1 Hardwired March, 2017 Teacher Training on Freedom of Religion or Belief Evaluation Dr. Mary Anne Ramirez, Consultant/External Evaluator
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HardwiredMarch,2017TeacherTrainingonFreedomofReligionorBeliefEvaluationDr.MaryAnneRamirez,Consultant/ExternalEvaluator
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TableofContents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................1Methodology..........................................................................................................................................3AnalysisandDiscussion.....................................................................................................................5Demographics..................................................................................................................................5Pre-PostChangeinKnowledge,Attitudes,Beliefs.................................................................6TeacherConceptualChange.........................................................................................................6TolerancetoPluralism...................................................................................................6ActingontheConceptualChange.....................................................................................9
StudentConceptualChange.........................................................................................10EffectofGender,ClassroomMakeup,ReligionandCountryonPre-PostGains...11Gender..............................................................................................................................................................12Religion............................................................................................................................................................13Country............................................................................................................................................................14LessonType...................................................................................................................................................15
BarrierstoImplementation........................................................................................15TeacherExperiences.....................................................................................................16EffectofTrainingonTeachers..................................................................................18Onlearningnewteachingmethodologies.........................................................................18Onthevalueoftheprogramintheircountry...................................................................18OnhowHardwired’sprogramdiffersfromothers........................................................19OnhowthetrainingpreparedthemtopromoteFORBandovercomechallenges........20
SummaryandConclusions.............................................................................................20Recommendations..........................................................................................................................21
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TableandFiguresFigure1.LevelsofUnderstandofFreedomofReligionorBelief.......................................4Table1.DescriptiveDemographicDataTeachers.....................................................................5Table2.DescriptiveDemographicDataStudents............................................................6Figure2.Continuumofconceptualchange.................................................................................9Table3.PairedtTeacherPre-PostQuiz....................................................................................10Table4.PairedttestresultsPRE-POSTQuizAggregatedStudentData........................11Table5.QuestionswithLargePre-PostGains.........................................................................11Table6.Questionswithnegativeresults..................................................................................11Table7.ResultsbyTeacher........................................................................................................12Table8.DataAnalysisbygendermakeupofclass.......................................................13Table9.Dataanalysisbyreligion..........................................................................................13Table10.Dataanalysisbycountry........................................................................................15AppendixAppendixA–Pre–PostQuiz.......................................................................................................22AppendixB–LessonOverviews................................................................................................27AppendixC-PhotosLessonImplementationIraqandLebanon..........................29
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HardwiredMarch-May2017TeacherTrainingEvaluation
Introduction
ReligiousconflictisprevalentthroughouttheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica(MENA)regionanddisproportionatelyaffectsminorityfaithcommunities,threateningreligiouspluralism.Whenleftunchecked,thereligiousdimensionofconflictincitessocialhostilityandcanleadtofurthergovernmentrestrictionsonthefreedomofexpression,conscienceandreligionorbelief.Hardwired’sworkhasprovidedsubstantialevidenceoftheimpactthateducationandtrainingprogramsonthisareaofhumanrightscanhaveincombattingreligiousintoleranceandviolenceintheworld.Freedomofreligionorbelief(FORB)createsitsownpositivechangesinasociety.Societiesinwhichtherearerestrictionsonfreedomofreligionorbeliefoftenexperiencealackofpluralism,intoleranceforminorityreligions,andacceptanceorencouragementofviolencetowardthereligious“other.”Theseelementscreateanenvironmentripeforwidespreadviolentextremism.Ontheotherhand,insocietieswithgreaterfreedomofreligionorbelief,vibrantpluralismcreatesanopenreligious“marketplace”wherereligiousideascanbediscussedanddebatedfreely.Thisopendiscussionandexchangeofideasfacilitatesmutualunderstandingandreligiousliteracy,andestablishesanatmosphereinwhichdifferentfaithgroupscanworktogethertocombatextremistideologies.Resiliencyisenhancedbytoleranceandpluralism.TheriseofviolentextremisminreligiousconflictbehoovesustoutilizeFORBasapowerfulantidotetoextremistrhetoricandtheoppressionitsows.Toproducethekindoftransformativenarrativethatwillcreateresilient,tolerant,pluralisticsocieties–thesortofsocietiesthatareresistanttoviolentextremism–FORBeducationmustbepresentedinsuchawaythattheconceptisembracedandputintopracticeonalocallevel.OrganizationsandagenciescannotintroducetheconceptofFORBtoasociety,thendepartandexpectittotakerootoreffectanymeaningfulchangeinreligiousconflict;similarly,wecannotusediplomacyandpolicytoencouragenationstoembraceFORBandanticipatethattheconceptwilltrickledowntothegeneralpopulation.ThemethodsbywhichFORBeducationisintroducedtosocietiesexperiencingreligiousconflictisofequalimportanceastheinformationconveyedintheeducation.Hardwired’suniquetrainingprogramdevelopsindigenousleadershipinkeysectorsofsocietyandhasbeenabletoinfluencerealchangesinlaw,policies,andsocialattitudesthataffectthehumanrighttoFORB.Ourprogramshavebeenshowntoinstigateaparadigmshiftinthewayindividualsseeoneanother,leadingthosewetraintoadeeperrespectfortherightsandfreedomsofothersandwillingnesstodefendothers,eventhosewithwhomtheymaydisagree.Whentraineesexperienceachangeintheirperceptionofothers,theyareintrinsicallymotivatedtotreatotherswithgreaterdignityandrespectthatgoesbeyondgeneraltolerance.Assuch,ourrights-basedtrainingprogramshavealsobeensuccessfulinmitigatingmanyofthepushandpullfactorsthatleadindividualsintoviolentextremism.Hardwiredtrained14teachersfromLebanonandIraqinFreedomofReligionorBelief)inorderthattheycouldthenteachtheirstudents.Atotalof335studentsweresubsequentlytaughtusinglessonspreparedduringthetraining.Thetrainingofteachersconsistedof
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twomajorparts,conceptuallearningonfreedomofreligionincludingArticle18,andlearningabouteffectivepedagogythatleadstoconceptualchange.Thefollowingmajorconceptswereincludedinthetrainingthatwasconductedatafive-dayworkshopinTurkey.Theseconceptsareconsideredtobecentraltounderstandingandfosteringconceptualchangeaboutfreedomofreligionorbeliefthatcanleadtopreventionofintoleranceandsocialhostilitytowardreligiouscommunitiesandthosewhohavedifferingviews.
- NON-DISCRIMINATION:Everypersonhasthesamerighttobelieveandpracticetheirbeliefsbynatureoftheirhumanityandrequireequalprotectionunderthelaw,especiallywomen,children,minorities,atheists,dissenters,andadherentsofnon-traditionalornewreligions.
- CONSCIENCE:Thespiritualdimensionofhumanlifeisprovidedspecialprotectionbecauseitiswhereideas,beliefs,andconvictionsaboutreligioustruth,morality,andlifeafterdeathareexploredandshapehowwelive;individualswithinareligiouscommunitydefinethescopeoftheirbeliefs.
- CHANGEABLE:Everypersonisbornwithaconsciencefreetoexploreeternaltruthsandchangetheirbeliefsastheygrow;religionorbeliefischangeableandnoonecanbeforcedtoadoptareligionorbelief;itisnotanimmutablecharacteristiclikeraceorgenderandindividualscanchoosenottohaveone.
- INDIVIDUALRIGHT:Individualsholdtherighttofreedomofreligionorbelief,butthisrightalsoprotectstheindividual’srighttopracticetheirbeliefswithinareligiouscommunityandtodissentfromthecommunity;italsoprotectstherightofparentstoteachtheirchildrentheirreligion.
- PUBLICandPRIVATE:Religiousbeliefsareformedwithinthehumanconscienceandinfluencehowindividualsactorexpressthemselvespubliclyinaccordancewiththeirconscienceandsenseofreligiousobligation.
- EXPRESSION:Individualshavearighttopracticetheirreligioninvariousways,includingthosemostcommonamongallreligions,inordertofulfilltheirpersonalobligationsofworshipbyactinginaccordancewiththeirconscienceandbeliefs;thisincludesrighttosharetheirbeliefswithothers.
- LIMITATIONS:Therearenolimitsonwhatpeoplemaybelievebuttherearelimitsonhowtheyexpresstheirbeliefs;religiousexpressionsthatviolatetherightsofothersarenotprotectedandtherearetimesthegovernmentmayneedtolimitexpressiontoprotectpublicsafety,order,healthormorals.
Followingtheinitialworkshop,HardwiredstaffcontinuedtoworkwithteachersfromIraqand Lebanon to finalize their lesson plans and prepare to implement them in theirclassrooms. Staff facilitated a number of conference calls with participants to reviewconcepts, revise activities and discuss data collection and reporting processes withparticipants. By April, 2017 staff had finalized lesson plans with all groups, and themajorityofteachersimplementedtheirlessonplansintheirclassroomsduringthemonthofApril.AllteacherswereexpectedtoimplementtheirlessonplansandprovidedataandfeedbackduringthemonthofMay.RecognizingtheneedforFORBeducationamongtheirstudents,someteacherselectedtoimplementtheirlessonsinmorethanoneclasssession.Inadditiontoworkingwithstaffonindividualplansforimplementation,amonthlywebconferencecallwasheldwitheachgroup.Duringthecalls,teacherswhoimplementedtheir lessons shared about their experiences. Teachers also shared several ideas toreachmorestudentsintheirschoolsandcommunities.Staffrecognizethatgroupcallsin which participants share their feedback encourages continued collaboration and
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provides additionalmotivation for theirpeers to further engage students through theprogram.Teachers continued to collaborate with one another across country lines on lessonrevisions and development. During the training, participants from Iraq and Lebanonmixedtoformtheirlesson-planningcohorts,whichencouragedfurthercollaborationastheycontinuedtodeveloptheir lessonplansafterthetrainingprogram.Followingthecompletionoftheirlessons,participantscontinuetoengagewithoneanotherandsharetheirexperiencesandideas.Teachers maintain consistent communication with our local partner, who helpsfacilitatecontinueddialogueandcommunicationwithstaffinlightoflanguagebarriers.As a result, teachers report they feelwell connected to one another and staff as theyparticipateintheprogram.Hardwiredwill conduct the secondphaseof trainings in IraqandLebanon, scheduled totakeplaceduringthefirstweekofJuly.Itisexpectedthattheresultsofthisfirstphasewillprovide insights into theneedsof teachers formore trainingandsupport, aswell as theexpansionoftheprogramtoincludemoreteachersandstudents.
MethodologyTheevaluationoftheMarch2017Hardwiredtrainingofteachersandsubsequentstudentlearningwascarriedoutusingamixedmethodapproachdrawingonbothqualitativeandquantitativedata.Thequalitativedataconsistedofobservations,instructorcomments,andwebconferencediscussions.Quantitativedataconsistedofa9questionpre-postquizthatwasscenariobasedandaddressedtheninemajorconceptsofFreedomofReligionorBelief(SeeAppendixAforquizquestions).Scenariosaddressedoneormoreoftheconceptstobeassessed.
- NON-DISCRIMINATION–Questions2,3,5,6,7,9(includedrightsofwomen,minorityfaiths)
- CONSCIENCE–Question1- CHANGEABLE–Question4- INDIVIDUALRIGHT–Question8- PUBLICandPRIVATE–Questions1,3- EXPRESSION–Questions1,2,3- LIMITATIONS–Questions1,2
Thepossibleanswersforthescenarioswerebasedonascaleofnaïvetosophisticated,measuringtheparticipants’knowledgeandattitudesofthemajorconcepts.Figure1showstheconceptualunderstandingandbeliefsateachlevel.Itdescribeswhatonewouldexpectastudentwithnaïve,intuitive,developed,orsophisticatedknowledge,attitudes,andbeliefstouseinagivensituation.Sincethismodelisbasedonconceptualchange,itisnotexpectedthateveryelementatoneleveliseitherexpressedorexpressedatasingletime.Somestudentsmayholdbeliefsthatcrosstwolevelsastheyarestrugglingwithnewunderstanding.
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Figure1.LevelsofUnderstandofFreedomofReligionorBeliefHardwired’smodelofFORBeducationisbasedonconceptualchangetheory.Thismakesituniqueinthefieldoftraining,particularlyinthesocialsciences.EachmovefromNaïve(level1)toIntuitive/Developing(level2)toDeveloped/Thoughtful(level3)toSophisticated/Insightful(level4)indicatesaconceptualchange.Sinceconceptualchangeoccursinsmallsteps,ratherthanlargeleaps,itwasnotexpectedthatteachersorstudentswouldmakemajorconceptualchangesafterjustonelesson.Conceptualchangerequiresthatstudentsrecognizepriorconceptions,areconfrontedwithchallengingactivitiesthatcausedissonancewiththeirpriormodels,makeadaptationstothosemodelsbasedonnewideas,andtestthosenewmodelsinauthenticsituations.Thisisaccomplishedinverysmallcyclesofcriticismandrevision,andoccursbestinsituationswheretheparticipantsco-constructunderstandingthroughsharingdifferingknowledge,experiencesandbeliefs.ThenatureofHardwired’sFORBmodelisonethatrevisitsthemajorconceptsovertime.Thisallowsstudentstostrugglewiththeconcept,adapttheirmodelandthentestthatmodelinnewcircumstancesbeforegoingontoanothercriticismrevisioncycle.Thistakes
Naive/Egocentric
• Hasapersonaldesireforfreedomforhis/herselfbutnotforothers• Supportsrestrictingabilityofotherstochangeorexpresstheirreligion• Supportsstatecontrolofreligionorbelief• Seesreligionasanobstacletohumanfreedom• Thinksreligionissomethingtobeheldprivatelyandnotsharedinpublic• Exhibitshostilityorfearofotherreligionsorbeliefs
Intuitive/Developing
• Identifiesothersbytheirreligionratherthanbytheirhumanity• Wantsreligiousfreedomfortheirfaithlivinginothercountriesbutisuncomfortablewithextendingrightstoothersinhis/herowncountryorcommunity• Doesnotunderstandhowtoapplyfreedomconsistentlyinthelawsbutrecognizesthechallenge• Beginningtorecognizehowfreedomforeveryonebenefitssociety• Beginstorecognizefearsandmisconceptions theyhaveaboutpeopleofdifferentbeliefs
Developed/Thoughtful
• Recognizesthateverypersonhasequalrightstoreligiousfreedombutnotreadytosupportthempublicly• Understandsthebenefitsthatreligiousfreedomcanbringtoeveryoneinsociety• Beginstorecognizelawsthatwouldbeharmfulorimpedethefreedomofothers• Recognizesthatindividualsholdrightsandtheyarenotgivenbythegovernment
Sophisticated/Insightful
• Recognizesfreedomforeverypersontobelievewhattheywant,evenatheistsanddissentersfromtheirfaith• Recognizestheneedforsomelimitationsonfreedom,butonlylimitsthatdon'ttakeawaytherightitself• Supportsfreedomtoexpressfaithpublicly,includingbysharingone'sbeliefswithothers• Canarticulatethebenefitsofreligiousfreedomforallandbeginstoexhibitsupportfordefendingpeopleofdifferentbeliefspubliclyintheircountry/community
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timeandsometimesevenmaturity.Therefore,revisitingtheconceptsovertimeindifferentcoursesandgradelevelsmayshowmorelastingconceptualchangethanwouldeverbeseenwithonetrainingoronelesson.Movementjustonelevel,however,isconsideredasignificantconceptualchangeandapositiveresult.Datawascollectedatthebeginningoftheteachertrainingandonthefinaldayusingthepre-postquiz.Qualitativedatawascollectedthroughoutthetrainingintheformofteachercomments,observationsbystaff,anddiscussions.Alltraininglessonswerevideotapedfordevelopmentofatrainingseries,notforanalysisastheyprimarilycapturedthetrainersactions.Inthetwomonthsfollowingthetraining,datawascollectedonteachercommentsandobservationsfromtheirownclassroomsastheyimplementedtheFORBlessons.Thisdatawascollectedbystaffthroughwrittencommunicationandwebconferences.Studentdatawasprimarilyquantitativeinnatureandcollectedusingthepre-postquiz.Teachersprovidedinsightsintotheirteachingandreactionsofstudentsinthewebconferences.Qualitativedatawasanalyzedtolookforpatternsandthemesandtosupportotherfindings.Specifically,1)whatpatternsandthemesemergedfromthedataandhowdothesethemesmorefullyhelptounderstandthebroaderquestionofconceptualchange;2)whatdeviations,ifany,occurinthepatterns;3)whatstoriesemergefromthedatathatwilllaterinformsubsequentteachingandknowledgeinthefield;4)whatadditionaldatamaybeneededinthefutureorwhatdatacollectionneedstoberevised;and5)didthepatternssupportthefindingsoftheotherdata.Quantitativedatafromthepre-postquizwasanalyzedbytheuseofatTestonaggregateddatafromallparticipantsinthestudentgroupsandseparatelyfortheteachers.Itwasthenanalyzedbyindividualteacherclass,bygender,andbyreligion.Comparativeanalysiswasconductedtodeterminewhethertherewasadifferenceinresultsbygender,religion,orhomogenousclassroommakeup.
AnalysisandDiscussion
DemographicsOfthe14teacherswhohadcompletedtheMarch,2017HardwiredtrainingonFORB,13returneddataonclassroompre-postquizzesonthelessonstheytaughtonfreedomofreligionorbelieftotheirclassshortlyafterthetraining(2teachersteamtaughtonelesson).OneteacherwastherefromMoroccotoobserveinpreparationforthetrainingthere.Oneteachertaughtthelessonbutdidnotcollectdata.ThedifferentclasseshadavarietyofmakeupssuchasallonegenderorallonereligionasindicatedinTable1.Thereweremoregirlsthanboys(210:125)andslightlymorestudentsfromLebanonthanIraq(173:162).Allstudentswerebetweentheagesof11and16,exceptforonestudentwhowas9.Thelargestmajorityofstudents(239)wereMuslim,withthenextlargestnumberbeingChristian.TheremainderwereYazidi,Druze,andoneatheist.Table1.DESCRIPTIVEDEMOGRAPHICDATATEACHERSGENDER MALE FEMALE 5 9COUNTRY IRAQ LEBANON 7 7
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RELIGION MUSLIM CHRISTIAN YAZIDI DRUZE 9 3 1 1Table2.DESCRIPTIVEDEMOGRAPHICDATASTUDENTSGENDER MALE FEMALE 125 210COUNTRY IRAQ LEBANON 162 173RELIGION MUSLIM CHRISTIAN ATHEIST DRUZE YAZIDI 239 92 1 23 34CLASSMAKEUP ALL
MUSLIMALLCHRISTIAN
ALLDRUZE
MIXEDRELIGIONS
ALLMALE
ALLFEMALE
5 1 1 4 1 3Pre-PostChangeinKnowledge,Attitudes,BeliefsTables2through5provideanoverviewofthequantitativedata,pre-postquizresults,andindividualquestionanalysis.Whilethepre-postdifferencewasstatisticallysignificant(p=.0012)forthestudents,itwasnotstatisticallysignificantforteachers(p=0.1478).Theteacherswhowerechosenandinvitedtoparticipateinthetrainingwereknownbylocalpartnerstobehighlyinterestedinfreedomofreligionorbeliefanddedicatedtolearningandteachingtheconcept.Somewerealreadyworkinginthefieldoutsideofschoolandwereadvocatesforreligiousfreedom.Thismayhaveaccountedforthehigherscoresonthepretest,showingahigherlevelofunderstandingontheNaïvetoSophisticatedscale.Inbothinstances,however,theprequizscoreaverageswerehigherthanexpectedwithameanof2.931forstudentsand3.384forteachers.Onthepostquizparticipantsinbothgroupsoftenratedtheirknowledgeandattitudesloweronthenaïvetosophisticatedscale.Asseeninotherfieldsofconceptualchange,itisoftenthecasethatstudentsover-ratetheirinitialbeliefs,attitudes,andknowledge,ortheychooseanswersinitiallythattheybelievetheinstructorislookingfor,the“rightanswer”,eventhoughtheymaynotholdthisattitudeatthetime.Thedataindicatedthatthiswasparticularlythecaseonquestions5,7,and8(seeTable5)forstudentsandonquestions4,6,7,8,and9forteachers.Then,astheyengagedintheconceptualchangelessons,participantsmayhavebeguntochallengetheirideas,becamemoreintrospective,andquestionbeliefstheyhad.Whentheytaketoposttestitisoftenamoreaccuratepictureofwheretheyareonthenaïvetosophisticatedscale.TeacherConceptualChange
OntologicalAnalysisInitiallymanyoftheteacherparticipantsexpressedthattheydidnothaveanyproblemwithintoleranceforothers.However,ondeeperdiscussionitwasnotedthattheseteachershadclassesthatwereallonereligionandoftenonegender.Inordertodigdeeperandtogetparticipantstorecognizewhattheybelievedaboutfreedomofreligionorbelief,anactivitycalledTreeofIntolerancewasconducted.Thisallowedteacherstothinkanddiscussinstancewheretheyhadseenintoleranceandwhereitmightoccureitherintheirschoolofiftheirstudentswereintegratedintoclasseswithotherreligionsand/orgenders.Theresultsshowedthatfirst,thatteachershadactuallyseenmanyinstancesofintolerance
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intheirowncountryeventhoughtheyhadmotthoughtoftheseasintolerancebefore,suchas:
“Studentswhocomefromneighboringvillagestoaschoollocatedinacertainvillageorneighborhoodaresufferingfromharassmentatthehandsofthelocals,that’sduetopreviousconflictsbetweenthepeopleofthetwovillagesorneighborhoods.”“Ayounggirl,ambitious,intelligent,fulloflife,lefthercountrytostudyinaforeigncountry,whilebeingthereshestoletheattentionofherteachersbutherambitionwasconfrontedwithaconditionthatshe’llhavetoremoveherheadscarf[Hijab]orshecannotcontinuestudying.”“Forceddisplacement”“Agirlwassubjecttoharassmentandinsultsbecauseshebelongstoadifferentreligion.”“Racialdiscriminationagainstcertaingroups,governmentindifferencetowardsIDPsfromcertaingroupswhilewelcomingthechurchandinternationalorganizationsconsideredasimportant.”“Teachersthatdon’trecognizecertainreligiousholidaysorevents,certaindiscussionthatleadtoarguments,transferringfewteacherstootherschools.”“HavingnowilltoliveinaplaceoutsidethisregionbecausepeoplelookatmewithdisgustbecauseI’mwearingaHijab.”“AgroupofIraqiChristianshavebeenmarginalizedinLebanonandnotgivenanyaidwhichisofferedtootherrefugeesinthesameareaonlybecausetheybelongtoacertainreligion.”“AyoungmancalledOmarsuffered700lashesbecausehedidn’tgotothemosqueonFriday…HedevelopaconditionoffearfromreligionandpeoplewhoweartheIslamic turban.”“Placinggirlsinthebacksideofthebus,girlsgooutduringschoolsbreakbeforeboyswhichannoysme.”
Mostteachersheldthebeliefthatfreedomofreligionorbeliefcouldbesummedupwithoneword–tolerance.Thistoleranceoftencamewithseparateness.Therefore,ifstudentsareofthesamereligionand/orgendertheywouldbemoretolerantofothers.Astheteachersworkedthroughmoreactivities,however,theybegantoseethattoleranceisaverynaïveconceptonthescaleoffreedomofreligionorbelief,especiallywhereoneisalsoseparatedfromothergroups.Inthisinstancelittleinteractionoccurs,thereisnoneedoremphasistoconsidersituationsfromanother’sperspective,andlittledissonancehappenstocauseconceptualchange.Theteachersfoundthatwhentherewerechallengedbytheactivitiesandothersfromdifferentfaithsandgenderstheybegantomovefromtolerancetotheconceptofpluralism.Initiallythisideaofpluralismhadmovedfromtolerancetoco-existence.Latertheirconceptofpluralismwasdescribedas:
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- Respectingritualsandbeliefs- Forgivenessbetweenindividuals- Havingabehaviorofkindnessandlove- Havingadiscussionandanopenmindtowardsotherreligions- Respectingotheropinions- Therighttoholdreligiousrituals,religiousclothingandreligiousslogansis
respectedforeveryone- Nocoercioninreligiouseducation- Havingafairlawforallsectsandreligions- Activatingreligions’internationalrightsinourcommunities- Opennesstootherwithnointolerance
Thereweresomewhohadmoreradicalconceptsofpluralismthatsuggestedindividualsdidnothaveasophisticatedunderstandingofthetopicbutstillsawsomerestrictionsasalrightsuchas:
- Removingreligiouseducationfromschoolsandinstead,havingeducational,moralsubjects.
- Shuttingdownallmosques,churches,templesinthecountryandrestrictingreligions’ritualpracticestotheofficialholidaysonly.
- Shuttingdownallreligiouspoliticalparties- Civilmarriageiscompulsorybutreligiousmarriageisnot- Sendingchildrentocampsthataimtoraisetheirreligiousawareness- Stoppingtheinterferenceofreligiousclericincivilissues
Otherssuggestedwaystoincreasepluralismthroughlegalmeansintheircommunitiesthatincluded:
- Removingreligiousaffiliationfromtheidentitycards- Legislatingalawthatlimitsreligiousextremism- Banningextremistslogans- Havingafairlawforallsectsandreligions- Freedomofbeliefguaranteedbylaw- Everypersonhastherighttochangehisbeliefhoweverheseefit
Evidencefromthisanecdotalqualitativedatasupportedthatconceptualchangewasoccurringduringtheworkshop.Theseconceptsincludedchangeability,non-discrimination,individualright,expressionandpublic-private.Forexample,theconceptofbelievingthateveryonehastherightunderinternationallawtochangetheirreligionwasnotedinoneteacherwhoalsovoicedseveralmajorconceptsofreligiousfreedominthisstatement:
“Therehastobeaclearlinebetweenfreedomofreligionandextremism,”and,“Whensomeonechanges,weneedtorespectthem.Theydonotpresentanydangertouswhentheychange….Whenyoutreatpeoplewithabadattitude,you’renotdoingwhatyourreligionistellingyou.Wehavetothinkallreligionsareequalandtreatpeopleinagoodmanner.”InresponsetotheGalileoactivityhestated,“Evenifhisopinioncontainssomewrongideasorwrongthinking,hecanstillbedialoguingtoprovewhetherheiswrongorright…Hehastherighttoraisehisvoicetospeakupforhisideas;theauthoritieshavetoprovidehimthetoolsand
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protectiontoexpresstheseideasorelsehemightbeharassedbythecommunity.Notonlydoesheneedfreedomofexpression,heneedsprotection.”A,Iraq
Overall,commentsparticularlybythethirddayindicatedthattheteachershighlyvaluedinclusivenessandpluralism,identifyingempathy,humanity,respectforhumandignity,equality,help,loveandacceptanceasneedfultoleadtheircommunitiestoarespectforfreedomofreligionorbelief.Fromaninitialontologicalanalysisacontinuumhasbeguntoemergethatindicatesindividualspassthroughstagesofconceptualbeliefsfromtolerancewithseparationtotolerancetocoexistence,alonganeventualpaththatwehopewilleventuallybeasophisticatedunderstandingandbeliefwhereindividualsarewillingtodefendotherswhoholddifferentbeliefs.However,weexpectthatwhilethesearethefirstelementsoflanguagethatindividualsusetoexplaintheirknowledge,beliefs,andattitudesaboutFORB,asparticipantsengagemoreintheprocess,manyotherontologicallevelswillemergethatcharacterizedeeperconceptualchangeandallowustobuilddynamicmodels.Thisisanimportantpointofresearchasbeliefsthatcontinueatthetoleranceandco-existenceleveldonotleadtothelevelofFORBunderstandingthattranslatesintobehaviorssuchasCVE.Itisexpectedthatasmoredataisobtained,especiallywithrepeatedworkshopswiththesameteachers,wewillbeableusethesedynamicmodelstodesignactivitiesthatmayresultineffectivelong-termconceptualchangeandresultantactions.Figure2showsthebeginningsoftheelementsofthiscontinuum.Itisexpectedthatasmoredataisobtained,especiallywithrepeatedworkshopswiththesameteachers,morespecificelementswillemerge,leadingtothemostsophisticatedlevelwhereindividualsarewillingtodefendothersevenwhentheyholddifferentbeliefs.
Figure2.Continuumofconceptualchange. ActingontheConceptualChange Teachersweretaskedwithtranslatingtheirownconceptualchangeinknowledge,beliefs,andattitudesaboutfreedomofreligionorbeliefintopracticestohelptheirstudentshaveconceptualchange.Duringthistime,trainersfounditimportanttokeepreiteratingtheneedforassessingtheirstudents’preconceptions,tailoringtheirlessonstoaddressmeasurableoutcomesinregardtothesemisconceptions,presentingaspecificproblemtothestudentsinordertoconfrontthemwiththeirownmisconceptions(cognitive
intolerance
tolerancebutseparate
tolerance
co-existance
defendingotherseveniftheybelievedifferently
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dissonance),revisingtheirlessonsinordertoachievethegoalofconceptualchange,andevaluatingtheirstudents’understandingalongtheway.Teachersfounditchallengingtoknowhowtohelpstudentsapplytheirnewunderstandingtodifferentsituationsinordertomakesuretheychangetheirperspectives.Oneteachernoted,
”IfIweretoteachaboutfreedomofreligionorbeliefIwouldmakeitlikeaworkshop.AttheendofthedayIwouldassesswhatthedaytaughtsofar,askingthemtogotoplacesandgetintouchwithpeopleormakeapaintingorsomething.”
An“ahamoment”occurredwhenthepersonalexperienceofatrainee,M.,wasconnectedtoassessingunderstandingofFORB.Atherschool,shehadseenstudentsplaying“ISIS”ontheplayground.Asthetrainersharedthedifferentresponses,Mandotherswereabletomakeanimportantdistinctionbetweenthedifferentlevelsofunderstandingaboutthishumanright.Thetrainershared:
“Wecouldhaveasked,youseethis,howdoyourespondasastudent?TheirresponsewilltellushowmuchtheyunderstandaboutthisFORBthatothershave.Anaïveresponsewouldbe,thatlooksfun;Iwanttoplaywiththem.Anintuitiveordevelopingresponsemightbe,Idon’tknowwhythey’redoingit;I’llsitandwatch.Adevelopedorthoughtfulresponsemightbe,thatdoesn’tlookright;I’mnotgoingtoplay.Asophisticatedresponsemightbetotellthestudents,whenyou’redoingthis,itmakesmefeellikeyoudon’tunderstandwhatthosepeoplearesufferingunderISIS.Theydeservethesamefreedomtoplaythatwedo.Whatyou’replayingisnotfunny.Weshouldbedefendingthesepeople,notplayinggamesaboutit.”
Thissolidifiedinthemindsofthetraineesthatfreedomofreligionorbeliefgoesdeeperthanmerecoexistence:itrushestodefendtheoppressed.Itpreventsradicalization.Itmustbesoughtafter,measuredanddefendedBYtheseteachers,INtheirstudentswhoarethenextgenerationofteachers.Thesearehigherlevel(sophisticated/insightful)conceptionofFORB.Everytraineerespondedthattheirunderstandingoftheconceptoffreedomofreligionorbeliefhadincreasedduringthetraining.Theymadeitclearthattheyenjoyedandappreciatedtheseminar,andalsothattheyfeltthey’dgained“morefamily”tosupportthemintheirjourneystowardabetterfuture.Possiblyoneofthemajorchangesnotedwasintheconceptofempathy.Table3.PairedtTeacherPre-PostQuizPvalueandstatisticalsignificance:
Thetwo-tailedPvalueequals0.1478Byconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobenotstatisticallysignificant.Intermediatevaluesusedincalculations:t=1.5321df=14standarderrorofdifference=0.03
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Buildingontheirownconceptualchangeduringtheworkshop,teachersworkedtogethertodeveloplessonstoimplementwiththeirstudents.Thisrequiredfurtherconceptualchangeonhowtoteachaboutreligiousfreedomandspecificpedagogicalstrategies.StudentConceptualChangePairedt-testonaggregatedstudentdataindicatedthatthepre-postchangewasverystatisticallysignificant,withaPvalueof0.0012.Thissuggeststhatconceptualchangeinknowledge,attitudes,andbeliefsoccurred.Twoquestionsshowedthegreatestconceptualchangeforstudents,questions2and3.Question2wasameasureoftheconceptsofnon-discrimination,expression,andlimitations,whilequestionthreedealtwiththeconceptsofnon-discrimination,publicandprivate,andexpression.Table4.PairedttestresultsPRE-POSTQuizAggregatedStudentDataThetwo-tailedPvalueequals0.0012Byconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobeverystatisticallysignificant.Intermediatevaluesusedincalculations:t=3.2699df=333standarderrorofdifference=0.028Table5.Questionswithlargepre-postgainsQuestionswithespeciallylargeprepostchange:
Q2-Thetwo-tailedPvalueislessthan0.0001Byconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobeextremelystatisticallysignificant.Q3-Thetwo-tailedPvalueequals0.0026Byconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobeverystatisticallysignificant.
Threequestionsonthestudentresultssuggestedthatstudentsmayhavemovedintheoppositedirectionthanexpected.Question5and7wereconcernedwiththeconceptofnon-discrimination,whilequestion8wasaboutindividualrights.Oneachofthesequestionsaveragesofstudentdatashowedthatontheprequizstudentstendedtowardmostsophisticatedlevelanswer.Thenonthepostquizmanychoseanswersthatwerebetweennaïveanddeveloped/thoughtful,withtheaveragefallingfromapreof3.50toapostof3.45onquestion5,a3.25toa3.17onquestion7,anda3.24toa3.13onquestion8.Itemanalysisofeachofthesequestionssuggeststhatthestructureofthedistractorsmayhavepresentedstudentswithahintatwhatthe“best”orhighest-levelanswermayhavebeen.Itispossiblethatstudentscametothelearningsituationwiththepriorknowledge,attitudes,andbeliefsthatwouldleadthemtoselectthemostsophisticatedanswer.However,whenotherquestionsthatmeasuredthesameconceptofnon–discriminationwereanalyzed,thissamepatterndidnotexist.Question8wastheonlyquestionthatdealtwiththeconceptofindividualrights.
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Table6.Questionswithnegativeresults.Questionswithinverseresultsfrompretoposttest.
Q5-Thetwo-tailedPvalueequals0.5571thatbyconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobenotstatisticallysignificant.Q7–Thetwo-tailedPvalueequal0.2902thatbyconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobenotstatisticallysignificant.Q8-Thetwo-tailedPvalueequal0.2720thatbyconventionalcriteria,thisdifferenceisconsideredtobenotstatisticallysignificant.
EffectofGender,ClassroomMakeup,ReligionandCountryonPre-PostGainsWhendatawasanalyzedbyteacher,gender,classroommakeup,religion,andcountry,patternsbegantoemergethatsuggestedatleastsomeofthesefactorsthatmayhavehadanimpactontheresults.Table6showsthedatabyteacher.Table6showsthedatawhereteachersareidentifiedbynumber,and#9isactuallyatwo-teacherteamwhotaughtthelessontogether.Ap<0.05isconsideredstatisticallysignificant. Table7:ResultsbyTeacherTeacher Lesson
TaughtCountry Gender
Male/femaleratio
Religion Results
#1 BirdLesson
Lebanon 8:13 Mixed p=0.0013
#2 RainbowLesson
Iraq 36:4 MixedbutprimarilyMuslim(32:3:5)
p=0.2228
#3 FlowerGarden
Lebanon 16:13 AllChristian p=0.0019
#4 FlowerGarden
Lebanon Allfemales(29)
AllMuslim p=0.6938
#5 FlowerGarden
Lebanon 13:15 AllMuslim p=0.6157
#6 Rainbowlesson
Iraq Allfemales(25)
AllMuslim p=0.9299
#7 Birdlesson
Iraq Allmales(39) MixedbutprimarilyYazidi
p=0.8686
#8 Rainbowlesson
Iraq Allfemales(29)
AllDruze p=0.2697
#9 Picnic Iraq(teamtaught)
7:10 AllMuslim p=0.0001
#10 Angles Lebanon 13:19 AllMuslim p=0.0001#11 Tree Iraq 11:10 Mixedbut p=0.0882
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Lesson primarilyChristian(5:15:1)
#12 BirdLesson
Lebanon 14:20 MixedbutmostlyChristian(32:1)
p=0.5831
GenderWhendatawasanalyzedagainstdifferentfactorsofcountry,religionandgenderitappearsthataggregateddatabyfactorshowsdifferinglevelsofsignificance.Table7showsthattherewasastatisticallysignificantprepostgaininclasseswithamixtureofmalesandfemales.Whenaclasswasallmaleorallfemalethisstatisticalchangedidnotoccur.Thissuggeststhatthechallengethatmayoccurbymalesandfemalesstrugglingwiththeconceptstogether,allowsforgreaterdissonanceleadingtogreaterconceptualchange.Sinceeachgroupbringstheirownpriorexperiencesandpreconceivedideastothelearningsituation,thisallowsforagreaterexchangeofideas.Also,sincedifferentreligionsoftenholdculturalbeliefsthatareantiwomen’srights,itwouldbeexpectedthatwherefreeexpressionbetweenthesegroupscouldoccurcouldpresentapositivechallenge.Table8.DataanalysisbygendermakeupofclassGender Mixed Allfemale Allmale p=0.0009 P=0.4679 0.8686 ReligionWhenthedatawasanalyzedbyreligion,inclassroomswithamixtureofreligions,therewasnosignificantchange(Table8).However,inallMuslimorallChristianclassestheaggregateddatashowedsignificantchange.TheallDruzeclassroomdidnot,nordidthepredominantlyYazidiclassroom.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatinallbutoneofthemixedclassroomstherewasapredominantreligiousmakeup.Forinstance,intheteacherclassrooms2,7,11,and12theclassroommakeupwasoverwhelminglyonereligionasindicatedinTable6.Theoneclassroomthatwasmoreevenlymixedforreligionshowedstatisticallysignificantchange(p=0.0013).Therefore,itisdifficulttosaythatthereligiousmakeupofaclassroombyitselfaffectedtheoutcome,eventhoughitwasexpectedthathavingamixtureofreligionswouldallowgreaterexchangeofideasandchallengepriorconceptionsaboutothergroups,leadingtoconceptualchange.Sinceonlyoneclasshadatruemixofreligionsitisdifficulttosaydefinitivelywhetherthisoccurred.However,oneteacherfromIraqwhohadaclassroomwithmixedreligionsstated,
“Iimplementedthelessonwithadiversegroupofstudents.Beforethislesson,Ifeltminoritieswouldn’tspeakforthemselves.Thislessongavethemanopportunitytospeakabouttheirexperiences.Whenwewerespeakingabouttheexperienceofthebirdsinthelesson,theyaskediftheycouldsharetheirpersonalexperienceandtalkaboutreality.Mystudentswereactiveandeagertoparticipateintheentirelesson.Ibelieveitisimportantwemaketheselessonsaccessibletomorestudents,notjustasalessonbutasastorythatcanbesharedandexperiencedbymanyothers.Wecouldcreatebooksandevencartoonstodelivertomanyschoolssootherscanlearnabouttheserights.”—Q.,Iraq
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Table9.Dataanalysisbyreligion.Religion Mixed AllMuslim AllChristian AllDruze p=0.8479 p=0.0001 p=0.0019 p=0.2697Interestingly,whenclassroomswithbothagendermixandareligiousmixwereanalyzed,thiscombinationseemstohavethegreatestimpactwithapof0.0086.Thissupportsourbeliefthattheprogramhasthegreatesteffectwherethereareamixtureofgenderandreligionsthatcanchallengeeachotherandlearntolistentooneanother.Anotherteachersharedaninsightfromhisexperiencewithhisclassthatsupportsthisidea.Thiswastheoneclasswithamixofbothgenderandreligionthatshowedstatisticallysignificantchange.
“Myclassroomwasverydiverse,andIwasimpressedbytheresponseofmystudents.Iobservedtherewasasmallgroupofstudentsintheclasswhowerenotveryacceptingofothers,andtheywereafraidofothers.Thislessonhelpedthembecomemoreacceptingandunderstandingofothers.Somestudentsintheclassfelttheycouldn’tchangeanything.Butthroughthelesson,theyrealizedtheycouldchangethings.Evenifthestudentsdidn’tfullyrecognizehowtheirthoughtschangedabouttheseconcepts,Iwasabletowatchthesestudentslearnthroughthislesson.”—H.,Lebanon
CountryAcomparisonoftheresultsfromIraqandLebanonshowedasignificantdifferencebetweenthetwocountriesatapof0.0001,supportingwhattheindividualpre–postchangeforeachcountryshows.Thecountriesoutcomesweresignificantlydifferent.TheaggregatedstudentsintheLebanonclassesshowedastatisticallysignificantchangewhilethoseintheIraqclassroomsdidnot.Individualclassesineachcountrydidshowsignificantchange.Itisinterestingthatwhiletherewasthischange,theteachersinIraqoverwhelmingvoicedthebeliefthatthetrainingandteachingonfreedomofreligionwascriticalforIraq.ItisnotpossibletoseparateoutthefactthatmanyoftheclassesinIraqweredealingwithissuesofstudentswhohadbeenradicalizedorseverelyaffectedbyISIS.Ifthiswasthecase,itmayaccountforlessmovementofconceptualchangeinthesestudentsandthatmultiplelessonsandtimemaybenecessarytoseemeasurablechange.Severalteacherssharedtheirbeliefsafterthetraining.
“ThiskindoftrainingisreallynewinIraq,anditissoimportantforourcountry.Theissuesandchallengeswediscussedinthetrainingareourreality.Weexperiencethis[religiousintoleranceandreligion-relatedconflict]inoursociety.SoIbelievethisisthebestkindoftrainingwehaveinIraq.”—I.,Iraq“ThereisastrongneedforthisprogramnotonlyinKurdistan,butacrossIraq.Ibelievedecision-makersinthegovernmentunderstandthis,butweneedtodevelopanactionplantoimplementthisprograminabiggerway.Wemustimplementthisprogramwidely,becauseitisverymuchneededinourcountry.Oneday,IhopewecangetsupportfromtheGovernmentinBaghdad.”—F.,Iraq“Ididn’texpectthatwewouldonedaybeabletoteachaboutfreedomofreligioninaformalwayinIraqischools.Butthiswillbeacceptedinourclassroomsandour
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schools,andwecanrepresentfreedomofreligionanddiversityforourstudentsinaformalway.”—Q.,IraqAnartinstructortoeight-andnine-year-oldsinIraqstatedthatmanyofherstudentswerekeptfromtheirstudiesandindoctrinatedbyDaesh.“Ireallywanttoattendthisprogramtohelpthechildren.Consideringthesituationthatwearelivinginrightnow,Ihopetobeabletoachievethisandmaketheireducationbetter...IaminKurdistan.Thegovernmentignorestheregion,thechildren,theproblem.Iwanttogetthechildrenawayfromallthiswar,thekillings,thebeheadings.Iwanttolearntherefugeeactivity[ofimaginaryfruit-groupsasreligiousminorities]asbestIcansothatIcanteachittothechildren.IwanttogivethemeverydelightfulexperienceIcan.IwanttolearnasmuchasIcanfromthisseminar,sothatevenifIcannotteachthelessonIwillhavetheauthoritytocreatechange.”Sheleftthetrainingdeterminedtoenactallthatshehadlearned.–M,Iraq
Table10:Dataanalysisbycountry.Country Iraq Lebanon 0.5304 0.0001 TypeofLessonTherewasnocorrelationbetweenwhichlessontheteacherstaughtandpre-postresults.Approximatelyoneclassfromeachtypeoflessonshowedsignificantchangewhiletheotherswhotaughtthesamelessondidnot.However,again,whencombinedwithclassgendermakeup,greatersignificantchangewasnoted.Differencescouldbeattributedtothenewnessofthepedagogyforindividualteachers,makeupoftheclass,howconfidenttheteacherwasinteachingthenewunderstandingoftheconcepts,ortimeconstraints.Itisnotpossibleinonelessontodeterminewhysomeclassesteachingthesamelessonperformeddifferently.However,whilethiswastheteachersfirstexperiencewithteachingthenewmaterialusinganewpedagogy,anecdotalevidencestillsuggeststhatstudentswereactivelyengaged,andstatedthattheirideashadchanged.Overallpre-postresultssupportthischange.BarrierstoImplementationTheperceiveddifficultyinimplementingthelessonwassuggestedbycommentsbyteachers.Theysawbarrierstoimplementationthatarenotuncommoninmostsituationwherenewideasarepresented.Itisnotunlikethecommentsheardatmostworkshopsaroundtheworldwhereinstructorsinitiallyseethedifficultiesratherthanembracethechallenge.Themostcommonexcusesfornotimplementingaretime,administrativenon-support,andnumberandlevelofstudentsintheclass.OneexceptionwiththisgroupofteacherswastheconcernfromIraqthatstudentswhohavebeenradicalizedpresentamuchgreaterproblem.
“Itwillbedifficulttohelpthestudentsunderstandtheseconcepts,butwelearnedalotfromthetraining.Wearereadytoimplementtheselessonsandteachourstudentsaboutfreedomofreligion.”—M.,Iraq“TherearemanydifferentculturesandenvironmentswithinIraq,andoneofthebiggestchallengeswewillfaceisintroducingthissubjecttoruralareas.Todothis,itwillrequirealotofsupport.”—A.,Iraq
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“Backinourcountriesdoinginthisoneyearisabigjobbecausetheeducationsystemdoesn’tgivesufficienthoursforthis.”S,Iraq“Inschoolwehaveacurriculumweareintendedtofinish.Accordingtotheplan,themanagersclerksareforcingthemtofinishthecurriculuminatightschedule.”–F,Lebanon“ThedifficultyisthepresenceofDaesh.Theyhavebeenradicalizingfortwoandahalfyears,andthechildrenhavebeenpickingupextremistideals.”–I,Iraq“Therearetoomanychildrenintheclassroomsandnotenoughhoursforplanning,pluswehavetomeetcurriculumrequirements.”Q,Iraq“Manychildrenhavebeendeniedaccesstoeducationandarebehindtheirpeers.Itwillbeevenmoredifficulttoteachtheselessonsintheirclassrooms.”I,Iraq
Analysisofthequalitativedatasupportsthequantitativedataresults.Teachersreportedthatstudentresponsetotheconceptsofthelessonswaspositiveandthatconceptualchangewasoccurring.Atthesametime,teachersrecognizedthatthisisnotaone-timelessonbutthattheteachingofFORBmustbeintegratedintothewholeschoolexperience.TeacherExperiencesTeachersinIraqandLebanonwereveryeagertosharetheirexperienceswithoneanotherandstaff.Astheycompletedtheirlessons,theysharedseveralphotosoftheirstudentsparticipatingintheactivitieswithoneanotherontheirgroupchatplatformsandsharedmoreabouttheirexperiences(seeAppendixC).Teacherswereabletosharewithstaffandoneanotherdirectlyduringthemonthlyconferencecall,andwereabletodiscusstheirexperiencesaswellasotherideastoengagestudentsfurther.Thisresultedinmorecollaborationinordertoprovidestudentswithgreaterexperiencestofosterconceptualchange.Italsoledtofurtherextensionoftheteachingintotheschoolandcommunity.
• TwoteachersfromLebanon—onefromamajority-Christianschoolandanotherfromamajority-Muslimschool—plantobringtheirstudentstogethertodiscusstheirexperienceswiththelessonandsharetheirthoughtswithoneanother.
• AteacherfromLebanoniseagertorecruitmoreteacherswhocansharethese
conceptswiththeirstudents,andshehasreceivedpermissionfromhertown’smayortoconductalargertrainingofteachersinhercommunityastheprogramdevelops.
• AteacherfromIraqiseagertodevelopadditionalresourcesthatcanbedistributedtostudentsmorebroadlyacrossIraq,andproposedinitiativestoturneachlessonintoastoryorcartoon.
• AteacherfromLebanonwassoimpressedwithhisstudents’responsetothe
lessons,heplanstoproposethelessonisintegratedintotheannualcurriculaprogramforhisschool.
EmpathyWhilemanyoftheparticipantscamefromschoolswithonegenderand/oronereligion,theybegantoformanempathytowardotherparticipantsastheysharedexperiencesand
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wereconfrontedwith,notjustothersbeliefs,buttheirdeepfeelingsofisolationandoppression.Webelievethatusingourontologicalcontinuumwewillbeabletotracethisemergenceofempathyevenmoreasthesameparticipantscontinuetomeettogetherandshareexperiences.Itissomethingwealsosawinhowteachersdescribedstudents’reactions.Empathywasnewtomany,especiallythosewhowereinhomogeneousschools.However,inschoolswheretheybegantorecognizeintolerancetowardminorities,studentsbegantostandupfortheirrights,showingthattheyhaddevelopedadegreeofempathyevenwithonelessonexperience.Teacherssharedtheirexperienceswithevidenceofthischange.Severalteacherscommentedthatstudentshadneverrespondedtoalessonwithsuchenthusiasmandexcitementbefore.Whentheteacherscalledforabreakinthelesson,thestudentsobjectedandinsistedtheycontinuetheactivities.Othercommentsincludedonesthatshowedthebeginningsofempathydevelopment:
“Iwasveryimpressedwithmystudents’responsetothelesson.Mystudentsdidn’tjustlistentothelesson,buttheyaddedtheirthoughts.One[Christian]studentasked,‘IfArticle18willprotectus,whyarewepersecutedinmanycountries?’Studentswereabletosharetheirexperiencesandlearntogether.Thestudentsweresoimpressedwiththelessonthattheyproposedwecreateasummercampforstudentsfromdifferentreligionstocomeandlearnabouttheirrightsandfreedoms.”—L.,Lebanon
“Thelessonwasveryattractivetomystudents,andtheyreceiveditverywell.Theyrealizedthatwecanbedifferentinourthoughts,butwedon’tneedtobeenemies.Studentswereabletounderstandtheconceptoffreedomofreligionandhumanrightsthroughthelesson,andtheyexpressedtheywanttoliveinpeaceandacceptoneanother.”—M.,Lebanon
“I’veneverimplementedalessonlikethisforstudents,andtheywereveryinterestedintheactivityandthediscussion.Manyteachersalsoparticipatedinthelessonandtheywereveryeagertosharedtheirthoughtsandideas.Iwassurprisedthatsometeacherslovedthelessonevenmorethanthestudents.Itisveryunique.Weneedtoincludetheselessonsinabookletorinsomeotherwaysowecanshareitwithotherteachersandstudentstolearnfrom.”—I.,Iraq
“Mystudentswereveryinterestedinthislessonandhadaveryactivedebate.Theyunderstoodtheimportanceofreligiousfreedom,andtheimportanceoflaws.TheywereawareofArticle18,butthelessonhelpedthemunderstandhowimportantitistoacceptallstudents.Iwasverysurprised.Thestudentsfelteachpersonmustpracticewhattheybelievein.”—L.,Lebanon
EffectofTrainingonTeachers
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ThecurriculumusedinHardwired’strainingandthatteachersusedintheirlessons,wasdesignedtofosterconceptualchangeinknowledge,attitudes,andbeliefsaboutfreedomofreligionorbelief.ThisisuniqueinthefieldofFORBtrainingandthereforewewereespeciallyinterestedinhowteachersrespondedtothetrainingandwhethertheyfelttheyhadexperiencedtheirownconceptualchangeabouttheconceptsandpedagogy.ParticipantsofferedfeedbackonthetrainingandexplainedhowtheprogramhaspreparedthemtopromoteFORBintheircommunities.Teachersrecognizedhowthetrainingprogramdifferedfromotherstheyhaveexperiencedintheircountries,theimportanceofteachingmethodologies,thevalueofFORBeducationintheircountries,andhowthetrainingprogrampreparedthemtopromoteFORBintheircommunities.Severalthemesemerged,including1)learningaboutnewteachingmethodologies,2)thevalueoftheprogramintheircountry,3)howHardwired’sprogramdifferedfromothertrainingprograms,and4)howthetrainingpreparedthemtopromoteFORBandovercomechallenges.Commentsfromteachersbestexpresseachofthesethemes.
Onlearningnewteachingmethodologies:
“Ihaveparticipatedinmanytrainingprograms,andoneofthemostimportantthingsIhavelearnedfromthisprogramishowtoteachstudentsaboutcomplicatedissueslikereligiousfreedomanddiversity.Theteachingmethodologieswelearnedareveryimportantanduseful,becauseitisverydifficulttoteachthesecomplicatedandsensitiveissuestochildren.Theteachingmethodswelearnedareinterestingtochildren,andourstudentswillbeabletounderstandtheseissuesasaresultofthelessonswearedeveloping.”—F.,Iraq“Oneofthemostspecialthingsaboutthisprogramisthenewmethodologieswelearnedtohelpstudentsunderstandtheseconceptsandideas.Analogiesareveryusefultohelpstudentsunderstandsensitiveissues.InLebanon,teachersaddressissuesdirectly.Butbyusinganalogies,weareabletoteachaboutsensitiveissuesandsubjectsinanacceptableway.”—L.,Lebanon“Ilearnedalotaboutteachingmethodologiesduringthetrainingprogram.InIraq,teachersarenotoftendynamic.Educationcanbeverymechanicalandfocusedonone-waycommunication.Asaresult,studentsarenotengaged.Butwehavelearnedhowtoencouragestudentstobecomeactiveandparticipateintheselessons.Iftheyarebored,theywillnotbeinterestedinthematerialandtheywillnotlearn.Thetrainingprogramhasshowedushowtocreateadialoguewithstudentsandspeaktothemdirectlyattheirlevelofunderstandingsotheycanlearn.”—Q.,Iraq
Onthevalueoftheprogramintheircountry:
“ThiskindoftrainingisreallynewinIraq,anditissoimportantforourcountry.Theissuesandchallengeswediscussedinthetrainingareourreality.Weexperiencethis[religiousintoleranceandreligion-relatedconflict]inoursociety.SoIbelievethisisthebestkindoftrainingwehaveinIraq.”—I.,Iraq“Thebeautifulthingaboutthisprogramisit’sverypractical.Participantswereinterestedandengaged.Wewillbeabletokeepstudentsinterestedandengagedin
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thelessonsinourclassrooms.Byencouragingstudentstobeactiveandintroducingtheseconceptsinanattractiveway,wewillreachourteachinggoals.”—F.,Lebanon“ThereisastrongneedforthisprogramnotonlyinKurdistan,butacrossIraq.Ibelievedecision-makersinthegovernmentunderstandthis,butweneedtodevelopanactionplantoimplementthisprograminabiggerway.Wemustimplementthisprogramwidely,becauseitisverymuchneededinourcountry.Oneday,IhopewecangetsupportfromtheGovernmentinBaghdad.”—F.,Iraq“Thisisthefirsttimewewillactuallyimplementsomethingwehavecreatedatatraining.Itwillbeapplieddirectlytoourwork.”—S.,Lebanon“Ididn’texpectthatwewouldonedaybeabletoteachaboutfreedomofreligioninaformalwayinIraqischools.Butthiswillbeacceptedinourclassroomsandourschools,andwecanrepresentfreedomofreligionanddiversityforourstudentsinaformalway.”—Q.,Iraq
OnhowHardwired’sprogramdiffersfromothers:
“FreedomofreligionorbeliefisveryimportantinIraqandintheMiddleEast.IwaslookingforanorganizationthatcaresabouttheseissuesinIraqandIthankGodIamabletoworkwithHardwired.TheorganizationtakestheirdutiesandresponsibilitiesinIraqseriously,moresothanotherorganizationsIhaveworkedwith.Thesubjectmatterofthetrainingwasverygood,anditisimportantweapplywhatwehavelearnedinIraq.”—A.,Iraq“Thistrainingprogramwasfullofthoughtsandideas.Itwasveryin-depthandlongerthanotherprogramsIhaveparticipatedin.Theprogramalsoreinforcesconceptsandideasthroughmanydifferentactivities.Atfirst,wethoughtthiswouldbecomeboring.Butattheendofthetraining,werealizedthiswasimportantbecauseitreinforcedtheideaswelearnedandweunderstoodtheconcepts.”—S.,Lebanon“ThestyleofthistrainingisdifferentfromanyothertrainingIhaveattended.Ithinkweallbenefittedgreatlyfromthesmallergroupsweworkedinduringthetraining.Wewereabletolearnfromoneanotherandworktogetherontheseissues.”—I.,Iraq“ThistrainingprogramallowedmetomeetgoodteachersandIlearnedfromtheirideasandcreativity.Thegroupdiscussionandactivitiesopenedmymindtonewideasandthoughts.”—M.,Lebanon“WehavemanytrainingsinLebanon,butthistrainingdifferedfromothersbecauseweunderstoodandcomprehendedtheinformation.Theinformationwasnotjustgiventousinalecture.Wehadtoanalyzetheconceptsandthinkabouthowwewillapplythistoourwork.”—H.,LebanonOnhowthetrainingpreparedthemtopromoteFORBandovercomechallenges:
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“Itwillbedifficulttohelpthestudentsunderstandtheseconcepts,butwelearnedalotfromthetraining.Wearereadytoimplementtheselessonsandteachourstudentsaboutfreedomofreligion.”—M.,Iraq“TherearemanydifferentculturesandenvironmentswithinIraq,andoneofthebiggestchallengeswewillfaceisintroducingthissubjecttoruralareas.Todothis,itwillrequirealotofsupport.”—A.,Iraq“IamaYazidi.Iamattendingthisbecauseweareoneofthemostdamagedminorities.IamworkingasahumanitarianinIraq.”Hisunderstandingoffreedomofreligionondayonewasthat,“Itisprivate.”BytheendoftheworkshophewasabletodevelopalessontoteachFORBthatincludedcleardesiredlearningoutcomes,assessmentofstudents’preconceptions,aproblemsituationtobringcognitivedissonanceleadingtoconceptualchangeandameansofevaluatingchange.Q,Iraq“Everyhumanwhoislivinghastherighttosaywhateverhewants,toexpresshisideashoweverhewants,”butthisteacherinitiallyfrettedoverhowtoconvincechildrenofthistruth.Bytheendshedevelopalessonthatwasavigorousexerciseindevelopingnegotiationskillsandreachingsatisfactorycompromisetowardthegoalofpluralism.Sheleftthetrainingthankfulforallshehadlearnedanddeterminedtodoherbesttoputittouse.I,Iraq“ThedistrictofSinjarismulti-religious.Wehavetogetthem(students)safe.Wehavetoletthecultureofpluralismexpandtothem.”HesummedupGalileo’sstrugglewiththechurchas,“Thechurchwantedtokeeptheirauthority–theywereafraidoflosingit.Galileowantedtochangethewayofthinking.Hewasseekingtruthandhefoundit,sothishastobechanged.”I,Iraq
SummaryandConclusion
AmixedmethodevaluationstudywasconductedontheMarch2017teachertrainingandsubsequentlessonstaughtintheteachers’classrooms.Whileteachersdidnotshowstatisticallysignificantchangeonthepre-posttest,possiblyduetooverstatingtheirinitialconceptions,qualitativedatafromdiscussions,comments,andobservationsdemonstratedthatconceptualchangeaboutfreedomofreligionorbeliefaswellasaboutteachingmethodologiesforteachingFORBhadoccurredinallparticipants.Resultsindicatethatpositiveconceptualchangeoccurredamongthestudentsespeciallywhentheywereinaclassroomwithmixedgenderandmixedreligions.Thiscombinationmayhaveallowedforgreaterexchangeandchallengeofideas.Anumberofstudentspossiblyoverratedtheirlevelofunderstandingontheprequizandthenshowedadownwardtendonthepostquiz.Thismaybeafactorofhowthequestionswerestructuredorthatstudentshavelearnedhowtochooseanswerstomultiplechoiceteststhatbestfitwhattheythinktheteacherwants.Resultsonstudentsurveysonquestionsthatmeasurednon-discrimination,particularlyintheareaofwomen’srightsshowedsignificantchangeinapositivedirection.Otherareasthatshowsignificantchangewereconceptsofexpressionandpublic-privateworship.On
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average,studentsappearedtoachievealevelofIntuitive/DevelopingtoDeveloped/Thoughtful.Thisindicatedthatstudentswereexperiencingchangeinthefollowingareas:
• Beginningtorecognizehowfreedomforeveryonebenefitssociety• Beginstorecognizefearsandmisconceptionstheyhaveaboutpeopleofdifferent
beliefs• Recognizesthateverypersonhasequalrightstoreligiousfreedombutnotreadyto
supportthempubliclyTeachersidentifiedbarriersthattheyfeltmightaffectimplementationofthecurriculum.However,thereweremainlythecommonissuesoftime,administrativesupport,andclassmakeupthatappeartobevoicedbymanyteacherswhenpresentedwithnewcurriculum.Atthesametimeteachers,bytheendoftheworkshop,statedthatithadbeendifferentthanothertrainingstheyhadattended,wasmorepractical,relevant,andneeded,andthattheywereeagertoengagestudentsinthelessons.Theyfeltthestructureoftheworkshophelpedthemtocriticallyanalyzetheissuesandstrugglewiththeconceptsratherthanbe“lecturedat”.Thiswasconsideredapositivethingthatallowedthemtobetterunderstandtheconcepts.Teachersappreciatedthenewpedagogythatwassharedandhowitwouldhelpthemimplementthecurriculum.
Recommendations
BasedontheanalysisoftheMarch,2017workshopandsubsequentimplementationoflessons,severalrecommendationshavebeenmade.First,itemanalysisofthequestionsonthepre-postquizsuggestthatsomeeditsneedtobemadetoinsurethatthequestiondistractorsdonotallowforstudentstoeasilyselectwhattheythinktheteacherwantstohear.Itshouldalsobeconsideredmakingthequizaenhancedmultiplechoiceratherthanasimplemultiplechoice.Anenhancedmultiplechoicequestionismadeupoftwoparts.Thefirstisastandardmultiplechoicesuchasthoseinthecurrentquiz.Thesecondpartasksstudentstoexplainwhytheychosetheanswerusingknowledgetheyknoworhavelearned.TheevaluatorthenanalyzestheanswersbasedontheLevelsofUnderstanding.Thismodelallowsforidentificationofinstanceswherethestudenteitherguessedatthemultiplechoice(25%possibilityofgettingthehighestlevel),misreadormisinterpretedthequestionsotheanswermaynothavebeenselectedaccurately,orfullyunderstandstheconceptatthelevelchosen.Thisadditionallyallowsforfurtherevidenceofconceptualchangebyanalysisofthesecondpart.Second,audioorvideocaptureofindividualgroupsastheygothroughtheprocessofconceptualchangethattakesplacewithintheactivitieswouldprovideanotherdatapoint.Itisexpectedthatthiswouldenhancetherichnessofthediscussiononconceptualchange.Sincethecurrentvideotapingwasfordevelopmentofatrainingseries,itdidnotincludein-depthcaptureofstudentsstrugglingwithdissonanceorwithco-constructionofunderstanding.Videocaptureofseveralgroupsthroughouttheprocesswouldallowfordetailedanalysisofhowtheyareconstructingunderstanding,barrierstoconstruction,andadditionalmisconceptionsthatmightarise.Third,captureofdrawingsandteacher/studentdescriptionsofthemeaningofreligiousfreedomeachdaywouldallow,alongwithotherdata,foragraphicdepictionofconceptualchange,theprocess,timing,andhurdles.Drawingshavebeenfoundparticularlyhelpfulin
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capturingparticipantsconstructionofunderstandingandtheprocesstheygothroughastheybuildunderstanding.Drawingshavealsobeenshowntobeabeneficialtoolforparticipantsinthreemajorways:1)asaplaceholderforideasastheyareworkingthroughorcomplexconcepts;2)asawayofvisualizingconceptionsandidentifyingwherethemodelmaynotwork;and3)asawayofstimulatingdissonance,discussion,andco-constructionamongmembersofthegroup.Fourth,sincethegreatesteffectwasnotedinclasseswithmixedgenderandmixedreligions,waysneedtobefoundtoprovidediversityforclasseswherethisdoesnotnaturallyexist.Onepossiblewayistoengageclassesfromdifferentregionsandmakeupthroughchatroomsorsynchronousonlinesessions.Classeswhoareteachingthesamelessoncouldhavestudentsengagewithoneanotherattheendofanactivitytochallengeeachother’sideasanddecisions.Studentsfromdifferentreligionsand/orgenderscouldtalkabouttheirexperiencesandlearnabouteachothersdifferencesandsimilarities.Thismayhelpstudentsviewscenariosfromaperspectiveotherthantheirownsinceitisdifficulttoengageinarigorousdiscussionofdifferencewhereallmembersareofthesamebackgroundandbeliefs.Finally,havingallteachersfirstteachtheRefugee(fruit)activity,collectdata,andthenteachtheirowndesignedlessonsafewweeksormorelaterwouldallowformorecontinuityinthedatafromteachertoteacher.ItwouldalsoallowHardwiredtomeasureconceptualchangeovertimesinceitrarelyoccursafterjustonelesson,aswellaslongitudinalmeasureofmaintainedconceptualchange.ItisexpectedthatmostifnotalloftheserecommendationswillbeabletobeimplementedatleasttosomeextentinthefollowupworkshopinIraqandLebanon,aswellastheworkshopplannedforMorocco.
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AppendixAPre–PostQuizSurveyofKnowledgeofFreedomofReligionorBelief
1.Youhaveafriendwhopostsamessageonhisblogorsocialmediapageaboutaninspirationalstoryfromhisfaith.Somepeopleseethemessageandareoffendedthatheisdescribingthereligioninsuchacasualway.Howshouldyourespond?
A.Youareuncomfortablewiththecontroversyandthinkthefriendshouldfindotherwaystosharehisthoughtstobuildunderstandingwithothersfirst.B.Yourespondtoyourfriends’messagewithyourownpostsupportingtheirabilitytosharepeacefulthoughtsonsocialmediaorablog.C.Youthinkyourfriendshouldnotpostanythingthatmembersoftheirfaithcommunitywouldnotagreewithorlike.D.Youthinkyourfriendistooreligiousandthattheirmessagesshouldbemonitoredincasetheybecomeextreme.
2.Youhavejustmovedtoanewschoolwherepeopleareunfamiliarwithyourreligionorbelief.Someteachers,studentsandtheirparentsarespreadingstoriesaboutyourreligionthatareuntrue.Somestudentsarebeginningtobelievethemandsaythingsthatarehatefulaboutpeoplewhofollowyourreligionandyoudon’tfeelverysafe.Whatshouldtheprincipaldo?
A.Theprincipalshouldpassaruletobananyspeechthatisoffensiveofotherreligionsandbeliefs.B.Theprincipalshouldconfiscateanymaterialsthatarehatefulmakeanyonefoundspeakinghatefullydocommunityserviceafterschool.C.Theprincipalshouldensurethatthereisasafespaceinschoolfordifferentideastobeheardandchallenged.D.Theprincipalshouldmonitorwhatisbeingsaidandspeakwithanyonespeakinghatefullytoaskthemtotryandunderstandotherseveniftheydisagreewiththem.
3.Theprincipaldecidesthatnooneisallowedtowearanyreligiousclothingatschool.Howdoesthismakeyoufeel?
A.Youfeelupsetbecauseyouwoulddishonoryourreligionifyoucouldnotwearsomethingyou’resupposedto.B.Youfeelgladthatstudentswillnotbelookedatbasedontheirreligion.C.Youareconcernedabouthowyourfriendswhomustwearareligiousitemaspartoftheirfaithwillbetreated.D.Youdon’tunderstandwhytheypassedthenewlawbutyoudecidetogoalongwithit.
4.Afriendofyoursdecidesthattheynolongerbelieveinthesamereligionasyouandwantstoexploredifferentbeliefsintheworld.Howdoyourespond?
A.Youletyourfriendknowthatyoustilllikethemregardlessofwhattheybelieve.B.Youreportyourfriend’sdecisiontotheschoolandlocalplaceofworshipsotheycancorrectyourfriend.C.Youaskyourfriendwhathe/shebelievesandtrytounderstandhis/herdecision.D.Youfeelbetrayedbyyourfriendanddonotunderstandhis/herdecision.
5.Ateacheratyourschoolwantstostartanewclubthatwillteachotherstudentsandpeopleinthecommunityaboutthereligioushistoryofyourcountryandhasaskedyou
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whoshouldbeinvitedtohelpleadit.A.YousuggestthatonlyboyswhobelongtothemajorityfaithshouldparticipateB.YousuggestthatthestudentschoosewhowillparticipateC.YousuggestthatonlymembersofthemajorityfaithinthecountryshouldbeabletoparticipateD.Yousuggestthatanystudentshouldparticipateandthateveryonecommunityshouldberepresented
6.Theparentofonestudentinyourschoolisconcernedthatsomeinformationabouttheirreligiouscommunityincludedintheclasscurriculaisinaccurateandhasaskedtheschooltocorrectthisinformation.Howshouldtheschoolrespond?
A.Theschoolshouldassuretheparentthatthecurriculawasdevelopedbyrespectedreligiousauthoritieswhounderstandvariousreligiousteachings.B.Theschoolmanagershouldmeetwiththeparenttotrytounderstandtheirconcerns.C.Theschoolshouldmaintainthecurrentcurriculabecauseitisacceptedbythemajorityofparents.D.Theschoolshouldhostameetingwherereligiousleadersfromdifferentcommunitiesevaluatethecurriculaandofferfeedbackonhowlessonscanbeimproved.
7.Youvisitsomefriendsatavillageinaremotepartofyourcountryandlearnthatthelocalreligiousleadersdon’tthinkthegirlsneedtogotoschool.Howwouldyourespond?
A.Youdon’tlikewhatyouhearbutyoudon’tthinkyoushouldsayanythingaboutitbecauseitdoesn’taffectyou.B.Thereligiousleadersmustknowwhatisbestfortheircommunitysoyoudon’tsayanything.C.Youareconcernedaboutthegirls’educationandaskyourlocalreligiousleaderstospeakwiththemandhelpthemunderstandtheimportanceofeducationforgirlsasmuchasforboys.D.Youareconcernedaboutthegirls’educationandtalkwithyourfriendsabouthowtohelpthem.
8.Duringlunch,someotherstudentsbegintojokeaboutanewstudentwhobelongstoasmallreligiousgroup.Youhearoneofthestudentssaythattheywouldliketochasethenewstudenthomeafterschooltoscarehim/herforfun.Whatisyourreaction?
A. Youletateacherknowwhatthestudentssaidandaskthemtohelpthestudentgethomesafelyandtalktothestudentsabouttheneedtogettoknowtheotherstudentbetter..
B. Youletthenewstudentknowthatheshouldbecarefularoundthekidswhoweremakingfunofhim/her.
C. Youthinkthekidsarejustplayinganddon’tthinkthey’lldoanything.D. Youtellthestudentswhoarejokingaboutthenewstudentthatyouwanttogetto
knowthenewstudentbetterbeforedecidingwhatyouthinkabouthim/her.9.Youhavejustmovedtoanewschoolinanothercity.Theteacherisdoingalessonwhereeveryonegetstoplayapartinacourtroomtrial.Oneofthegirlsasksifshecanplay
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theroleofajudgebuttheteachersaysthatonlyboysareallowedtoplaythatpart.Howdoyoufeelabouttheteacher’sdecision?
A. Youthinkthegirlcouldasktheteacherifshecouldbealawyerinstead.B. Youthinktheboyswillbelessemotionalandabletojudgethelawbetterthana
girl.C. Youasktheteacheriftheclasscanvoteonwhothejudgeshouldbe.D. Youasktheteachertoexplainherdecisionandaskifshewouldconsiderletting
girlsplaythejudgeforthenexttrialtheydo.SurveyResponseKeyforTeachersQUESTION#
NAÏVE INTUITIVE DEVELOPED SOPHISTICATED
1 D C A B2 A B D C3 D B A C4 B D C A5 A C B D6 C A B D7 B A D C8 C B D A9 B A C D
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AppendixBLessonOverviews
BirdsInthislesson,threedifferenttypesofbirds—aseagull,acrow,andaneagle—experienceconflictintheskiesovertheschoolbecausetheyadheretodifferentanduniquepracticesintheirbirdcommunities.Studentsareaskedtorespondtotheconflictinordertoendtheunrestintheskies.Theteacherguidesstudentsthroughdiscussionsindifferentscenarios,whicharedesignedtohelpstudentsthinkaboutthenegativeimpactofisolationorseparationbetweencommunitiesandrestrictionsonbeliefsandpractices.Inthefirstscenario,theteacherplacesallthreebirdsinasinglecageinordertocontaintheconflict.Asstudentsconsidertheeffectivenessofthisresponse,theyrecognizethebirdsareconfinedinthecageandcannotbehaveasbirdsfreely.Inthesecondscenario,theteacherplaceseachbirdinaseparatecagetogivethemmorespacebutstillcontaintheconflict.Asstudentsconsiderthisresponse,theyrecognizethebirdsarestillunabletofly,huntandbehaveasbirdsintheskies.Theteacherthenasksstudentsiftheycandeviseasetofrulesforthebirdstoobservetoinordertoensureeachofthemcanadheretotheiruniquepracticesandsharetheskies.Thestudentsworktogethertoestablishasetofrightsandrulesforallbirds,whichreflectfreedomsexpressedinArticle18oftheUDHR.Followingthedevelopmentofthisnewsetofrules,theteacherrelatesthelessontodifferencesbetweenreligiouscommunitiessostudentscanbetterunderstandtheirrightsanddevelopgreaterrespectfortherightsandbeliefsofothersintheircommunities.TheFriendlyTree—In“TheFriendlyTree,”studentslearnabouttheinternalandexternalaspectsofreligionthroughtheanalogyofatree.Studentsidentifythedifferentcomponentsofatree—includingtheroots,internalstructures,treetrunk,branches,leavesandfruits—andrecognizehowtheinternalcomponentsofatreearemanifestedinitsuniqueexternalattributes.Theteacherrelatestheinternalandexternalcomponentsofatreetotheinternalandexternalaspectsofaperson’sreligiousbeliefs.Studentsworkingroupstoidentifyhowaspectsofareligionorparticularsetofbeliefscorrelatetotheinternalandexternalcomponentsofatree(roots,trunk,bark,branches,leaves,andfruits)and,throughthisprocess,betterunderstandthenatureofreligiousbeliefforeachindividual.Studentsthenconsiderthevariousqualitiesandprotectionatreeneedstogrow,includingwater,sunlight,soil,protectionfromharshelementsorotherthingsthatcanimpedetreegrowth.Theteacherrelatesthesefactorstothefreedomsandprotectionsanindividualneedstoensureheorsheisabletoliveaccordingtotheirbeliefs.Throughthislesson,studentsbetterunderstandhowArticle18protectseachperson’srighttoholdandexpresstheirbeliefs.TheRainbowIn“TheRainbow,”studentslearnabouttheroleofArticle18inprotectingeachperson’srighttohavedifferentreligiousbeliefsandpractices,andstudentsdevelopgreaterrespectfortheopinionsandbeliefsofothersusingtheanalogyofarainbow.Studentslearnthat,justasdifferentcolorsexistalongsideoneanotherandcontributetotherainbowwithoutlosingtheiruniquequalitiesasacolor,peoplewithdifferentbeliefs,opinionsandevencompetingtruthclaimscanlivetogetheralongsideoneanother.Studentsalsolearnitisnotpermissibletocoerceotherstochangetheirbeliefsiftheydonotwanttochangeortopenalizeotherswhohavedifferentopinions.
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TheBeautifulGardenIn“TheBeautifulGarden,”teachersshareastoryaboutanewflowerthatwasbroughtintotheircommunity.Thisflowerpollenatesandspreadsveryquickly,andcommunitymembersareworriedtherapidgrowthofthisnewflowerwillthreatenthegrowthoftheirgardens.Studentsformgroupsbasedontheirownopinionofthenewflower—thosewhoembracethenewflower,thosewhoopposethenewflower,andthosewhoareundecided—andstudentsengageinadynamicdiscussionastheydeviseaplanforthecommunity.Studentsconsiderhowtorespondtothedifferentfearsthosewhoopposethenewflowerhaveaboutitsimpactontheircommunityandworktogethertodevelopasetofguidelinesandrulesforthewholecommunitysotheycanmaintaintheirgardensaccordingtotheirpreferences.Theteacherrelatestheintroductionofthenewflowertoanewidea,belieforreligionthatentersthecommunityand,throughthelesson,studentslearnhowtorespondtonewordifferentideasinawaythatdemonstratesrespectforpeoplewhohavedifferentopinionsorbeliefs.ThePicnicInthisactivity,teachersfacilitateanexcitingtripforstudentstoparticipateinapicnicinalocalpark.Studentsbeginthelessonbysharingabouttheirfavoritefoodsandhowthesefoodsareusedtocelebrateorobservespecificholidaysintheirreligiouscommunity.Studentsformgroupsbasedontheirfoodpreferencesandworktogethertobringtheirpreferredfoodstothepicnic.Atthepicnic,theteachersimposeasetofrulesbasedonthefoodpreferencesofeachstudentsthatcomplicatethepicnicandinhibiteachstudent’sabilitytofreelyparticipateinfestivities.Student’sabilitytomovearoundfreely,playgames,andspeakwithoneanotheraredeterminedbytheingredientsintheirpreferreddish.Throughthisactivity,studentsexperiencehowrestrictionsbasedondifferentopinions,preferences,orpracticeswithregardtofoodnegativelyimpacttheirabilitytoparticipatewithoneanotherinthepicnic.Studentsworktogethertodeviseanewsetofstandardsbywhicheveryonecanparticipateinthepicnicfreely,eveniftheyhavedifferentfoodpreferences.Theteachersrelatethisexperiencetohowpeoplewithdifferentreligiousbeliefsmayberestrictedinsocietyandstudentsworktogethertounderstandhowauniversalstandardtorespectandprotecttherightofeachindividualtoholdtheirbeliefscanpositivelyimpacttheircommunities.AngelsandtheWorldInthismathlesson,studentsworktogethertobetterunderstandhumandignityandthenatureofreligiousbeliefthroughananalogyofthecompositionoftheEarth.Studentsbeginthelessonbyengaginginadynamicphysicalactivityinwhichtheyworktogethertocreatedifferentanglesanddifferentdegreesinacircle.Theteacherexpandsthelessontoconsideramulti-dimensionalsphere,usingtheEarthasanexample.StudentsexplorethenatureofreligiousbeliefaswellastheinternalandexternalaspectsofreligionastheteacherrelatestheseconceptstothecoreandvariouslayersoftheEarth.Studentsrecognizethehumandignityinherentinthecoreofeachindividual,similartothecoreoftheEarthsurroundedbyvariouslayers.Throughthelesson,studentsunderstandthevalueandhumandignityofeachindividual,andrecognizehoweachperson’sdignityremainsinherenteveniftheirbeliefsandopinionsdifferfromothersorchange.
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AppendixCPhotos:LessonImplementationinIraqandLebanon
(note:thephotoscontainedinthisdocumentareforinternalviewingpurposesandwerespectfullyrequesttheyarenotpublished)
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