A nonviolent pedagogical approach for Life Orientation teacher development: the Alternatives to Violence Project

Abstract

Violence in South African schools seems to be increasing and the consequences affect not only the physical, emotional, and academic lives of learners but also their resistance to delinquent and criminal behaviour. Because the foundations for youth violence are laid in early adolescence, violence prevention in schools is a critical need. Life orientation (LO) as a compulsory school subject could play a key role in helping South African learners deal with the different manifestations of violence, especially understanding the nature of the institutionalised violence of colonialism and apartheid. LO can also nurture learners' personal development and life skills to increase their sense of agency, a key factor in both violence prevention and learners' decolonisation processes. However, various South African studies attest to the current low status of LO in the school curriculum as well as the difficulties of teaching LO. Many of these studies also mention the inadequacy of LO teachers' preparation for meaningful LO teaching. Given that equipping current-day South African learners with the self-empowerment skills necessary for preventing everyday conflicts from escalating into violence also entails this complex decolonisation process to liberate them of past or still present oppressions, this paper contends that LO teachers need to have first participated in such self-development processes themselves. For these reasons, this article proposes a specific development strategy to support LO teachers, namely, that they participate in workshops of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), 1 which applies a nonviolent pedagogical approach in its focus on self-empowerment and creative conflict management. The article discusses the benefits of such an approach and 1 AVP was designed in 1975 in the USA in response to a request from the inmates of Green Haven Prison, New York State who wanted to reduce the physical violence in their prison as well as the recidivism, especially of young prisoners. The 3-day experiential workshop aimed at showing prison inmates how to deal with conflict without resorting to violence. The workshops were well received and prisoners began facilitating their own workshops, some continuing after they were released. Although initially conducted mostly in prisons, the workshops expanded to schools, universities, non-governmental organisations, government corporations, and communities. Run mostly by volunteers, AVP was implemented widely in the USA and spread to other parts of the world. Today, AVP is active in over 50 countries (see http://avp.international/). In South Africa, AVP began in Johannesburg in 1993 and currently there are active groups in Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal, and the Eastern and Western Cape-as well as in Namibia-all of whom regularly conduct workshops in schools for teachers, learners, and conceptually explores how AVP has the potential to provide LO teachers with practical strategies for creative, affirming responses to conflict and violence.

The role of the life orientation curriculum in curbing learner behaviour that triggers school violence

“…Learners engaging in discriminatory behaviour such as racism, sexism or homophobia can contribute to a hostile school environment and potential violence (Lamb & Snodgrass, 2017).…”

Perspective Chapter: Sexual Education in Addressing Sexual Harassment in South Africa

“…Participants explore the depths of their own experiences, and move beyond habitual ways of relating, to discover new pathways of mutual respect, authenticity and reconciliation between women and men. Studies have shown that this change is not temporary but to a significant degree is sustained [41][42][43].…”

Teachers’ Choices of Teaching Methods for Environmental Education: A case study of Life Skills teachers at a primary school in South Africa

“…Teacher M viewed his choice of career path as a result of a 'noble calling': "There were a lot of barriers nonetheless when we got into the profession and it was a noble calling, it was an outreach to the community". Researchers have also identified a teacher's commitment, knowledge of instructional methods and facilitation skills in the class as crucial in teaching Life Skills and related subjects like Life Orientation (Lamb & Snodgrass, 2017).…”