MAKING PEACE: A CREATIVE THESIS PROJECT by Margaret R. Clark A thesis submitted to Sonoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Education ______________________________ Chiara Bacigalupa, Ph., Chair ______________________________ Johanna Filp-Hanke, Ph. ______________________________ Date Copyright 2010 By Margaret R. Clark ii AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS Permission to reproduce this thesis in its entirety must be obtained from me.
DATE: _____________ ______________________________ Signature Margaret Clark 1126 Old Crocker Inn Road Cloverdale, CA 95425 iii MAKING PEACE: A CREATIVE THESIS PROJECT Thesis by Margaret R. Clark ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this project was to create a book for children, titled “Making Peace”, which gives children the language of peacemaking, possible definitions of what peace means, and examples of how to make peace in their own world. This book includes an appendix written specifically for parents and teachers. The appendix describes ways to integrate peace education methods and activities in to the classroom curriculum and learning environment.
Along with the writing and illustration of an original children’s book, I seek to answer the following research questions; what are the common elements of children’s picture books whose main theme is peace? How do children react to these types of stories? How do children talk about and define peace? How can teachers incorporate the philosophy of peace education into their classrooms? And lastly, how do children react to my own children’s book about peace? Procedure: During the process of creating this children’s book, I have investigated published children’s literature and read a selection of these books, along with a draft of my own book, to a group of 4-5 year-old children. I have also conducted class discussions and art activities with this group of students. I have researched the philosophy of peace education and cooperative learning, as well as social and literary theories. With this research, I have created a list of common elements that are used in children’s literature which are aimed at promoting prosocial behavior, specifically peacemaking, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping skills.
This information has helped establish a theoretical framework for my book, “Making Peace”. Findings: Based on class discussions and art activities, I have discovered that young children can be categorized into three different groups or types of peacemakers, what I have named; the naturalist, the meditator, and the humanist. The naturalist is the student who describes peace as a connection or caring for the earth and it’s plants and animals. The meditator is the student who defines peace as an individual desire to find quiet, calm, and silence.
The humanist is a category of students who believe peace is about taking care of one’s family and friends. These three categories, along with a list of common literary and visual elements found in iv children’s literature, are what make up the framework for my own children’s book about peace. Conclusions: A final draft of my children’s book, titled “Making Peace” can be found in Appendix D of this paper. Along with a story for children, the book contains a guide for parents and teachers on how to incorporate peace education into their homes and classrooms.
The book was organized according to the three categories of peacemakers that I discovered in my research with children and incorporates visual and literary strategies that have been found to be successful in children’s literature. Chair: _______________________ Date: ___________________ Signature MA Program: Education Sonoma State University v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to thank Dr. Chiara Bacigalupa, my advisor, teacher, and friend. You have listened, guided and supported me through this project in such a kind and thoughtful way.
I so appreciate the time, thoughts, and care that you have shared with me. I always look forward to our next conversation. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Johanna Filp-Hanke and Ms.
You both have provided me with incredible support and guidance. Thank you to Mom and Dad. You are the true models of peacemakers. You are my heroes.
And special thanks to Trevor Babb, my best friend. Thank you for being my thought partner in life. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. 1 Purpose and Description of the Project……………….
1 A Call for Peace ……………………………………. 4 Children’s Literature as a Teaching Tool…………. 5 Making Peace: A Creative Thesis Project…………. A Review of Literature…….
8 Moral Development in Early Childhood…………………………….……8 Transactional Theory of Reading…………………………….11 Response-Centered Curriculum…………………………….13 The Role of Teachers in Peace Education…………………………….14 Montessori and the Peace Education Curriculum……………………….16 Classroom Activities in Peace Education…………………………….…17 Individual Art Activities and Peace Education………………………….18 Group Art Activities and Peace Education…………………………….18 Critical Analysis of Artwork…………………………….21 The Idea for a Children’s Book: Peacemakers in My Classroom……….21 Creating a Children’s Book…………………………….23 Description of Part One: Children’s Literature………………………….24 vii Qualitative Research in the Classroom…………….25 Setting and Participants…………………………….26 Description of Part Two: Story Circles and Art Activities.28 Description of Part Three: Reading a Draft of “Making Peace” .………29 Data Collection and Analysis……………………………. Results and Discussion…………………………….31 Results from Part One: Children’s Literature ………………….………31 Literary Elements in Children’s Books………………………….31 Visual Elements in Children’s Books…………………………….33 Results from Part Two: Story Circle and Art Activities………….34 Referencing Their Knowledge…………………………….……………………36 Real and Not Real…………………………….…………………………37 Definitions of Peace…………………………….40 Discussion of Findings…………………………….………43 Results from Part Three: Reading a Draft of “Making Peace” …………45 Revisions for a Second Draft…………………………….47 Personal Inspiration for a Children’s Book…………….50 viii Peace Building: An Appendix to “Making Peace” .55 Development as a Children’s Book Author and Peace Educator….58 Appendix A - Text of “Making Peace” …………………………….63 Appendix B - Text of “Peace Building” …………………………….64 Appendix C - Children’s Book Analyses…………………………….66 Appendix D - Draft of “Making Peace” …………………………….82 ix LIST OF TABLES Description Page Table 2.1: A Framework for Moral Development.1: A Collection of Children’s Books About Peace.24 x 1 Chapter I An Introduction For the past four years as a teacher in a Montessori preschool classroom, I have investigated, developed and implemented curriculum to promote positive prosocial skills in the classroom. This curriculum has included art, language, and literacy activities that were aimed at providing tools for the children to proactively work to create an emotionally safe and inclusive environment for one another and, in turn, create peace in their world. The most successful component in teaching peace to my students has been with children’s literature and subsequent literary discussions and activities.
Storybooks, such as Todd Parr’s (2004) The Peace Book and Jane Baskwill’s (2003) If Peace Is… have each generated thoughtful discourse among the students about the meaning of peace and how to create it in one’s own life. These reading experiences have highlighted the important roles that I (the teacher and reader), the student (the meaning-maker) and the text of the literature, all play in helping further promote social growth in the lives of my students. Purpose and Description of the Project The main purpose of this creative thesis project was to create a book for children, titled Making Peace, which gives them the language of peacemaking, possible definitions of what peace means, and examples of how to make peace in their own world. The book provides examples of prosocial behavior, such as sharing, helping, caring, and other ways to proactively make peace, establish friendships, and show kindness, all of which are key components in the development of their social abilities.
This book will also include an appendix written specifically for parents and teachers. The appendix describes ways to integrate peace education methods and activities in to the classroom curriculum and 2 learning environment. Along with the writing and illustrating an original children’s book, I seek to answer the following research questions; what are the common elements of children’s picture books whose main theme is peace? How do children react to these types of stories? How do children talk about and define peace? How can teachers incorporate the philosophy of peace education into their classrooms? And lastly, how do children react to my own children’s book about peace? During the process of creating this children’s book, I have investigated published children’s literature and read a selection of these books, along with a draft of my own book, to a group of 4-5 year-old children. I have also conducted class discussions and art activities with this group of students.
In my review of literature, I have researched the philosophy of peace education and cooperative learning, as well as social and literary theories. With this research, I have created a list of common elements that are used in children’s literature which are aimed at promoting prosocial behavior, specifically peacemaking, peacebuilding, and peacekeeping skills. This information has helped establish a theoretical framework for my book, titled Making Peace. Making Peace explores the many different concepts, definitions and methods of peacemaking.
This children’s book aims to be developmentally appropriate for young children, which means that it uses visual and linguistic elements that are appropriate for a preschool classroom. The text of the book is in poetic verse with simple line-drawing illustrations. The appendix of the book is a guide for teachers and parents and offers different ways to incorporate peace education into their classes and homes. It is my hope that this book will provide both adults and children the tools to learn about and think about the very general concept of peace, and offer them my own view of peace as a 3 proactive, rather than reactive, process that is attainable, sustainable, and necessary for our future.
The significance of this project comes at a moment in our educational history when we are in need of a model curriculum that incorporates peace education and conflict resolution and helps foster young children’s social and moral development. This need has been highlighted by both governmental and educational agencies in their calls for the promotion and support of peace education. A Call for Peace In 1998, the United Nations declared the first decade of the 21st century the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World. The UN called upon member nations, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, schools, artists and media outlets to “actively support the Decade for the benefit of every child of the world.” The National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association for Childhood Education International have both called specifically on early childhood educators to promote conflict resolution, identifying an “increasing need for high-quality peace education for children” (Walker, Myers- Bowman, & Myers-Walls, 2008, p.
These calls come at a time when violence and conflict perpetrated by young people in America has become a growing threat to civil society. Schools across the country face a rise in dropouts, physical violence, gun violence and gang-related activity. Many young Americans are the victims of emotional and physical abuse, poverty and neglect. According to West and Sabol (2009), the number of adults under the age of 30 that end up in prison has risen 13% from 1999 to 2006.
As many as one third of them will 4 be re-incarcerated within two to three years of their release. All too often their crimes are violent. In 2004, 52% of inmates were convicted of violent offenses, up from 47% in 1995 (West & Sabol, 2009). Physical conflict and weapon ownership among high school- age children is also on the rise.
As we ponder the potential causes of these trends, and explore possible solutions, we must look closely at our conception of both conflict and of peace. All humans experience some level of both conflict and peace in our everyday lives. On a personal level, we experience conflict in our interpersonal relationships that may arise from struggles among different personalities, expectations, needs and wants, and we work to resolve those conflicts to maintain a peaceful personal existence. On a societal level, we face conflict and violence among cultures and communities and attempt to work towards resolutions and treaties for a peaceful communal existence.