Anatomy of a Peace Educator: Her Work and Workplace - Article 3

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

This article reports a case study of a 5th and 6th grade teacher’s peace education practice at an independent, non-profit school in the Mid-western United States. Using Paulo Freire’s (1970) conception of dialogue as a conceptual framework, it describes study context and methods, then presents data on the teacher’s background and development, teaching practices, and relationships with students, school, and local community. It discusses her interdisciplinary approach and proposes an integrated peace education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Case Study Purpose and Scope

Conceptual Framework and Peace Education Definition

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 45 Issue 10 | Article 3 | | --- | --- | | 2020
Anatomy of a Peace Educator: Her Work and Workplace
Gulistan Gursel-Bilgin
Bogazici University, [ggurselbilgin@gmail.com](ggurselbilgin@gmail.com)
David Flinders
Indiana University, [dflinder@indiana.edu](dflinder@indiana.edu)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, and the Secondary Education and Teaching Commons | | Recommended Citation Gursel-Bilgin, G., & Flinders, D. (2020) . Anatomy of a Peace Educator: Her Work and Workplace. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(10) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n10.3](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n10.3) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss10/3](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss10/3) Anatomy Of A Peace Educator: Her Work And Workplace Gülistan Gürsel-Bilgin Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey David J. Flinders Indiana University-Bloomington, USA Abstract: This article reports a case study that examined the peace education practice of a 5th and 6th grade teacher at an independent, non-profit school in the Mid-western United States. The study used Paulo Freire’s (1970) conception of dialogue as its conceptual framework. After describing the study’s context and methods, we present data focusing on the teacher’s background and development as a peace educator, her teaching practices, and her relationships with her students, school and local community. We discuss Michelle’s interdisciplinary approach to peace education linked with her personal background and her use of dialogue as dynamic, fluid, and relational. Our analyses also prompted emergent themes for which we used curriculum theory to capture forms of integration between the personal and political dimensions ofpeace education, based on which, we propose an “integrated peace education.” Keywords: Peace education curriculum, critical dialogue pedagogy, interdisciplinarity, dialogue as dynamic and relational, and integrated curriculum. Introduction “Students have to know how to grow up, to talk, and to speak civilly to their life partners when they have a disagreement about, say, the children. About, you know, I am Jewish and you’re Muslim. How are we going to raise our children? How are we going to honor our parents who might feel very strongly? I mean, they have to be able to have these conversations.” We begin with a brief interview quote in which Michelle1, a 5th and 6th grade teacher, explained why she explicitly sought to engage her students in dialogue around agreements and disagreements, conflicts and resolutions. Describing herself as a “self-taught” peace educator, Michelle is a 53-year old white woman who teaches at Diversity School, an independent, nonprofit school in the Mid-western United States. She is one of many practicing teachers who 1 Pseudonyms are used for all individual and place names to protect confidentiality. grapple with the challenges of helping young people develop the skills needed to contribute to a world less plagued by individual and group conflicts. The purpose of this case study was to examine Michelle’s practices and development as a peace educator. Although the field of peace education holds high expectations for classroom teachers, research on how peace educators become peace educators is rare, as is research focusing on the actual curriculum and classroom experience of peace practitioners (Author, 2017, 2020 ; van Ommering, 2017). Moreover, teacher education programs and professional development practices seldom address the aims, content, or challenges of peace education (Bekerman & Zemby

FAQs

What conceptual framework guides the case study?

The study uses Paulo Freire’s (1970) conception of dialogue as its conceptual framework for examining peace education practice.

What aspects of the teacher’s work does the study focus on?

The article presents data on the teacher’s background and development, her teaching practices, and her relationships with students, the school, and the local community.

How does the article describe peace education?

Peace education is defined as empowering people with the skills, dispositions, and knowledge to create a more peaceful social order (Harris & Morrison, 2003).

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy