian- PE- Arts- Maths

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT The object is reached when the students have learnt to detect all the characteristic elements of the areas they have visited and the resources they offer.


94

code: GET ACCLIM@TIZED


ACTIVITY: GROWING A VEGETABLE GARDEN

ACTIVITY Starting a small vegetable patch in the school garden

OBJECTIVE Getting to know and appreciate nature in a positive way bay dealing with it first-hand.

LOCATION School garden

SCHEDULE From September to June

MATERIALS Hoes, rakes, wire, seeds and seedlings

DEVELOPMENT

With the help of an adult (parents, grandparents, school staff, teachers etc…) students start a small vegetable patch in the school garden. They follow all the natural changes and developments according to the seasons and then pick and eat what they have grown.

USEFUL TIPS

All students should take part in this project in order to develop the desire to become careful and responsible individuals and learn that it takes love and time to ‘grow’.

WEB

Geography – History – Science – Italian – PE – Arts – Maths

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Assessment in itinerary


95

code: GET ACCLIM@TIZED Let nature surprise you

ACTIVITY: NATURE’S GIFTS

ACTIVITY Posters which show students the importance of respecting nature in order to collect its

gifts.

OBJECTIVE Educate and re-educate our relationship with the environment in order to become good observers and custodians of nature.

LOCATION Classrooms, main rooms, outside areas.

SCHEDULE From September to June

MATERIALS Paper, paints, sponges, glue, scissors, felt pens

DEVELOPMENT

Drawings of the four Seasons. Colouring with sponges and paints, each student will produce a self-portrait, cut it out and glue it on the posters.

USEFUL TIPS Before creating the posters, students have learnt about the importance of nature’s gifts to us.

WEB Italian – Arts – Geography – History – Science - IT

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Assessment in itinerary


96

code: GET ACCLIM@TIZED Let nature surprise you

ACTIVITY: Squirrels

ACTIVITY Energizer for children through which they can learn more about the nature.

OBJECTIVE To energize children and make them feel free to play and learn playing.

LOCATION Outdoors

SCHEDULE 15 minutes

MATERIALS -

DEVELOPMENT Participants “form” houses in pairs and a third participant is a “squirrel” that lives in the house. A person without a house stands in the centre and says: “Houses” – houses break up and regroup in new pairs, with the person in the centre changing places with the participant who is left out. “Squirrels” – only squirrels go out and move into new houses. Variations: “Earthquake” – only houses change places. “Flood” – only residents change places. “Fire” – everyone changes places

USEFUL TIPS A discussion after the game is good to take place.

WEB PE

ANALISYS AND ASSESSMENT Every child has to be part of the game.


97

codes: GREETING IS GREAT

I AM YOU – YOU ARE ME EVERYBODY’S GOT A SPECIAL TALENT

ACTIVITY Cooperation games.

OBJECTIVE Promoting personal development by identifying reference values and promoting equality by experiencing some rights.

LOCATION Gym, classroom.


MATERIALS Felt pens, sheets of paper, a ball.

DEVELOPMENT The activity starts with a „Greeting is great” game. Walking in the classroom/gym, the students greet each other using their noses, fingers, elbows or legs. Standing in a circle, the students will express their preferences and qualities. Even though they have been in the same form for a few months they don’t really know each other’s preferences. The game starts when the teacher throws a ball and the student who catches it says: „I am ... and I like ... How about you?” and throws the ball to a classmate who will do the same and so on until everyone has spoken. The teacher will conclude that all of them have the same rights and must respect them. At the same time, „Everybody’s got a special talent”. Divided into groups of five, the students draw on a sheet of paper a five-pointed star and write their names in the middle of it and a personal quality on a point of the star. At the end, one of them reads all of the qualities on the star.

WEB PE – Form teacher class.

ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT The activity finishes with a game. The students stand forming a circle; a student holds a ball and expresses his/her thoughts on the activity and throws the ball to another mate who will express his/her ideas and so on until everyone speaks.


98

6 Assessment instruments of prosociality and group dynamics

In order to monitor the group dynamics within the classroom and to verify how the “roles” of the children

can change in the period related to the ProSAVE experimentation (at its beginning and at its end), two

methods can be used:

- Moreno Sociogram

- Drawings of the class

6.1 The Moreno Sociogram The Moreno sociogram was developed by Jacob L. Moreno to analyse choices or preferences within a group.

The sociogram can diagram the structure and patterns of group interactions and can be drawn on the basis

of many different criteria: social relations, channels of influence, lines of communication etc.

Those points on a sociogram who have many choices are called Stars. Those with few or no choices are

called isolates. Individuals who choose each other are known to have made a Mutual Choice. One-Way

Choice refers to individuals who choose someone but the choice is not reciprocated. Cliques are groups of

three or more people within a larger group who all choose each other (Mutual Choice).

The sociogram (Moreno, 1934) is going to be used in order to monitor:

1. The emotional/relational situation

2. The hierarchical organization of the group within the class

A sociogram is constructed after students answer a series of questions probing for affiliations with other

classmates. The diagram can then be used to identify pathways for social acceptance for misbehaving

students. In this context, the resulting sociograms are known as a friendship chart. Often, the most

important person/thing is in a bigger bubble in relation to everyone else. The size of the bubble represents

the importance, with the biggest bubble meaning most important and the smallest representing the least

important.

The sociogram is a flexible tool and it can be adapted to different situations and aims. There is no one single

way to develop a sociogram, but generally, it begins with a survey filled out by each member of a group.

The issuance and delivery is done within the group of children of a given class: It’s an easy and fast

monitoring tool. For instance the teacher can ask 4 questions and the children have to answer:

1. With whom would you like to share the class desk?

2. With whom wouldn’t you like to share the class desk?

3. Who do you think would like to share the class desk with you?

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4. Who do you think that wouldn’t like to share the class desk with you?

Each child has a paper on which he/she writes down his/her name. On this paper he/she has also to write

the answers to the 4 questions.

In the answers it’s possible to write: a name of one schoolmate or more names of more schoolmates or no

name.

At the end of the survey, the teacher collects all the children papers.

It’s absolutely necessary that the children include also the absent schoolmates. The absent children will have

to fill in the test as soon as they will be back to school .

After this phase, the teacher has to fill the excel file, structured as the follows:

NAMES Mark Robert Jessica Desmond Deborah Stephan

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

Q.1

Q.2

Q.3

Q.4

1 Mark 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 Robert 1 1 1 1 1

3 Jessica 1 1 1 1 1

4 Desmon 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

5 Deborah 1 1 1 1 1 1

6 Stephan 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

From the excel file elaboration it will be possible to analyse several kind of results, for instance: Individual Indexes - Expansiveness Index (willingness to increase knowledge, sociability) - Popularity Index (ability in attracting the others, ability to be considered nice and likeable) Collective Indexes - Index of group cohesion

From the previous excel table it can be seen that: - Jessica is popular: lots of schoolmates would like to stay with her. She’s very attractive.

- Desmond isn’t popular: few schoolmates or no schoolmates would like to stay with him. He is isolated and

he’s refused by many schoolmates; he also refuses the other schoolmates

- Stephan is isolated: he chooses many schoolmates, but no one chooses him


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- Jessica is really expansive: she wants to stay together with many classmates - Also Stephan is expansive, but no one wants to stay with him

It’s possible to gather other combined information.

6.2 The drawing of the class The drawing of the class (Quaglia e Saglione, 1990) is a projective test which aims is to define the quality of

the relationship of a child with the teachers and the schoolmates.

This method can highlight the quality of the teacher-pupil and pupil-schoolmates relationships, in relation

with specific behavioural areas linked to socialisation and affectivity.

The assignment of “drawing your classroom” is not an invitation to reproduce a class photograph, but rather

to graphically communicate to what extent and how one’s classroom is interesting.

Before starting, it is important to clarify the exact meaning of the term “class” : class means classroom,

school-children, teachers, furniture….

Children have to be provided with papers and pencils. The drawing must be in black and white.

The delivery order is “Please, draw your class, draw it as you want”.

Every child has to write the name of each character represented in the drawing

The graphic indices may highlight both the level and the quality of this interest, and together provide

indications about the level of prosociality.


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According to a currently accredited concept for the interpretation of drawings (Corman, 1967; Tambelli et

al., 1995):

- If the classroom is missing, then attention should be paid to cognitive malfunctions. In this case the most

serious problems could affect school activities.

- If it is the classmates that are missing, the subject may be wishing to communicate a malaise linked to

rejection from the peer group.

With financial support from the Daphne III Programme of the ......We live in an age of great changes...

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